The RHOBH Star You Didn't Realize Was In Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers had a star-studded cast, and it also served as the first major film role for a future Real Housewives star. The 1997 sci-fi/action adventure film boasted a cast that included Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, Brenda Strong, and even Golden Girls icon Rue McClanahan, but some Real Housewives fans may not realize that Denise Richards also had a major role in the movie. The future Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star played Carmen Ibanez in the film just one year before her breakout movie role opposite Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, and Neve Campbell in the erotic thriller Wild Things.
While she got her big-screen break as the futuristic pilot in the Paul Verhoeven film, Richards gave herself a hard time after watching the movie back. "It was not my best performance," she told Entertainment Weekly in 1998. "I had this smile plastered on my face throughout the whole movie. I was so annoying."
Moviegoers didn't think she was annoying. Richards shot to fame in Wild Things and went on to log a long list of movie and TV roles before trying her hand at reality TV while simultaneously holding down a full-time soap opera gig. Richards quit the Real Housewives franchise after just two seasons. She currently stars on the CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful and the TV series Glow & Darkness, according to her IMDb page.
Denise Richards is not the only RHOBH star who's an actress
Over its 10 seasons, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has featured multiple cast members with acting backgrounds. In addition to Richards, who appeared in seasons 9 and 10 of the Bravo hit, two other Richardses on the show – not related to her — started out as child stars.
OG RHOBH stars Kim and Kyle Richards are both known for their childhood movie roles. Kim was the star of the Escape to Witch Mountain movie franchise and was an all-around Disney darling who also frequently turned up on '70s TV shows as a guest star. Her younger sister Kyle, who is the only original Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star who is still a cast member on the Bravo reality show, appeared in the original Halloween movie and had a recurring role on the NBC drama Little House on the Prairie.
In addition, RHOBH veterans Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna both have soap opera backgrounds and other acting creds, and newcomer Garcelle Beauvais has a long résumé that includes roles on The Jamie Foxx Show and NYPD Blue, per her IMDB page. Most recently, the RHOBH newcomer reprised her role as royal rose bearer Grace in the Eddie Murphy film sequel Coming 2 America.