17 Famous Actors Who Got Their Start In Roles You Totally Forgot
Before they became household names and walked red carpets, your favorite Hollywood stars had to start somewhere.
Many of today’s biggest celebrities appeared in embarrassing commercials, cheesy TV shows, or tiny movie roles that barely anyone remembers.
Get ready to discover the hilarious and surprising early gigs that launched these mega-stars into fame!
1. Leonardo DiCaprio – Growing Pains
Before sinking with the Titanic or winning an Oscar, Leo played a homeless kid named Luke on the family sitcom Growing Pains. His character moved in with the Seaver family during the show’s final season in 1991.
Most fans have completely erased this wholesome TV appearance from their memories. Today, it’s wild to imagine the serious dramatic actor doing cheesy sitcom punchlines and laugh tracks!
2. Jennifer Aniston – Leprechaun
Yes, Rachel Green from Friends once battled an evil leprechaun in a low-budget horror flick. Released in 1993, Leprechaun featured Aniston screaming and running from a murderous Irish creature.
She’s admitted feeling embarrassed about this campy slasher film. Watching America’s sweetheart fight a tiny monster with terrible special effects is absolutely hilarious and completely unexpected for her glamorous career!
3. Brad Pitt – Dallas
Long before becoming Hollywood’s golden boy, Pitt appeared in just two episodes of the Texas oil drama Dallas in 1987. He played a character named Randy, who had a brief romantic storyline.
With big hair and even bigger shoulder pads, this forgotten appearance shows how far he’s come. Nobody watching that soap opera could have predicted he’d become one of cinema’s biggest leading men!
4. Charlize Theron – Children of the Corn III
An Oscar winner started her career in a straight-to-video horror sequel about murderous children. Theron appeared in 1995’s Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest with a small, forgettable role.
She barely had any lines in this critically panned thriller.
Knowing that this stunning dramatic actress once participated in such a ridiculous B-movie makes her journey to stardom even more impressive and entertaining!
5. Ryan Gosling – The Mickey Mouse Club
Alongside Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera, Gosling sang and danced on Disney’s variety show from 1993 to 1995.
He wore matching outfits and performed choreographed numbers with mouse ears.
Watching the brooding heartthrob from The Notebook as a goofy kid is absolutely surreal.
6. Tom Hanks – He Knows You’re Alone
America’s dad had his film debut in a 1980 slasher movie about a bride being stalked by a killer. Hanks played a psychology student in He Knows You’re Alone with minimal screen time.
His character survived, which was rare for horror films back then. Picturing the lovable star of Forrest Gump and Toy Story in a cheesy horror flick feels completely wrong yet wonderfully entertaining!
7. George Clooney – The Facts of Life
Clooney appeared in 17 episodes of the sitcom The Facts of Life from 1985 to 1986, playing a handyman named George Burnett. He fixed things around the girls’ school and provided comic relief.
His feathered hair and cheesy one-liners are hilariously dated now. Seeing today’s suave leading man in this wholesome 80s sitcom proves everyone’s got to pay their dues in show business!
8. Matthew McConaughey – Unsolved Mysteries
McConaughey’s screen debut was playing a murder victim in a 1992 reenactment on Unsolved Mysteries. He appeared shirtless and got killed in the dramatic recreation of a real crime.
The future Oscar winner basically played a corpse with no dialogue. From nameless murder victim to charismatic leading man is quite the glow-up, and this forgotten appearance is absolutely priceless to watch now!
9. Scarlett Johansson – North
At just nine years old, Johansson appeared in the critically despised 1994 comedy North, directed by Rob Reiner. The film flopped spectacularly and earned terrible reviews from every major critic.
Film critic Roger Ebert called it one of the worst movies ever made. Despite this disastrous beginning, Johansson bounced back to become one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses and a superhero icon!
10. Halle Berry – Living Dolls
Berry’s first major TV role was on Living Dolls, a short-lived sitcom about models sharing an apartment. The show lasted only 12 episodes in 1989 before getting canceled.
Critics called it shallow and forgettable, which is probably why nobody remembers it.
From failed sitcom star to Bond girl and Oscar winner shows Berry’s incredible determination and talent throughout her amazing career!
11. Robert Downey Jr. – Pound
Downey’s acting debut came at age five in his father’s bizarre 1970 experimental film Pound. The weird movie featured actors dressed as dogs in a pound awaiting euthanasia.
Yes, you read that correctly – people pretending to be dogs. This absolutely strange beginning to his career makes his later success as Iron Man even more remarkable and proves he’s always been fearless about taking risks!
12. Anne Hathaway – Get Real
Before becoming a princess in The Princess Diaries, Hathaway appeared in one episode of the short-lived Fox sitcom Get Real in 1999. She played a supporting character in the family drama.
The show was canceled after just one season, making it extra forgettable. Hathaway quickly moved on to bigger projects, and most fans have no idea she ever appeared in this failed television experiment!
13. Chris Hemsworth – Home and Away
Before wielding Thor’s hammer, Hemsworth spent 2004 to 2007 on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He played Kim Hyde, a lifeguard dealing with typical soap opera drama and romance.
International audiences had no idea who he was during those years. His transformation from Australian soap star to Marvel superhero proves that sometimes you’ve got to start local before going global!
14. Sandra Bullock – Hangmen
Derivative by Keraunoscopia, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Bullock’s film debut was in the 1987 action thriller Hangmen, a low-budget movie that went straight to video. She had a minor role that barely registered with audiences or critics.
This forgettable action flick disappeared without a trace immediately.
Knowing that America’s sweetheart started in such a terrible B-movie makes her later success in romantic comedies and dramas all the more impressive!
15. Keanu Reeves – Coca-Cola Commercial
Before dodging bullets in The Matrix, Reeves appeared in a 1983 Coca-Cola commercial. The ad featured him as a carefree teenager enjoying a Coke with friends at a bike race.
His big smile and enthusiastic delivery feel so different from his usual cool persona. Watching Neo himself selling soda with pure teenage joy is absolutely delightful and shows how far he’s come since then!
16. Morgan Freeman – The Electric Company
Freeman spent five years (1971-1977) on the PBS children’s educational show The Electric Company, teaching kids to read. He performed in sketches, wore silly costumes, and sang educational songs.
Watching the dignified actor from Shawshank Redemption in bright outfits doing goofy skits is absolutely priceless.
17. Ryan Reynolds – Fifteen
Reynolds starred in the Canadian teen soap opera Fifteen from 1991 to 1993, playing a student dealing with typical high school problems. The low-budget Nickelodeon show featured terrible acting and cheesy storylines.
His hair and fashion choices were absolutely ridiculous by today’s standards. From cringeworthy teen drama to Deadpool represents one of Hollywood’s most impressive transformations, and this early role is wonderfully embarrassing!
