As you watch NBC's Hairspray Live! tonight, you may wonder, what happened to Nikki Blonsky?
One minute the 28-year-old actress was playing Tracy Turnblad and dancing with Zac Efron and John Travolta in the 2007 musical film Hairspray, which marked her first onscreen acting role. Then you may have watched her as one of the leading stars of the short-lived ABC Family series Huge.
In 2011, E! News learned Blonsky worked for a brief period at a shoe store in New York City and was later hired as a cosmetologist at a hair salon in her hometown of Great Neck on Long Island, New York.
And now Blonsky is back on a movie set.
Over the past few years, she continued to live in New York and has actred sporadically, nabbing small roles such as a recurring part on the cult musical series Smash. She recently worked on a drama film titled Dog Years, along with stars such as Modern Family actress Ariel Winter and Burt Reynolds. He plays the main character, a former movie star who much face the reality that his glory days are behind him.
"Making movie magic and creating once in a lifetime incredible memories," Blonsky wrote on Instagram Wednesday. "#ONSET with the legendary #BurtReynolds! #LuckyLadyIam #AmazingCostarAmazingBestFriend #WaitTillYouSeeThisOne #SetLife #FavMovie #DOGYEARS #DogYearsTheMovie #LoveThisManWithAllMyHeart."
Blonsky is also featured in the the animated movie Pup Star, which was released this past summer.
"SURPRISE here's the poster for a new film I did called PUPSTAR!" she wrote on Instagram Wednesday. "It's from the creators of Air Bud and I play the voice of Lady Paw Paw, an amazingly cool dressed pop star whose one of the judges of this singing competition for dogs and she's also a Poodle!"
"That's right I am doing voiceover movies as well and loving it, in fact loving it so much we are now working on PUP STAR 2!!!" she added. "I am also honored to say one of my co-judges is the amazingly talented Ziggy MARLEY (yes the son of the legend himself). I'm so excited to share this all with you! Hop on ITunes and check it out! See you for PUP STAR 2! #SetLife."
Of course, Blonsky keeps Hairspray, and her former co-stars, close to her heart.
In 2014, she appeared onstage at the New York Pops' 31st birthday concert at Carnegie Hall to sing the Hairspray song "Good Morning Baltimore" with Ricki Lake, who played her character in the original 1988 movie, and Marissa Janet Winokur, who portrayed the character on Broadway.
"Yup almost ten years later and still "I Can Hear The Bells"!!!#ILoveMyJob #WorkingGirl #NewMoviesOutSoon," Blonsky wrote on Instagram two weeks ago.
She said she spoke to Travolta on her birthday last month.
"My favorite part of my birthday hands down was hearing from this incredible man, John," she said on Instagram. "It's been ten years since making Hairspray and I'm honored and thankful to say we are still as close as ever!"
"I will never be able to fully express my full love and gratitude for this man because he's so incredible that he leaves me speechless and there's not enough amazing words in the dictionary to describe him," she continued. "Love you Johnny thanks for being the best 3rd parent a girl could have! #BeautifulBirthday #Blessed #LuckyGirl."