Mandy Moore originally rose to fame as a teenage singer in the late 90's, early 2000's, alongside pop princesses Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera. However, unlike those vocalists, she went on to achieve huge success as an actress. (Sorry, Britney. You tried with Crossroads!) In 2002, Mandy made her starring debut in a A Walk To Remember, a romantic drama about a guileless young woman with leukemia who falls in love with a jaded teenage rebel (Shane West).
Seventeen years later, the pair united at a special event. Earlier today, Mandy, who currently stars in the hit dramedy series This Is Us, received a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. (Yeah, homeless people will probably pee on it tonight, but still - it's coveted!) During a speech at the ceremony, the Candy singer reflected, "A career is shaped by so many things, and for me, there are two monumental projects that represent both where I started and where I am now."
She continued, "Reflecting back on that time [on A Walk to Remember], my first leading role, I can't help but think of my poor, sweet co-star Shane, explaining the basics of filmmaking to me, like how to hit my mark and when and how to deliver my lines... [He was] exceedingly patient, kind and so talented."
Mandy concluded: "Honestly, none of us knew that project would have the reach and resonance it's had over the years, with new generations discovering it and falling in love with a story that will forever hold a very special place in my heart... It takes just one person to see a spark in you, to see you in a way that you may not see yourself, to give you permission to go beyond what the world may or may not expect of you and completely change the path of your life and career."
On social media, the 34-year-old posted a photo with her old-costar Shane West, posing in the same position as the characters on the movie poster. "Stars have always sort of been our thing," she wrote in the Instagram. caption "Thankful to @theshanewest for his kind words on this very special day, one which I will never forget. It was a walk (of fame) to remember."
Last month, Shane, who currently acts in the Batman prequel series Gotham, reflected on working with with the starlet. "Mandy was phenomenal and my best friend when we were working on that," he told E! News. "We hadn't had anything that had been a success like that, so that will probably be one of my favorite memories."
In addition to Shane, several of Mandy's co-stars from This Is Us showed up at the Walk of Fame ceremony, including Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Jon Huertas, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metzand and Susan Kelechi Watson.
Well, we live in the age of endless sequels and revivals - how about A Walk To Remember 2: Still Walkin'? 2 Walk 2 Remember? A Run To Remember? A Crawl To Remember? A Brisk Jog To Remember? There's money to be made here, Hollywood!
