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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:

Paul Dano
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:

Paul as a kid in "Smart Guy"
Disney

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Paul Dano at a "The Batman" premiere and in an episode of "Smart Guy."
Getty Images / Disney Channel

2.Here's Joey King. You probably know her from The Kissing Booth movies or The Act:

Joey King
Frazer Harrison / WireImage / Getty Images

Here's Joey King playing Emily from an episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody:

Joey King in "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody."
Disney

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Joey King now vs. an episode of "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody."
Getty Images / Disney

3.Here's Kat Dennings. You may know her from 2 Broke Girls, Dollface, Wandavision, or all of the above:

Kat Dennings
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:

Kat Dennings in "Sex and the City."
HBO

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Kat Dennings now vs. how she looked in "Sex and the City."
Getty Images / HBO

4.Here's Dylan Minnette who's best known for his lead role in 13 Reasons Why:

Dylan Minnette
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images

And here's Dylan Minnette in an episode of Grey's Anatomy:

Dylan Minnette in "Grey's Anatomy."
ABC

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Dylan Minnette now vs. in "Grey's Anatomy."
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:

Rachel McAdams
Taylor Hill / Getty Images

Here's Rachel McAdams in an episode of The Famous Jett Jackson as Riley's sister:

Rachel McAdams in "The Famous Jett Jackson."
Disney

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Rachel McAdams now vs. when she appeared in "The Famous Jett Jackson."
Getty Images / Disney Channel

6.Here's Kristen Stewart. You probably know her from Twilight and her recent role as Princess Diana in Spencer:

Kristen Stewart
Karwai Tang / Getty Images

Here's Kristen Stewart in her first role as "Girl in Fountain Line" in The Thirteenth Year:

Kristen Stewart in "The Thirteenth Year."
Disney

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Kristen Stewart now vs. when she appeared in "The Thirteenth Year."
Getty Images / Disney

7.Here's Emma Stone who you know from Easy A, The Help, and The Amazing Spider-Man movies:

Emma Stone
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:

Emma Stone in "Malcolm in the Middle."
20th Century

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Emma Stone now vs. when she appeared in "Malcolm in the Middle."
Getty Images / ABC

8.Here's Jennifer Lawrence. You got to know her from The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook:

Jennifer Lawrence
James Devaney / GC Images / Getty Images

Here's Jennifer Lawrence in Monk playing a mascot at a school:

Jennifer Lawrence in "Monk."
USA Network

And here's how she looks now vs. then:

Jennifer Lawrence now vs. when she appeared in "Monk."
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:

Steven Yeun
Abc / ABC via Getty Images

Here's Steven Yeun in an episode of The Big Bang Theory playing Sheldon's old roommate:

Steven Yeun in "The Big Bang Theory."
CBS

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Steven Yeun now vs. when he appeared in "The Big Bang Theory."
Getty Images / Nickelodeon

10.Here's Dianna Agron who is mostly known for her role as Quinn Fabray on Glee:

Dianna Agron
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:

Dianna Agron on "Drake & Josh."
Nickelodeon

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Dianna Agron now vs. when she appeared in "Drake & Josh."
Getty Images / Nickelodeon

11.Here's Mila Kunis who you probably know from That '70s Show:

Mila Kunis
Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images

And here's Mila Kunis in Baywatch when she played a schoolgirl named Annie:

Mila Kunis in "Baywatch."
NBC

And here's Mila Kunis again in 7th Heaven as Lucy's frenemy Ashley:

Mila Kunis in "7th Heaven."
The WB / The CW

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Mila Kunis now vs. when she appeared in "Baywatch" and "7th Heaven."
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:

Seth Rogen
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:

Seth Rogen in "Dawson's Creek."
The WB

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Seth Rogen now vs. when he appeared in "Dawson's Creek."
Getty Images / The WB

13.Here's Joseph Gordon-Levitt who you may have first seen in 500 Days of Summer or 50/50:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
David Livingston / Getty Images

And here's Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Roseanne as DJ's friend:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in "Roseanne."
ABC

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt now vs. when he appeared in "Roseanne."
Getty Images / ABC

14.Here's Ryan Gosling. You probably know him from The Notebook, Crazy, Stupid, Love, La La Land, and more:

Ryan Gosling
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:

Ryan Gosling in "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
Nickelodeon

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Ryan Gosling now vs. when he appeared in "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
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:

Dakota Fanning
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's Dakota Fanning on Friends playing the girl who lived in the house Chandler and Monica bought:

Dakota Fanning in "Friends."
NBC

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Dakota Fanning now vs. when she appeared in "Friends."
Getty Images / NBC

16.Here's Jessica Chastain. You probably came to know her from The Help or Take Shelter:

