There are examples I’ve seen but not are all obvious unless you knew beforehand:
- Richard Dreyfuss in The Graduate (starring Dustin Hoffman) as “boarding house resident” (uncredited)
- John Krasinski in State and Main (starring William H. Macy) as “caddy / judge’s assistant” (uncredited)
- Bruce Willis in The Verdict (starring Paul Newman) as “courtroom observer” (uncredited)
- Channing Tatum in War of the Worlds (starring Tom Cruise) as “boy at church” (uncredited)
- Brad Pitt in No Way Out (starring Kevin Costner) as “party guest” (uncredited)
- Sylvester Stallone in Klute (starring Jane Fonda) as “disco dancer” (uncredited)
- Jeff Goldblum in Death Wish (starring Charles Bronson) as “freak #1” (uncredited)
- Vin Diesel in Awakenings (starring Robin Williams) as “hospital porter” (uncredited)
- Gerard Butler in Tomorrow Never Dies (starring Pierce Brosnan) as “crewman” (uncredited)
- Megan Fox in Bad Boys II (starring Martin Lawrence) as “dancer in club” (uncredited)
I mean, have you seen a movie where an actor you recognize began their career as a extra before they were stars?
Elijah Wood in Back to the Future 2 as that little brat on the arcade cabinet.
You mean you have to use your hands‽
“We ain’t found shit!” Tim Russ as an unnamed Spaceball before becoming Lt. Commander Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager.
Holy shit that’s the same guy???
Samuel L. Jackson is the highest grossing actor of all time. His first non-independent film role was Gang Member No. 2 in the 1981 film, Ragtime.
I just re-watched Jurassic park, and realised he’s in that too. A few years before Pulp Fiction
Ah, a classic. Amazing how practical effects from 1996 hold up so well today.
A slightly more well-known film with SLJ in a minor role is Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy, where SLJ plays a holdup man at a restaurant (I think McDonald’s).
“Look… me and the McDonald’s people got this little misunderstanding. See, they’re McDonald’s… I’m McDowell’s. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.”
Hold on to your butts!
Also as the robber in coming to America
My boy Adam Scott (main guy in Severance) in Star Trek VIII: First Contact as Worf’s helmsman.
Here’s his scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-KoydNOWGc
Marisa Tomei is in the background during a scene in The Toxic Avenger (1984). No lines, just screams and runs.
Would Jack Black in Waterworld count?
Jack Black was in so many smaller roles so different from his mainstream roles before making it big.
It’s hilarious seeing him as a jock/bully/soldier in Mars Attacks.
Also as a rat burger aficionado in Demolition Man and the gunsmith in The Jackal.
He was also the tech guy in Enemy of The State.
I loved The Jackal for that scene with JB. That’s an amazing scene in an otherwise “meh” movie
That and the peel away paint on the getaway car to hide it in the parking garage. But yeah, lower tiered mid-movie at best.
Oh that’s right! I forgot he was in Mars Attacks!
Jack Black’s first acting role was in commercials for Pitfall on the Atari where he’s the only person you see.
Robert Downey Jr in Weird Science.
How about Robert Downey Jr. in that one weird season of SNL lol
Not exactly the same, but Harrison Ford
was working as a carpenter on Star Wars andwas asked to just read in some lines as Han Solo while they were casting the other roles. Apparently he did a good job.He had already acted in American Graffiti so I guess that’s why they asked him to read in.
Here’s Harrison Ford’s first movie appearance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eAEF5G-YXg
According to Ford, the director told him he wouldn’t make it in the movie business because when a great actor is on the screen, you know it’s a great actor. Ford replied, “I think when I’m on the screen you’re not supposed to see a great actor, you’re supposed to just see a bellhop.”
I thought that story was about how he ended up in American Graffiti. I thought he was doing work at Lucas’s house. Maybe I’m misremembering.
I think I’m mixing up two stories. He definitely was just reading in lines for Star Wars.
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Peter Capaldi as Caecilius in Doctor Who (The fires of Pompeii) before joining Doctor Who as The Doctor
Karen Gillen is also in that episode, before later going on to be the companion, and eventually going into the MCU.
Several Doctors have had that happen. Colin Baker played Cmdr Maxil on Arc of Infinity, IIRC.
Jackie Chan is an unnamed martial arts student in Fist of Fury and a random mook who gets killed by Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. He mostly worked as a stunt double at the time, and was so good at stunt work he transitioned into credited performance.
Bill Paxton in Terminator.
game over man!
Matthew McConaughey in an old Unsolved Mysteries episode.
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“freak #1”. That’s some chaos theory right there.
Jean Claude Van Damme dancing in a skin tight onesie in the background in Breakin’ (1984). A breakdance movie
Jennifer Lawrence had one line in an episode of Monk
