Are you willing to do anything to be a movie star? Are you willing to be in embarrassingly bad films just to get your name in the credits? Some of these actors certainly were willing. Before they've become what we know them as today, they also had to get less-than-desirable roles in less-than-desirable films. Emilia Clarke had to play a role in a cheap Sci-Fi drama, and Leonardo DiCaprio got his start in Critters 3.
It is not always possible to begin your journey in the desired way, and Hollywood is a prime illustration of this. Some of today's top showbiz stars come from backgrounds they're not particularly proud of. Check out some of the most humiliating debut appearances of 15 incredible actors:
Jen makes her film debut in this 1993 horror flick. The franchise features eight films, the most recent of which starred Aniston's character's daughter.
#2 Ben Aflleck in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Ben appeared as Basketball Player #10 in the original 1991 Buffy film. His screentime was brief, and his line had to be dubbed.
#3 Emilia Clarke in Triassic Attack
Emilia Clarke made her cinematic debut in this Sci-Fi drama about dinosaur skeletons coming back to life a year before she went to stardom with Game of Thrones.
#4 George Clooney in Grizzly II: The Concert
Grizzly II, which was shot in 1976, was not published until 2020. It starred Clooney in an unnamed part in which he camped out with a girlfriend before being mauled by a monster.
#5 Courtney Cox in Masters Of The Universe
Cox starred in the controversial He-Man movie with Dolph Lundgren three years after dancing with Bruce Springsteen.
#6 Leonardo DiCaprio in Critters 3
Leo, like many other notable actors, began his career in Hollywood with a horror picture. He played Josh, who witnesses his stepfather's death at the hands of the Critters in one scene.
#7 Emma Stone in The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody
Emma Stone supplied her voice to a Pomeranian puppy named Ivana Tipton on The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody a year before her big-screen debut in Superbad.
#8 Ryan Gosling in Frankenstein and Me
In this low-budget family horror starring Burt Reynolds, Gosling made his film debut. Gosling plays Kenny, a buddy of the main character.
Lawrence first appeared as a collegiate basketball mascot in Monk in 2006, before making her TV debut with Medium. You'll miss her if you blink, but she's there.
#10 Paul Rudd in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Rudd appears in the sixth installment of the Halloween franchise in 1995, the same year he appeared in Clueless.
#11 Kristen Stewart in Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
Kristen Stewart was barely noticeable in this picture, however, she did appear briefly as a girl tossing a ring in a Flintstones movie. Only her back is visible, but the job was well-documented, with images of her on-site.
#12 Jon Hamm in a ’90s dating show
In 1995, Jonn Hamm came on The Big Date and provided a foot massage to a girl who said she had a foot fetish.
#13 Jason Statham in music videos
Jason Statham worked as an oily backup dancer before discovering his love for action
Movies. Statham began dancing in music videos in the early 1990s, when he seemed all greased up.
#14 Charlize Theron in Children of the Corn III
In Children Of The Corn III, Theron plays a cult member. Her name was not even mentioned in the credits for this horror series picture.
#15 Tom Hanks in He Knows You’re Alone
While many people believe Tom's debut film was 1982's Mazes and Monsters, he did play a minor role in the horror-thriller He Knows You're Alone.