Denis Leary Owes His Hollywood Break to a Straight-Talking Nun

Denis Leary might have spent his high school years as a classic Catholic school troublemaker, but he says it was one determined nun who steered him toward the stage—and ultimately, Hollywood fame.

Appearing on "The Jennifer Hudson Show," the 67-year-old comedian recalled his less-than-stellar academic days and that fateful moment when Sister Rosemary Sullivan intervened. "I was a terrible student… I got into high school and Sister Rosemary Sullivan, I went to a Catholic school, all 12 years, same nuns… Everyone in the neighborhood went to that school, so they knew the troublemakers. My older brother was a troublemaker, so there’s no hope for me," Leary said, not exactly sugarcoating his reputation.

Despite openly admitting he wasn’t a model student—or particularly devout—Leary found himself cast in the school musical thanks to Sister Sullivan’s intervention. "This nun grabs me in the hallway and goes, ‘Leary, you’re in the musical,’" he remembered. Leary protested, but as any Catholic school kid knows, resistance is usually futile. He went, expecting the worst, and instead discovered the rehearsal room was packed with, as he put it, "all the hottest girls in high school." Suddenly, Broadway didn’t seem so bad after all.

Confident in his family’s musical chops, Leary landed a part and quickly realized, "That moment changed my life." He spent his remaining high school years wrangling even the jocks onto the stage. "I told all the hockey players, ‘You guys got to do this musical,’" he said. It’s honestly impressive what peer pressure can accomplish when it comes with a side of show tunes.

Leary’s story, equal parts rags-to-riches and divine intervention, didn’t stop at high school curtain calls. The son of Irish immigrants with little money for college, Leary credits Sister Sullivan for guiding him to an audition at Emerson College, which led to a full scholarship. "She changed my life," he said, emphasizing that their friendship lasted until her passing.

Even as Leary’s comedy evolved into something a little more R-rated—think HBO specials packed with language that would make any nun blush—Sister Sullivan remained his biggest cheerleader. "She’d call me up and go, ‘I love the new special,’ and I’m like, ‘Sister, the language.’" Her response? "Ah, you kids were saying that stuff in high school." Clearly, she was no stranger to reality.

These days, Leary is back on screen as U.S. Army Colonel Patrick Quinn in FOX’s "Going Dutch," playing a no-nonsense commander dealing with plenty of misfits—a role that, honestly, sounds like it might owe a little something to Sister Sullivan’s influence, too.