Take A Look At How These 20 Actors Looked In Their First And Latest Movie Roles

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Some of your favorite stars were mere kids when they made their debut in Hollywood.

When these actors made their debut in Hollywood, they looked pretty much like somebody else. Not all of them in fact signed a feature film and made their initial most appearance directly on the silver screen. Some started off with TV commercials while some were models. In a nutshell, most world-renowned actors had a long way to go before they finally became successful.

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We are about to take a trip down the memory lane and revisit the first film these 30 actors did. We will compare it to their most recent releases, analyzing how much they’ve changed over the years and how successful they have now become.

Will Smith

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Will Smith: Where The Day Takes You (1992) — Bad Boys For Life (2020)

First film: Where The Day Takes You (1992)
Latest Film: Bad Boys For Life (2020)

It is not known to many but Will Smith used to be a rapper under the name ‘The Fresh Prince’. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he made a debut in the NBC television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for six seasons from 1990 to 1996. He made his debut in the Indie drama

Johnny Depp

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Johnny Depp: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) — Waiting For The Barbarians (2019)

First film: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Latest Film:  Waiting For The Barbarians (2019)

Johnny Depp had no real plans to become an actor. In an interview with RollingStones, he chatted about his love for music and his quest to become a legitimate musician. However, things went the other way when Depp met Nicolas Cage and his agent who later sent him to the casting director for A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Keanu Reeves

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First film: Youngblood (1986)
Latest Film: Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Keanu Reeves moved to Los Angeles, California in his early 20s to pursue an acting career. He Starred In Several Commercials And Short-Films Earlier in his career, including a commercial for Coca-Cola! Keanu made his first studio movie appearance in Youngblood in 1986 where he played a goalie.

Tom Hanks

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First film: He Knows You’re Alone (1980)
Latest Film: Greyhound (2020)

Tom Hanks started off his career with a minor role in the horror film He Knows You’re Alone (1980). In the same year, He appeared in the television series Bosom Buddies. Following that show, Tom Hanks did multiple small appearances before finally getting his break in the movie Splash

Carrie Fisher

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Carrie Fisher: Shampoo (1975) - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

First film: Shampoo (1975)
Last Film: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

Carrie Fisher made her film debut in the year 1975 with the precociously seductive character of Lorna Karpf in the Columbia Pictures comedy titled Shampoo. The film which was shot in mid-1974 featured Fisher when she was just 17-years-old. She’s much known for her role in the Star Wars saga as Princess Leia

Rene Russo

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Rene Russo: Major League (1989) — Avengers: Endgame (2019)

First film: Major League (1989)
Latest Film: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Rene Russo began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s She appeared on magazine covers such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Her debut comedy film in 1989 Major League was the breaking point of her career. The yesteryear actor is known to the Millenials as Thor‘s mother Frigga.

Liam Neeson

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First film: Pilgrim’s Progress (1978)
Latest Film: Made In Italy (2020)

Liam Neeson who is globally known for his role of Bryan Mills in the Taken franchise, made his debut in 1978 with the film Pilgrim’s Process in which he starred as an evangelist. Long before his pursuit of success in Hollywood began, Neeson was an aspiring boxer!

Leonardo Dicaprio

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Leonardo Dicaprio: Critters 3 (1991) — Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood (2019)

First film: Critters 3 (1991)
Latest Film: Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood (2019)

At just the age of 17, Leo made his film debut as the stepson of an evil landlord in the low-budget horror film Critters 3. He was determined to become an actor from a young age and also featured on TV in the American children and family-oriented drama series, The New Lassie in 1989

Ryan Reynolds

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Ryan Reynolds: Ordinary Magic(1993) - Free Guy (2020)

First film: Ordinary Magic(1993)
Latest Film: Free Guy (2020)

Ryan Reynolds began his career starring in the Canadian teen soap opera Hillside (1991–1993). Before pursuing acting as a career he had a part-time job as a paperboy for the Vancouver Sun in Canada. Ryan looks unrecognizable from his first film Ordinary Magic where he played the role of Ganesh.

