You may know him as the straight-laced FBI agent, taking down the bad guys on The Blacklist. Or, as a marine captain on Homeland, but long before that, Diego Klattenhoff played a jock on the cult teen drama, Mean Girls. Before finding success, Diego had played minor roles in various movies and shows. His hard work over the years has paid off.
With the success of The Blacklist, it's safe to assume that Klattenhoff is well on his way to becoming a big name in Hollywood. He has worked alongside some industry greats and even starred in After Earth which grossed $60.5 million, and the cult classic, Pacific Rim which grossed $101.8 million at the domestic box office. However, none of this helped him land the role on the NBC hit show, because the showrunners had no idea who he was.
He's Valued At $2 Million
A-listers like Will Smith have turned down iconic roles before, however, most actors don't have the luxury of picking and choosing their roles. Some actors take any role offered to them to make ends meet, this is especially so at the beginning of their careers. This was the case for Diego Klattenhoff, the actor's rise to stardom hasn't been smooth sailing. He hasn't been choosy with his roles in order to gain experience and pay the bills.
In an interview with The New York Post, the star revealed, "For years, I did whatever I could just to pay the bills and gain experience and work with as many different people as I could. So last year was interesting because, for the first time, more people [saw my] work and respect[ed] what [I’m] doing."
It looks like his hard work paid off, Diego has a $2 million net worth that he earned primarily through acting. He has even starred in some movies that performed well at the box office, After Earth earned $60.5 million while Pacific Rim made a whopping $101.8 million.
Showrunners On The Blacklist Didn't Know Who He Was
By now, Diego has definitely caught the attention of some industry greats, thanks to Homeland and The Blacklist. While not many people may recognize him, he has garnered himself the adoration of many people worldwide. When he auditioned for the role of special agent Donald Ressler on The Blacklist, the showrunners didn't know who he was. Executive Producer, John Eisendrath and the show's creator Jon Bokenkamp hadn't seen Homeland, hence they weren't familiar with Klattenhoff or his work.
In a conference call with Daily Actor, Executive Producer, John Eisendrath revealed, "I don’t know why we didn’t see him for a while. Maybe he was still on Homeland, I have no idea, but he too was somebody who came in late in the process. We had auditioned and auditioned and auditioned people to play the part of Ressler and I can’t remember whether we made an offer that didn’t go through."
That didn't stop them from offering Diego the role. It's hard to picture anyone else playing Ressler, he brings the character to life in a manner only he could.
"You know, that happens sometimes, too, where, you know, you make an offer and then that deal doesn’t close, and you’re like oh God, that’s never going to work. Then the next guy walks through – and with Diego, it was like that – he came late in the process as well."
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