50 Stars in Their First Movie Roles
50 Stars in Their First Movie Roles
Every star has their big break, and they all have to start somewhere. From made-for-TV films to blockbuster franchises, see some of today's biggest actors and actresses in their very first movie roles.
Zendaya in 'Frenemies' (2012)
Zendaya made her film debut in Disney's TV movie Frenemies, where she plays a young magazine editor dueling with her best friend, opposite Bella Thorne.
Dakota Fanning in 'Tomcats' (2001)
Fanning first appeared on the big screen with a small role in the movie Tomcats.
Taraji P. Henson in 'Streetwise' (1998)
Henson made her film debut in this 1998 crime thriller about drug dealers in Washington D.C.
Chris Hemsworth in 'Star Trek' (2009)
Although he'd been acting on television for years before, Hemsworth's first part in a movie was as George Kirk (aka Chris Pine's dad) in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot.
Chris Pine in 'The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement' (2004)
Pine starred as the dashing Nicholas Devereaux in the The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement for his first moment on the big screen.
Anne Hathaway in 'The Princess Diaries' (2001)
Also in The Princess Diaries franchise, Hathaway captured hearts as the lovable Mia Thermopolis, a teenager who suddenly found out she was royalty.
Saoirse Ronan in 'I Could Never Be Your Woman' (2007)
The three-time Oscar-nominated actress made her film debut acting opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd in this 2000s romantic comedy.
Selena Gomez in 'Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over' (2003)
Gomez made her film debut in the iconic early 2000s Spy Kids franchise, when she was 11 years old.
Eva Longoria in 'The Dead Will Tell' (2004)
Longoria appeared in this TV movie thriller about a woman haunted by her fiancé's murder victim.
Cara Delevingne in 'Anna Karenina' (2012)
Model-turned-actress Delevingne made her silver screen debut as Princess Sorokina in the 2012 period piece Anna Karenina, based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy.
Anna Kendrick in 'Camp' (2003)
Kendrick's first movie role provided a lot of foreshadowing for her later career. In 2003, she starred (and sang) in the movie musical Camp, about a group of teens in a summer theater program.
Demi Lovato in 'Camp Rock' (2008)
Five years later, Demi Lovato snagged her first movie role in Disney's take on a summer musical, Camp Rock.
Jennifer Aniston in 'Camp Cucamonga' (1990)
Aniston starred as Ava Schector in this '90s TV comedy, also about a summer camp.
Jessica Biel in 'It's a Digital World' (1994)
When she was 12 years old, Biel played Regrettal in the '90s fantasy movie It's a Digital World.
Penelope Cruz in 'Jamón, Jamón' (1992)
Cruz's first movie role was in this romantic drama about a young woman caught between two men.
Margot Robbie in 'Vigilante' (2008)
For her first role, Robbie starred in the Australian crime thriller Vigilante, about a man seeking revenge after his fiancée is killed.
Kristen Stewart in 'The Safety of Objects' (2001)
Stewart acted opposite Glenn Close in this drama about suburban family life.
Nicole Kidman in 'Skin Deep' (1983)
Kidman starred in this little-known Australian TV movie about the vicious fashion industry.
Angelina Jolie in 'Lookin' to Get Out' (1982)
Jolie played a young girl in this '80s film, which also starred her father, Jon Voight.
Tiffany Haddish in 'The Urban Demographic' (2005)
For Haddish's first role, she starred in this drama about a Seattle radio station.
Scarlett Johansson in 'North' (1994)
Johansson appeared in this '90s film starring a young Elijah Wood, about a boy who runs away from home.
Hugh Jackman in 'Paperback Hero' (1999)
Jackman first appeared on film in the Australian movie Paperback Hero where he played a tough truck driver turned romance writer.
Emilia Clarke in 'Triassic Attack' (2010)
Before tackling Game of Thrones, Clarke starred in this Syfy network movie about dinosaur fossils come to life.
Ryan Reynolds in 'Ordinary Magic' (1993)
For his first role, Reynolds starred in this Canadian film about a boy trying to save his family's home from being destroyed.
