Before Melissa McBride nabbed her breakout role on The Walking Dead she had a couple of bit parts on Dawson’s Creek, believe it or not – here’s her appearance in the classic teen drama explained. Today, most people know Melissa McBride for playing badass mother hen Carol Peletier on The Walking Dead. As Carol has evolved from wallflower to warrior throughout the show’s ten seasons, McBride’s star has risen considerably but AMC’s zombie apocalypse drama was by no means her first rodeo.
Melissa McBride’s earliest credits include playing a waitress in a season 8 episode of legal drama Matlock in the early 1990s which she followed up with a two-episode role as a reporter on crime drama In The Heat Of The Night. Later, McBride played a former girlfriend of Sheriff Lucas Buck in horror series American Gothic and played a doctor tending to a young patient with AIDS played by Haley Joel Osment in a two-part episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.
One early credit that stands out, partly because it’s such a different show to The Walking Dead, is Dawson’s Creek where Melissa McBride played not one but two roles. Her first Dawson’s Creek appearance came during the show’s very first season in an episode titled “Road Trip.” This saw a recently dumped Dawson (James Van Der Beek) go on a road trip with pal Pacey (Joshua Jackson) during which they end up at a club where Dawson meets McBride’s character Nina – a film buff like himself who he hits on. The two share a kiss but things don’t go any further as Dawson is still hung up on his ex Jen (Michelle Williams).
Melissa McBride’s second Dawson’s Creek appearance was playing a different character. In the show’s two-part series finale, which featured a five-year time jump, she played Joey’s (Katie Holmes) boss Melanie at the New York City publishing house she works at. In her one scene, McBride’s character tries to convince Joey to go on a romantic weekend away with her boyfriend rather than return to Capeside.
Melissa McBride is one of a number of big-name actors who have had bit roles on Dawson’s Creek early in their careers. Other Dawson’s Creek alum include Seth Rogen who (fittingly) played a stoner named Bob in a season 6 episode titled “Rock Bottom,” Julie Bowen of Modern Family fame played Dawson’s aunt Gwen and Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles who had a 12-episode stint playing Jen’s season 6 boyfriend C.J. Braxton.
Next: What If Dawson’s Creek Was Cast Today?
