A very young Shailene Woodley played a short but very significant role on Crossing Jordan

Looking back, Crossing Jordan boasts a lot of star power, tapping talents that sooner after went on to star in blockbusters and award-winning TV and films alike. In its first season, you can catch Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), as Dr. Trey Sanders, and through the whole series run, Kathryn Hahn (Transparent) as a grief counselor. But there's another major star today who played a minor role in the series that Crossing Jordan fans would nevertheless deem unforgettable: Shailene Woodley.

Shailene Woodley is now instantly recognizable, whether you're a fan of the Divergent series that captivated young moviegoers, her emotional performance in The Fault in Our Stars, or her Emmy-nominated work in the HBO series Big Little Lies. But one of her earliest roles was on Crossing Jordan, where she played the younger version of Jill Hennessy's starring character Jordan Cavanaugh.

We first see Woodley in a recurring flashback Jordan suffers where she re-experiences her mother's murder. It's Woodley's wide eyes we see discover the dead body in the dark, appearing first in the first season episode "Digger." This footage would be recycled, cementing the memory for viewers just as it stuck for the series star.

Woodley would appear again in two more episodes, showing Cavanaugh at different ages in the episodes "Pandora's Trunk" and "Deja Past." By then a teen, Woodley was then ready to move on to recurring roles on The O.C. and eventually, the starring role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. This is the work her fans likely remember best, but to catch her at the very beginning of her career is as good excuse as any to check out the first season of Crossing Jordan, premiering Jan. 1 on Start TV.