Almost Famous: 10 Stars Before They Made It Big
Not everyone scores a home run their first time in front of a camera. Most actors have to suffer through commercials and sitcom guest appearances before finally landing that leading role of a lifetime. Here are some of the smaller jobs that ten big stars had to do before they made it.
ELIJAH WOOD -Long before Elijah Wood was known as Frodo, he was just a kid in need of some pizza. This Pizza Hut ad features a young Elijah Wood resisting an undesirable hamburger that his dad weakly grilled in their suburban backyard. The goofy “Summertime” jingle doesn’t quite match the music in Happy Feet – the Oscar-winning animated hit in which Wood went on to star.
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SETH GREEN – Green appeared in numerous commercials and films as a child actor, serving in a prominent role in Woody Allen’s Radio Days as Woody’s 13-year-old stand-in character. Green also paid the bills as a young actor by appearing in this ad for Nerf guns, sporting a jean jacket and a Flock of Seagulls haircut. This nerdy Nerf gun user went on to co-create Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken.
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MEG RYAN – Before she became the queen of the 90’s RomCom, Meg Ryan sold soup, burgers, and toothpaste. Meg plugged away making commercials for Campbell’s, AIM toothpaste, and Burger King. Considering how charming and adorable she is in the commercials, it’s no surprise that she was able to dominate as lead in some of the most memorable romantic comedies.
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MEGAN MULLALLY – There was also another Meg shilling burgers in the early 80’s, Megan Mullally! Apparently getting adorable and cute actresses to sell greasy fast food was the style back then. Also keep an eye out for a bonus young John Goodman!
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CHRISTIAN BALE – Christian Bale is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, following his award-winning roles in The Fighter and, of course, the Batman series of films. Yet Bale got his start as a kid with a small part in his first film, and his first on-screen acting role – a made-for-TV movie about the Grand Duchess of Russia. Skip to 4:35.
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MICHELLE WILLIAMS – Michelle Williams gained fame in the teen angst drama Dawson’s Creek, but she landed her first paid acting role wearing a bikini in the beach drama Baywatch. Since this brief guest spot in 1993, Williams has earned numerous Oscar nominations en route to becoming one of the most-respected actresses today.
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JACK BLACK – He didn’t really hit it big until High Fidelity and Tenacious D, but Jack Black is one of those guys you’ll see randomly pop up in things you hadn’t noticed before. He still has that same intensity in this commercial about Atari as he does now.
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ANGELINA JOLIE – Angelina earned her first role as a 7-year-old, playing “Tosh – Patti’s Daughter” in the film Lookin’ To Get Out. Jolie was credited as “Angelina Jolie Voight” – the first and only time she was credited with the “Voight” name. This appearance marks her only on-screen acting role until she turned 18.
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JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT – Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s fame is rapidly rising, following such hits including (500) Days Of Summer, Inception, and 50/50. Yet he first tested his acting chops as an adorable little kindergarten bully – picking on a deaf child in the sitcom Family Ties. Since this episode, Levitt has continued bullying the deaf all the way to the top of Hollywood; he is set to appear in heavily anticipated films including Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained as well as The Dark Knight Rises.
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RYAN REYNOLDS – Before he was People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive (2010), Reynolds developed his acting chops as Billy Simpson, a regular teenager on the Canadian teen drama Hillside (also known as Fifteen). The series aired in Canada, as well as in the United States on Nickelodeon, for a few seasons in the early ’90s. In this awkward scene, a heartbroken Reynolds learns that he has been replaced as a drummer in “the baaand.” Fortunately for Reynolds, his acting career isn’t… history.
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