30 Famous Actors You Didn't Know Were In These Iconic Movies And Shows Before They Hit It Big
BuzzFeed
9 min read
1.Here is Paul Dano. You may know him from his most recent role as the Riddler in The Batman:
Cindy Ord / WireImage / Getty Images
Here's Paul Dano in his first role as Nicholas, a basketball player on T.J.'s team, in an episode of Smart Guy:
Disney
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Disney Channel
2.Here's Joey King. You probably know her from The Kissing Booth movies or The Act:
Frazer Harrison / WireImage / Getty Images
Here's Joey King playing Emily from an episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody:
Disney
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Disney
3.Here's Kat Dennings. You may know her from 2 Broke Girls, Dollface, Wandavision, or all of the above:
David Livingston / Getty Images
Here's Kat Dennings in Sex and the City where she played a 13-year-old who hired Samantha to plan her bat mitzvah:
HBO
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / HBO
4.Here's Dylan Minnette who's best known for his lead role in 13 Reasons Why:
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images
And here's Dylan Minnette in an episode of Grey's Anatomy:
ABC
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / ABC
5.Here's Rachel McAdams who you may know from Mean Girls, The Notebook, The Time Traveler's Wife, and, like, a bunch of other stuff:
Taylor Hill / Getty Images
Here's Rachel McAdams in an episode of The Famous Jett Jackson as Riley's sister:
Disney
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Disney Channel
6.Here's Kristen Stewart. You probably know her from Twilight and her recent role as Princess Diana in Spencer:
Karwai Tang / Getty Images
Here's Kristen Stewart in her first role as "Girl in Fountain Line" in The Thirteenth Year:
Disney
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Disney
7.Here's Emma Stone who you know from Easy A, The Help, and The Amazing Spider-Man movies:
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images For Louis Vuitton
And here's Emma Stone in Malcolm in the Middle where she played the leader of a group of popular girls:
20th Century
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / ABC
8.Here's Jennifer Lawrence. You got to know her from The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook:
James Devaney / GC Images / Getty Images
Here's Jennifer Lawrence in Monk playing a mascot at a school:
USA Network
And here's how she looks now vs. then:
Getty Images / USA Network
9.Here's Steven Yeun. You may know him from his roles in Minari, The Walking Dead, and Sorry to Bother You:
Abc / ABC via Getty Images
Here's Steven Yeun in an episode of The Big Bang Theory playing Sheldon's old roommate:
CBS
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Nickelodeon
10.Here's Dianna Agron who is mostly known for her role as Quinn Fabray on Glee:
Amanda Edwards / Getty Images
And here's Dianna Agron on Drake & Josh playing the girl who went on a date with Drake and said she could fit her whole fist in her mouth:
Nickelodeon
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Nickelodeon
11.Here's Mila Kunis who you probably know from That '70s Show:
Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images
And here's Mila Kunis in Baywatch when she played a schoolgirl named Annie:
NBC
And here's Mila Kunis again in 7th Heaven as Lucy's frenemy Ashley:
The WB / The CW
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / NBC / The WB / The CW
12.Here's Seth Rogen who you probably know from Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, or his many other comedy films:
Phillip Faraone / Getty Images
And here's Seth Rogen in Dawson's Creek where he played a stoner who went with Joey, Audrey, and Eddie to Los Angeles:
The WB
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / The WB
13.Here's Joseph Gordon-Levitt who you may have first seen in 500 Days of Summer or 50/50:
David Livingston / Getty Images
And here's Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Roseanne as DJ's friend:
ABC
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / ABC
14.Here's Ryan Gosling. You probably know him from The Notebook, Crazy, Stupid, Love, La La Land, and more:
Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images
And here's Ryan Gosling in Are You Afraid of the Dark? where he played a character who was obsessed with death:
Nickelodeon
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Nickelodeon
15.Here's Dakota Fanning. You probably got to know her from her major roles in Uptown Girls, The Cat in the Hat, and Charlotte's Web:
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images
And here's Dakota Fanning on Friends playing the girl who lived in the house Chandler and Monica bought:
NBC
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / NBC
16.Here's Jessica Chastain. You probably came to know her from The Help or Take Shelter:
Lionel Hahn / Getty Images
Here's Jessica Chastain on Veronica Mars where she played a survivor of abuse:
UPN
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / UPN
17.Here's Lin-Manuel Miranda. You know him as the writer of the musical plays Hamilton and In the Heights:
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
And here's Lin-Manuel Miranda in an episode of How I Met Your Mother:
CBS
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / CBS
18.Here's Simon Helberg. You most likely recognize him from playing Howard on The Big Bang Theory:
Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images
And here's Simon Helberg playing a nerd in A Cinderella Story:
Warner Bros. Pictures
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Warner Bros. Pictures
19.Here's Jane Lynch. You most likely know her from playing Coach Sue Sylvester on Glee:
Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
Here's Jane Lynch as Greta on Married... with Children:
Fox
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Fox
20.Here's Ashley Tisdale. I'm guessing you know from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the High School Musical movies:
Phillip Faraone / Getty Images
Here's Ashley Tisdale playing a student in Donnie Darko:
Pandora Cinema
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Pandora Cinema
21.Here's Octavia Spencer. You probably know her for her major roles in The Help and Ma:
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Here's Octavia Spencer in Spider-Man where she played a woman who tried to talk Peter out of joining a professional wrestling event:
Sony Pictures Releasing
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Sony Pictures Releasing
22.Here's Adam Scott who you probably came to know from Parks and Recreation:
Jc Olivera / WireImage / Getty Images
Here's Adam Scott in Boy Meets World where he had a recurring role as a bully:
ABC
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / ABC
23.Here's Scarlett Johansson who is best known for playing Black Widow in the MCU films:
Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic / Getty Images
And here's Scarlett Johansson as the sister in Home Alone 3:
Hughes Entertainment
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Hughes Entertainment
24.Here's Ben Affleck. You know him from his many major roles in Good Will Hunting, Pearl Harbor, and Gone Girl:
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images
Here's Ben Affleck as a basketball player in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie:
20 Century Fox
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / 20th Century Fox
25.Here's John Cho who's best known for playing Harold in the Harold & Kumar movies:
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images
And here's John Cho in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas when he played a parking valet:
Universal Pictures
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Universal Pictures
26.Here's Johnny Galecki who's best known for playing Leonard on The Big Bang Theory:
Emma Mcintyre / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images
And here's Johnny Galecki appearing as Rusty in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation:
John Hughes Entertainment
And here's what he looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / John Hughes Entertainment
27.Here's Jessica Alba who you know from starring in many box office hits like Fantastic Four, Valentine's Day, and Good Luck Chuck:
Lionel Hahn / Getty Images
And here's Jessica Alba in Camp Nowhere playing a small role:
Buena Vista Pictures
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Buena Vista Pictures
28.Here's Brie Larson who you probably came to know from her roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Short Term 12, or in the MCU films as Captain Marvel:
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images
And here's Brie Larson as one of the Six Chicks in 13 Going on 30:
Sony Pictures Releasing
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Sony Pictures Releasing
29.Here's Abigail Breslin. You probably came to know her from her early films including Little Miss Sunshine, My Sister's Keeper, and Definitely, Maybe:
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images
And here's Abigail Breslin as one of the orphans in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement:
Disney
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / Disney
30.And lastly, here's Kiernan Shipka who's best known for her roles in Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina:
John Shearer / Getty Images
And here's Kiernan Shipka playing a kid customer in an episode of Monk:
USA
And here's what she looks like now vs. then:
Getty Images / USA