Jennifer Hudson in 'Dreamgirls' (2006)
The Oscar- and Grammy-winning star made her movie debut in this iconic musical, which earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Eva Mendes in 'A Night at the Roxbury' (1998)
Mendes made a cameo as a bridesmaid in this classic comedy.
Reese Witherspoon in 'The Man in the Moon' (1991)
The iconic blonde first acted in this sweet, coming-of-age romance about falling in love.
Gal Gadot in 'Fast & Furious' (2009)
Gadot established early on that action movies are kind of her thing when she showed up for her first role in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Kate Hudson in 'Desert Blue' (1998)
Hudson's first role was in this '90s drama about a father-daughter road trip.
Zo? Kravitz in 'No Reservations' (2007)
While still in high school, Kravitz played a punk rock babysitter in this 2007 movie.
Sandra Bullock in 'Hangmen' (1987)
Bullock plays a kidnapping victim in this thriller about the CIA.
Kirsten Dunst in 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' (1990)
At just 8 years old, Dunst made her film debut in this award-winning film about a wealthy cover-up.
Johnny Depp in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984)
Depp played a suburban teenager who is being haunted by a murdered child in his first feature film role.
Lupita Nyong'o in '12 Years a Slave' (2007)
The Yale Drama School graduate broke onto the scene in 2007 when she starred in 12 Years a Slave and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Critters 3' (1991)
DiCaprio made his film debut in Critters 3, playing the young protagonist who fights against evil critters taking over his apartment complex.
Natalie Portman in 'Léon: The Professional' (1994)
Portman began her illustrious acting career in 1994, playing a child who joins forces with a mobster hitman.s
Edward Norton in 'Primal Fear' (1996)
Norton started strong right out of the gate with his first film, Primal Fear. The actor played an alter boy accused of murdering a priest and earned an Academy Award nomination for the role.
Daniel Radcliffe in 'The Tailor of Panama' (2001)
Years before he starred in the Harry Potter franchise, Radcliffe was in The Tailor of Panama alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Pierce Brosnan.
Colin Firth in 'Another Country' (1984)
Firth's first film was about the a period piece (surprise, surprise) about the life of a notorious Cambridge spy.
Tom Hanks in 'He Knows You're Alone' (1980)
Before Hanks was taking home Oscars, he starred in a horror movie about a bride who was being stalked by her ex-boyfriend.
Emma Stone in 'Superbad' (2007)
Stone's first role was in the teen coming-of-age comedy about two best friends in their last weeks of high school.
Meryl Streep in 'Julia' (1977)
Today, Streep is one of the most renowned actresses of our generation, but in 1977 she was just a newbie with a minor role alongside Jane Fonda.
Megan Fox in 'Holiday in the Sun' (2001)
The Transformers star got her start in a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen film, playing a snooty rich girl staying at the same resort as the twins.
Denzel Washington in 'Carbon Copy' (1981)
In Washington's first film role, he played teenager Roger Porter, who connects with his biological father for the first time.
Hilary Duff in 'Casper Meets Wendy' (1998)
Before she was a Disney Channel darling, Duff played Wendy, a young witch who teams up with a friendly ghost to stand up to their demanding families.
Amy Adams in 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' (1999)
Adams was in good company with costars like Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, and Denise Richards for her first film, in which she played a beauty contestant.
Rose Byrne in 'Dallas Doll' (1994)
Byrne made her on-screen debut in her native Australia at the age of 15.
Gwen Stefani in 'The Aviator' (2004)
The famous singer tried her hand at acting when she starred as Jean Harlow in the Oscar-nominated biopic about Howard Hughes.
Elizabeth Banks in 'Wet Hot American Summer' (2001)
The actress earned her Screen Actors Guild card after appearing in this satirical comedy about a summer camp.
Joseph Gordon–Levitt in 'A River Runs Through It' (1992)
At 11 years old, Gordon-Levitt made his film debut in a film about the bond of two brothers who grew up on a rural farm in Montana.
Every star has their big break, and they all have to start somewhere. From made-for-TV films to blockbuster franchises, see some of today's biggest actors and actresses in their very first movie roles.