The First On-Screen Appearance Of Today’s Biggest Names

As it often happens, we tend to think of famous people as having been famous forever. And yet, that’s basically never the case; even if your parents are famous, you’re then known as someone’s child rather than as an individual. Fame, for everyone, grows gradually. Although having a famous family always helps.

That means that everyone must have started somewhere, doing small roles before being the selling face of summer blockbusters. Here, we’ve gathered the first roles of today’s biggest names, with a focus on actual screen time rather than commercial or uncredited background work.

Tom Holland Started With a Disaster

Before becoming Spider-Man, Tom Holland made his feature-film debut in The Impossible (2012), playing Lucas, the eldest son of Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts’ characters. His performance was immediately noticed and helped establish him as a serious young actor.

Zendaya’s Disney Channel Beginning

Zendaya’s first major on-screen role came as Rocky Blue in Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, which premiered in 2010. She was only fourteen, and the dance sitcom established the performing experience that eventually led to Euphoria and blockbuster movies.

Timothée Chalamet Was on Law & Order

Timothée Chalamet’s earliest television appearances came before his Homeland breakthrough. He had brief roles on Law & Order and Royal Pains before becoming Finn Walden in Homeland’s second season, making his early career surprisingly packed with procedural television.

Florence Pugh’s First Movie Was The Falling

Florence Pugh’s feature-film debut came in Carol Morley’s 2014 drama The Falling. Pugh played Abbie, a student at a girls’ school experiencing an unexplained epidemic of fainting, giving today’s major star an unusually demanding first role.

Jacob Elordi Was Barely in Pirates

Jacob Elordi’s first experience on a Hollywood set came as an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. His first actual acting role followed in Swinging Safari, where he played Rooster.

Barry Keoghan’s Dirt-Bike Audition

Barry Keoghan’s first film role was in the 2011 Irish crime drama Between the Canals. He found the audition through a local shop’s phone number and showed up with his dirt bike, eventually landing the part of Aido.

Anya Taylor-Joy Was Cut From Her First Movie

Anya Taylor-Joy technically appeared in Vampire Academy, but her small part was cut from the finished film. Her first released film role therefore became The Witch, where she played Thomasin in Robert Eggers’ acclaimed horror movie.

Austin Butler Was a Background Kid

Austin Butler’s first television appearance came on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide in 2005. He played Zippy Brewster, often appearing in the background before eventually becoming a regular and launching the career that led to Elvis and Dune.

Pedro Pascal Started With Good vs. Evil

Pedro Pascal’s first credited television appearance was in the 1999 series Good vs. Evil, where he played Gregor New. He appeared in only one episode, beginning a long stretch of tiny television roles before his eventual global stardom.

Jenna Ortega Was in Iron Man 3

Jenna Ortega’s first film role was extraordinarily small. She played the Vice President’s daughter in Iron Man 3, with her scene almost entirely cut. Ortega has recalled that only a couple seconds of her remained in the finished movie.

Glen Powell Was a Long-Fingered Boy

Glen Powell’s first film role came in Spy Kids 3: Game Over, where his credited character was literally “Long-Fingered Boy.” He was still a teenager, making the tiny appearance a particularly funny starting point for today’s leading man.

Michael B. Jordan Started in Hardball

Michael B. Jordan’s first film role came in Hardball (2001), where he played Jamal, one of the young baseball players coached by Keanu Reeves’ character. His breakthrough television role on The Wire followed the next year.

Paul Mescal’s First Screen Role Was a Pilot

Paul Mescal began his screen career with an appearance in the 2019 pilot for the television series Bump. Normal People was his first major television role the following year, launching him almost immediately toward international recognition.

Rachel Zegler Went Straight to West Side Story

Rachel Zegler’s first film role was also her breakthrough: Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story. She landed the part after responding to an open casting call while still in high school, beating thousands of other performers.