Jason Momoa

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Jason Momoa: Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003) - Aquaman (2018)

First film: Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
Latest film: Aquaman (2018)

Designer Eric Chandler and Takeo Kobayashi in 1998 discovered Jason Momoa and encouraged him to pursue a modeling career. He was about 24 years old when bagged his first film which was an action/drama titled Baywatch Hawaii where he appeared as Jason Ioane. With his signature beard now, Momoa seems hard to recognize from his young days.

Alan Rickman

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Alan Rickman: Die Hard (1988) — Eye In The Sky (2015)

First film: Die Hard (1988)
Last Film: Eye In The Sky (2015)

Before applying for a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Alan Rickman worked as a graphic designer. He made his debut in Hollywood as terrorist Hans Gruber in the big-screen blockbuster Die Hard.

Robert Downey Jr.

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First film: Pound (1970)
Latest Film: Dolittle (2020)

Robert Downey Jr.: Pound (1970) — Dolittle (2020)

Might be hard to believe but Robert Downey Jr. landed his first roles in films nearly 50 years ago! Pound was written and directed by Robert Downey Sr., so it is pretty evident here that there was a little favoritism in the casting.

Robin Williams

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Robin Williams: Can I Do It 'Till I Need Glasses? (1977) — Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb (2014)

First film: Can I Do It ‘Till I Need Glasses? (1977)
Last Film: Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb (2014)

Robin Williams had previously worked on TV programs like The Richard Pryor Show, Laugh-In and Eight Is Enough before becoming more widely known to American audiences as the alien Mork from the sitcom Mork & Mindy.

Meryl Streep

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Meryl Streep: Julia (1977) — Little Women (2019)

First film: Julia (1977)
Latest Film: Little Women (2019)

Meryl Streep was in many plays and musicals before she transitioned to the film industry. She made her debut in the film Julia which was a Holocaust drama based on a book by Lillian Hellman, opposite fellow screen legends Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave.

Daniel Radcliffe

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First film: The Tailor Of Panama (2001)
Latest Film: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend (2020)

Daniel Radcliffe would always remain synonymous with his role of Harry Potter which he started portraying as a kid. However, Harry Potter was not his debut film in Hollywood. Daniel was only 10 when he appeared on BBC One’s television film, David Copperfield. Later he bagged his role in The Tailor Of Panama.

Natalie Portman

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Natalie Portman: Léon: The Professional (1994) — Lucy In The Sky (2019)

First film: Léon: The Professional (1994)
Latest Film: Lucy In The Sky (2019)

Natalie Portman was just 11 when she began modeling. She began her acting career at age 12 by starring as the young protégée of a hitman in the action-drama film Léon: The Professional. She earned her name for the portrayal of Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels.

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Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson: North (1994)-Jojo Rabbit(2019)

First film: North (1994)
Latest Film: Jojo Rabbit(2019)

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The Marvel Studios star who we more commonly know as Black Widow was 8-years-old when she made her film debut. Seeing her love for acting, Johansson’s mother started taking her to film auditions. She was nominated for the Academy Award of Best Supporting Actress for her role in Jojo Rabbit

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet: Heavenly Creatures (1994) — Wonder Wheel (2017)

First film: Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Latest Film: Wonder Wheel (2017)

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At the age when we were at school learning the numbers, Kate Winslet was on the sets of an ad company. She featured in a cereal commercial when she was just 7. Winslet dropped out of school to pursue a full-fledged career in acting and landed her big break when she was cast for the role of Rose in Titanic.

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro: Three Rooms In Manhattan (1965) — The Irishman (2019)

First film: Three Rooms In Manhattan (1965)
Latest Film: The Irishman (2019)

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Robert De Niro established himself as one of the nation’s finest actors with his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, a role for which he learned to speak Sicilian. De Niro was 22 when he made his first-ever showbiz gig as an extra in 1965’s black and white film Three Rooms in Manhattan.

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman: Paperback Hero (1999) — Bad Education (2019)

First film: Paperback Hero (1999)
Latest Film: Bad Education (2019)

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Hugh Jackman earned his name by portraying the mutant Wolverine in the superhero blockbuster franchise X-Men. He was around 31 when he made his debut in Hollywood as a top-selling romance novelist in the film Paperback Hero. 

 

Source: BoredPanda

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Written by Muneer

Articles Published: 535

Muneer is an Indian writer at FandomWire who plans to visit all countries in this world to eat the food on their streets. Obsessed with joggers, he sings and plays the strings too.