Looking back, it's a bit surprising that the show 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager' is what propelled Shailene Woodley into the spotlight. Now that the actress has two full decades of acting experience under her belt, it's a bit mystifying to look back at 'Secret Life.'
Especially considering the fact that Shailene has said she hated being on 'Secret Life,' the show's legacy includes a bit of controversy. The ideas on the show weren't embraced by everyone who watched, and even the most open-minded viewer probably said huh a few times.
Still, the show spanned five seasons, 121 episodes, and followed Amy (Shailene) through teen pregnancy, relationship problems, an almost-marriage, and her adventures in college. Oh, and leaving her four-year-old behind with his dad, whom she's breaking up with.
Really, the character of Ricky, Amy's baby-daddy turned out to be a decent guy. Granted, he had some problems, but he stepped up as a teen dad. The character was a highlight of the show — just like Francia Raisa, India Eisley, and Molly Ringwald's.
So who was that guy, and why didn't his career blow up like Woodley's?
While Shailene quit acting for a whole post-'Divergent,' the actor behind Ricky, Daren Kagasoff, has had even fewer opportunities in the industry. 'Secret Life' was Kagasoff's breakthrough role after he decided to pursue acting while attending college in San Francisco, California.
The Encino-born actor also appeared on a few episodes of 'Red Band Society,' but the show was canceled after its premiere season. IMDb also lists Daren's 2019 acting credits in 'The Village,' but that show only lasted a single season, too.
To be honest, it's disappointing that Hollywood hasn't picked Kagasoff up for bigger and better things yet. After all, Shailene's path has led to her bonding with George Clooney, not to mention working with Meryl Streep.
That might be about to change though; Daren recently shared that he's slated to star in the upcoming 'Devotion' alongside Joe Jonas. If that doesn't help him finally earn some recognition, fans have no hope left.
No, he's not teen dad Ricky anymore, but the 33-year-old is keeping busy outside of his acting gigs by playing golf, hanging with his dog, and chilling by the pool.
The last public relationship he was rumored to have had was with Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, but the Canadian actress married someone else in 2018. Clearly, the actor is seeing someone, based on a woman's arm showing up in some of his IG selfies in bed.
But with hundreds of thousands of fans obsessing over Daren in his Instagram comments, it's understandable that he'd try to keep any relationship he's in under the radar. Then again, it may be hard to maintain such secrecy if his next project takes off!