Jessica Chastain holding an Oscar.
Lionel Hahn / Getty Images

Here's Jessica Chastain on Veronica Mars where she played a survivor of abuse:

Jessica Chastain in "Veronica Mars."
UPN

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Jessica Chastain now vs. when she appeared on "Veronica Mars."
Getty Images / UPN

17.Here's Lin-Manuel Miranda. You know him as the writer of the musical plays Hamilton and In the Heights:

Lin-Manuel Miranda
Kevin Winter / Getty Images

And here's Lin-Manuel Miranda in an episode of How I Met Your Mother:

Lin-Manuel Miranda in "How I Met Your Mother."
CBS

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Lin-Manuel Miranda now vs. when he appeared in "How I Met Your Mother."
Getty Images / CBS

18.Here's Simon Helberg. You most likely recognize him from playing Howard on The Big Bang Theory:

Simon Helberg
Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images

And here's Simon Helberg playing a nerd in A Cinderella Story:

Simon Helberg in "A Cinderella Story."
Warner Bros. Pictures

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Simon Helberg now vs. when he appeared in "A Cinderella Story."
Getty Images / Warner Bros. Pictures

19.Here's Jane Lynch. You most likely know her from playing Coach Sue Sylvester on Glee:

Jane Lynch
Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Here's Jane Lynch as Greta on Married... with Children:

Jane Lynch in "Married... with Children."
Fox

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Jane Lynch now vs. when she appeared in "Married... with Children."
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:

Ashley Tisdale
Phillip Faraone / Getty Images

Here's Ashley Tisdale playing a student in Donnie Darko:

Ashley Tisdale in "Donnie Darko."
Pandora Cinema

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Ashley Tisdale now vs. when she appeared in "Donnie Darko."
Getty Images / Pandora Cinema

21.Here's Octavia Spencer. You probably know her for her major roles in The Help and Ma:

Octavia Spencer
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:

Octavia Spencer in "Spider-Man."
Sony Pictures Releasing

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Octavia Spencer now vs. when she appeared in "Spider-Man."
Getty Images / Sony Pictures Releasing

22.Here's Adam Scott who you probably came to know from Parks and Recreation:

Adam Scott
Jc Olivera / WireImage / Getty Images

Here's Adam Scott in Boy Meets World where he had a recurring role as a bully:

Adam Scott in "Boy Meets World."
ABC

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Adam Scott now vs. when he appeared in "Boy Meets World."
Getty Images / ABC

23.Here's Scarlett Johansson who is best known for playing Black Widow in the MCU films:

Scarlett Johansson
Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic / Getty Images

And here's Scarlett Johansson as the sister in Home Alone 3:

  Hughes Entertainment
Hughes Entertainment

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Scarlett Johansson now vs. when she appeared in "Home Alone 3."
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:

Ben Affleck
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Here's Ben Affleck as a basketball player in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie:

Ben Affleck in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
20 Century Fox

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Ben Affleck now vs. when he appeared in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" film.
Getty Images / 20th Century Fox

25.Here's John Cho who's best known for playing Harold in the Harold & Kumar movies:

John Cho
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

And here's John Cho in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas when he played a parking valet:

John Cho in "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas."
Universal Pictures

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

John Cho now vs. when he appeared in "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas."
Getty Images / Universal Pictures

26.Here's Johnny Galecki who's best known for playing Leonard on The Big Bang Theory:

Johnny Galecki
Emma Mcintyre / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

And here's Johnny Galecki appearing as Rusty in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation:

Johnny Galecki in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
John Hughes Entertainment

And here's what he looks like now vs. then:

Johnny Galecki now vs. when he appeared in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."
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:

Jessica Alba
Lionel Hahn / Getty Images

And here's Jessica Alba in Camp Nowhere playing a small role:

Jessica Alba in "Camp Nowhere."
Buena Vista Pictures

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

  Getty Images / Buena Vista Pictures
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:

Brie Larson
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's Brie Larson as one of the Six Chicks in 13 Going on 30:

Brie Larson in "13 Going on 30."
Sony Pictures Releasing

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Brie Larson now vs. when she appeared in "13 Going on 30."
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:

Abigail Breslin
Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

And here's Abigail Breslin as one of the orphans in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement:

Abigail Breslin in "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement."
Disney

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Abigail Breslin now vs. when she appeared in "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement."
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:

Kiernan Shipka
John Shearer / Getty Images

And here's Kiernan Shipka playing a kid customer in an episode of Monk:

Kiernan Shipka in "Monk."
USA

And here's what she looks like now vs. then:

Kiernan Shipka now vs. when she appeared in "Monk."
Getty Images / USA
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