Jenna Dewan was once dubbed one of the hottest new stars in Hollywood after breaking out
with three hit movies in 2006. But you might not have noticed her around as much in the
years since then. Here's the real reason why you haven't heard from Jenna Dewan lately.
Long before she got into acting — or even acting in movies about dancing, such as "Take
the Lead" and "Step Up" — Jenna Dewan was a professional dancer, notably appearing in
several Janet Jackson music videos and joining the superstar on tour in the early 2000s.
In 2019, Dewan went back to her dancer roots when Fox hired her to host the reality show,
"Flirty Dancing." One part dance show and one part dating show, the series attempted
to set up couples by having them perform a romantic dance sequence together without talking,
letting their bodies and movement speak instead. Dewan told ET:
"It's absolutely amazing! It's such a fun and fresh show that I'm filming and I'm having
the best time doing it. I watched the U.K. version and fell in love. I was literally
crying in the first episode I saw."
Unfortunately, American viewers didn't fall in love with the format. Despite the involvement
of a bona fide celebrity in Dewan, "Flirty Dancing" couldn't attract viewers with its
original premise.
Ratings for the show dropped so much between its first and fourth episode that Fox moved
the show to its little-watched dumping ground of Saturday nights for its final two episodes.
Since then, it has not been renewed for a second season.
Despite dancing her way to fame with the 2006 movie, "Step Up," Jenna Dewan hasn't headlined
a major movie in over a decade, with her last big-screen role being a supporting part in
the 2019 indie romantic comedy, "The Wedding Year." She's still worked over the past five
years or so, although most of her roles have been on the small screen.
After a 13-episode arc on "Supergirl" as Lucy Lane wrapped up in 2016, Dewan appeared on
an episode of The CW's live-for-today dramedy "No Tomorrow," a couple of installments of
the Matt LeBlanc-led sitcom "Man with a Plan," and eight episodes of the Fox medical drama
"The Resident."
After turning in some voice work on "Robot Chicken" and "Blaze and the Monster Machines,"
Dewan appeared in the third season finale of ABC's "The Rookie" as Bailey, a potential
love interest for Nathan Fillion's character.
While there's no official word yet on whether Dewan will return in Season 4 of "The Rookie,"
it seems promising. Fillion himself seems to support the idea, telling TV Insider:
"Much like Jenna, [Bailey] really pops. She’s got a great energy. She’s just very warm
and she draws you in and that’s a great quality. I love that we've introduced her
at the tail end of Season 3 […] kind of smoothing out that transition a little better
and giving us something to want for and hope for in the coming season."
"You're welcome to stay. I want you to stay."
"Will there still be food?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll stay."
"Excellent choice."
For nine years, Jenna Dewan was one-half of one of Hollywood's most beloved and noticed
couples.
"You look beautiful. Thank you."
In 2009, she married her "Step Up" co-star and love interest, Channing Tatum, and they
had a daughter together named Everly in 2013. However, a bit of a disparity in fame between
the two actors developed after Tatum burst onto the A-list with lead roles in hit movies
like "21 Jump Street" and "Magic Mike."
In April 2018, Dewan and Tatum announced that they were splitting up, and the finer points
of their post-divorce financial arrangements dragged on for more than three years. It's
hard for anyone to live out their toughest personal issues in public, and that can affect
an actor's image and ability to get work.
The divorce may also have affected Dewan in terms of personal branding. While she was
married and her fame grew, she professionally used the name Jenna Dewan Tatum; after her
marriage ended, she went back to just Jenna Dewan.
Jenna Dewan might not be acting as much as she once did, because she's busy enjoying
a relatively new romantic relationship. Not long after she and Tatum filed for divorce,
Dewan and fellow actor Steve Kazee started appearing in public together and on each other's
Instagram feeds.
The cute pair later used their accounts on the social media platform in February 2020
to mutually announce their engagement.
Just a few months before that, Dewan also made a September 2019 revelation that she
and Kazee were expecting their first child together. She wrote on Instagram at the time:
"Becoming a mother is quite simply the absolute best most incredible thing that has ever happened
to me."
On March 10, 2020, Dewan announced the birth of their son via a photo on Instagram of herself
holding the newborn baby, writing:
"And just like that, our hearts exploded into all of eternity and beyond. Welcome to the
world you little angel!"
With the joys and responsibilities of parenting two children, one of whom is a toddler, it
could be possible that Jenna Dewan doesn't have quite as much free time to act as she
once did.
Making a career in movies and on television shows takes a lot of work -- work that requires
a person to leave the house and spend a lot of time away from their creature comforts,
life partner, and children. And doing all that just wasn't something Jenna Dewan was
interested in back in March 2020.
The star gave birth to her second child, son Callum Michael Rebel, just a few days before
Los Angeles issued stay-at-home orders in response to the emerging pandemic. With Hollywood
mostly shutting down as well, Dewan suddenly had a lot of open-ended free time. With nothing
to do but hunker down with her family for some quality time at home, she found that
she actually liked some things about the change of pace. She told Women's Health:
"I've learned for the very first time what it means to actually be quiet, to be present.
I've never been a homebody, and I love it."
Without needing to worry about acting work, Dewan was able to focus on her baby and a
daily regime of self-care and physical fitness.
According to a February 2021 interview with Women's Health, Jenna Dewan is looking to
work more in the production side of things. And she's got some majorly impressive history
working behind the scenes. With her now former husband, Channing Tatum, Dewan founded 33
& Out Productions, which helped produce the Rwandan genocide documentary "Earth Made of
Glass." As a listed producer of the film, Dewan shared in winning a prestigious Peabody
Award for the project. In addition to helping produce the TV adaptation of "Step Up," she
also formed her own house, Everheart Productions.
On top of all that, Dewan also found time to write a book titled "Gracefully You," in
which she discusses how she's able to maintain balance in her life.
Basically, Jenna Dewan isn't quite done with Hollywood yet, even if her career is looking
a bit different these days.
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