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[LewieP]

I was thinking recently about fun performances of now famous actors early on in their career. Mainly thinking of characters with just one or two scenes, not just an early breakout leading role. What are your favourite examples of this?

I like:
Michael Shannon in Groundhog Day.

Jeff Goldblum in Death Wish [trigger warning]

Elijah Wood in Back to the Future 2.

I don't have a clip, but Jamie Foxx as a Soldier in Toys.

Which do you like? Clips if you can find them.

 

[Sapiens]

I saw michael shannon in a bar once. Dude is terrifying.

 

[RubberJohnny]

Chris Evans in a music video

 

[old manatee]

Benicio Del Toro in Big Top Pee Wee always cracks me up.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Michelle Monaghan in everything.

 

[Bold One]

Michelle Monaghan in everything.

lol, so true

Amy Adams in Buffy Season 4?

 

[Enduin]

Chris Evans in a music video

That must have been filmed along side Not Another Teen Movie since they're both in that film and those are their letterman jackets from it.

Yup looking it up its from Tainted Love cover he did which was made for the movie's soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkKulSH2nNc

 

[thekonamicode]

Matt Damon in Mystic Pizza (1988)

 

[Manu]

Amy Adams as Tara's cousin in Buffy.

Of course, she looked exactly the same as now.

EDIT: Beaten.

 

[Sapiens]

Matt Damon in Mystic Pizza (1988)

Prreeeetty sure that's Jessie Plemons.

 

[LewieP]

If we're talking Buffy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmFS7Fs0YNE

 

[Veritigo_X]

Seth Rogen as one of the random bullies in Donnie Darko. He's the one that tells Donnie's girlfriend that he likes her boobs.

Edit: I guess he was in Freaks and Geeks before that, but Donnie Darko was his first movie role.

 

[Lagamorph]

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hercules in New York

 

[Curufinwe]

Karl Urban in Shortland Street.

 

[Ogodei]

The funny thing with that Matt Shannon scene in Groundhog Day is that his fiance is Hynden Walch (the voice of Starfire and Princess Bubblegum, among others). So they both became famous later on.

 

[The Main Event]

Tobey Maguire in The Wizard

 

[thekonamicode]

Chris Evans in a music video

This is basically from the set of Not Another Teen Movie, which Evans starred in.

 

[Kinyou]

That must have been filmed along side Not Another Teen Movie since they're both in that film and those are their letterman jackets from it.

The Tainted love video is from 2003 while Not Another teen movie is from 2001.
That music video also heavily features Chyler Leigh who is also in not another teen movie. I guess this was all a nod to the movie?

Edit: ah got it wrong, the video is also from 2001. The song is actually from the official soundtrack, lol

Nsfw: https://vimeo.com/98587062

 

[Bitanator]

Robert Duvall in To Kill A Mockingbird

 

[robotzombie]

I've always loved Sam Rockwell being in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEWLnvqOsls

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Amy Adams in Smallville

 

[phanphare]

seth rogan in anchor man

everyone in wet hot american summer aside from janeane garofalo who was the most famous of the bunch at the time. they're not minor roles but whatever

paul rudd

bradley cooper and amy poehler

etc.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Amy Adams in Smallville

Also Evangeline Lilly.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Pierce Brosnan in an unspeaking role in The Long Good Friday (although he has a fair bit of screen time)

Spoilery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P806BdqA0k

 

[BlazinSkatinAxel]

Michael B Jordan on the Wire.

 

[John Dunbar]

daniel day-lewis is the racist street urchin in gandhi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQaYTYZc-3A

 

[mclem]

This one's quite well-known in the UK (and not exactly an acting role, but near enough), but it might perhaps surprise some people internationally.

Jeremy Irons in Playaway

Bonus: The ladies of the harem of the court of King Caractacus. With bonus Baldrick.

 

[The Broken Ska Record]

seth rogan in anchor man



everyone in wet hot american summer aside from janeane garofalo who was the most famous of the bunch at the time. they're not minor roles but whatever

paul rudd

bradley cooper and amy poehler

etc.

Bradley Cooper had just graduated from Film School when filming started. He apparently missed his graduation so he could be in WHAS.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Also Evangeline Lilly.

Edit: Lol that's awesome. Thought you were making a joke with Kristin Kreuk at first.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

Samuel L Jackson had many minor roles before he became a household name

 

[Timbuktu]

Pretty much every British actor in Band of Brothers. Mcavoy, Fassbender, Hardy, Pegg etc.

 

[Violence Jack]

He's dead now, but the guy on the left is a young Charles Bronson in the original House of Wax.

Jim Carrey in The Dead Pool

Harrison Ford in Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round

And Leonardo DiCaprio in Growing Pains

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Benicio Del Toro also in Licence to Kill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFTI9DnYSpY

 

[Sephzilla]

Vin Diesel in Saving Private Ryan

 

[cwmartin]

Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

Did you even notice him behind those glasses?

 

[strafer]

Also Evangeline Lilly.

She a bunch of minor roles on that show.

 

[Jag]

Samuel L Jackson had many minor roles before he became a household name

But of course his most famous minor role

 

[Enduin]

bradley cooper and amy poehler

etc.

Paul Rudd had been in quite a bit at that point like Clueless and starred Overnight Delivery. But Bradley Cooper was literally like less than a week out of acting school if I'm not mistaken.

Bradley Cooper had just graduated from Film School when filming started. He apparently missed his graduation so he could be in WHAS.

Yup, beaten to the punch.

 

[adamsapple]

Karl Urban in Shortland Street.

Man. I wish I had hair like that.

 

[Mango Positive]

Liam Neeson is in Krull as one of the bandits.

 

[johnvr]

Definitely Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Long Goodbye" as an unnamed henchman in one scene.

 

[fallengorn]

Amy Adams on West Wing:

 

[FortuneFaded]

And Leonardo DiCaprio in Growing Pains

With the Last of Ellie in the middle.

 

[jmdajr]

 

[phanphare]

also tons of Seinfeld ones thanks to the popularity of Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle for Cranston

Paul Rudd had been in quite a bit at that point like Clueless and starred Overnight Delivery. But Bradley Cooper was literally like less than a week out of acting school if I'm not mistaken.

yeah but he wasn't quite famous yet, it was still before anchor man and all those judd apatow movies

 

[womfalcs3]

Kirsten Dunst was in Savage Garden's I Knew I Loved You music video before she was a star in the 2000s.

 

[Bold One]

Seth Rogen in Donnie Darko

 

[bjork]

kurt russell as a jungle boy on an episode of Gilligan's Island

adam sandler as one of theo's friends on Cosby show like season 1 or 2?

Idris Elba as a male escort on an episode of Absolutely Fabulous in like 92.

 

[thekonamicode]

Bradley Cooper had just graduated from Film School when filming started. He apparently missed his graduation so he could be in WHAS.

Why stop there?

Paul Rudd SNES commercial 1991

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU0NxOyNUP0

 

[phanphare]

Seth Rogen in Donnie Darko

oh shit I forgot about that