Seeing an actor in a movie before they hit big

[Chaotic]

I just rewatched One Hour Photo and was surprised to see Clark Gregg (playing another agent no less)

My mom recently rewatched Failure to Launch and she was surprised to see Bradley Cooper.

[HockeySlasher]

Rewatch the original Law and Order or Law and Order: SVU. A TON of actors can be seen before they hit it big.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Off the top of my head, I've seen Jeremy Renner and Oscar Issac before they become famous. I first saw Jeremy Renner in Dahmer as the serial killer himself. He was really good in that. I was glad when I first noticed he was making in big in 28 Weeks Later and The Hurt Locker.

As for Oscar Issac, I didn't realize this until later, but I first saw him in All About The Benjamins. I remember the movie and all, but I didn't realize he was in it. Once I remembered I was like, OH! He's the guy that got shot by one of the villains for no reason. LMAO!

There is probably more actors. I'll share it here soon if I remember them.

[Himmel]

I remember seeing George Clooney in Grizzly II and Matt Damon in Mystic Pizza, the other night Nicole Kidman in Skin deep was On IFC.

[gotmule]

A bit different, and pretty obscure, but I used to watch a game show on MTV back in college in the 80s called Remote Control which had a young Adam Sandler playing a character named Stickpin who used to come out and ask trivia questions.

[br3ttD]

Nicole Kidman in BMX Bandits.

[meremortal]

Originally Posted by gotmule

A bit different, and pretty obscure, but I used to watch a game show on MTV back in college in the 80s called Remote Control which had a young Adam Sandler playing a character named Stickpin who used to come out and ask trivia questions.

Also an unknown Colin Quinn. He was probably most recognized during his time with SNL and Tough Crowd; the average person likely just remembers his career as the weekend update anchor and less so for his stand-up comedy. Throughout the years he's been described as a 'comedian's comedian' and isn't for everyone.

[Rayjaymay]

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

While some of these actors were known at the time, most were not yet household names...

Jennifer Jason Leigh
Judge Reinhold
Phoebe Cates
Sean Penn
Nicolas Cage (billed as Nicolas Coppola)
Forest Whitaker
Anthony Edwards
Eric Stoltz

There’s a total of three Oscar winners (Penn, Cage, and Whitaker), another Oscar nominee (Leigh), and an Emmy winner (Edwards).

[Star Lord]

Chris Pratt in Wanted and Zero Dark Thirty.

Chris Evans in Not Another Teen Movie.

Margot Robbie in Pan Am.

[Rayjaymay]

Johnny Depp in Platoon.

[Chaotic]

Fassbender in 300
Tom Hardy in Black Hawk Down

[CyberpunkCentral]

I almost forgot. Anyone remembers that time Paul Walker played T-Rex?

[Chaotic]

Originally Posted by CyberpunkCentral

I almost forgot. Anyone remembers that time Paul Walker played T-Rex?

Nope but I remember Meet the Deedles.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Originally Posted by Chaotic

Nope but I remember Meet the Deedles.

Tammy and the T-Rex Trailer - YouTube

[format916]

You can see Ryan Reynolds double chin in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.

[Fluid]

Originally Posted by Chaotic

Fassbender in 300
Tom Hardy in Black Hawk Down

And both were in Band of Brothers.

[Guydowood]

Zellweger & McConaughey in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

Jennifer Aniston in Leprechaun

Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th (1980)

[Chaotic]

Rose Byrne and Joel Edgerton in Attack of the Clones

[CelluloidPal]

I caught Once Upon A Time in America on cable the other week and that had many up and comers in that one.

Jennifer Connelly
Joe Pesci
Elizabeth McGovern
Danny Aiello
William Forsythe
Treat Williams

[kngtmat]

Paul Walker in Monster In The Closet.

Ben Affleck in Buffy The Vampire Slayer as the opposing team basketball player.

Alison Hannagan and Seth Green in My Stepmother Is an Alien. Also Juliette Lewis was in it before she was in Christmas Vacation the next year.