30 Famous Actors You Didn't Know Were In These Iconic Movies And Shows Before They Hit It Big

4 years ago 6
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I have no recollection of Emma Stone being in Malcolm in the Middle.

1. Here is Paul Dano. You may know him from his most recent role as the Riddler in The Batman:

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:

Disney

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

Getty Images / Disney Channel

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

Frazer Harrison / WireImage / Getty Images

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

Disney

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

Getty Images / Disney

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

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:

HBO

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

Getty Images / HBO

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

Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images

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

ABC

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

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:

Taylor Hill / Getty Images

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

Disney

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

Getty Images / Disney Channel

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

Karwai Tang / Getty Images

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

Disney

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

Getty Images / Disney

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

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:

20th Century

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

Getty Images / ABC

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

James Devaney / GC Images / Getty Images

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

USA Network

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

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:

Abc / ABC via Getty Images

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

CBS

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

Getty Images / Nickelodeon

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

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:

Nickelodeon

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

Getty Images / Nickelodeon

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

Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images

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

NBC

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

The WB / The CW

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

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:

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:

The WB

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

Getty Images / The WB

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

David Livingston / Getty Images

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

ABC

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

Getty Images / ABC

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

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:

Nickelodeon

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

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:

Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

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

NBC

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

Getty Images / NBC

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

Lionel Hahn / Getty Images

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

UPN

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

Getty Images / UPN

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

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

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

CBS

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

Getty Images / CBS

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

Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images

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

Warner Bros. Pictures

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

Getty Images / Warner Bros. Pictures

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

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

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

Fox

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

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:

Phillip Faraone / Getty Images

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

Pandora Cinema

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

Getty Images / Pandora Cinema

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

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:

Sony Pictures Releasing

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

Getty Images / Sony Pictures Releasing

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

Jc Olivera / WireImage / Getty Images

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

ABC

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

Getty Images / ABC

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

Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic / Getty Images

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

Hughes Entertainment

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

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:

Steve Granitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images

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

20 Century Fox

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

Getty Images / 20th Century Fox

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

Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

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

Universal Pictures

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

Getty Images / Universal Pictures

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

Emma Mcintyre / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

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

John Hughes Entertainment

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

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:

Lionel Hahn / Getty Images

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

Buena Vista Pictures

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

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:

Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

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

Sony Pictures Releasing

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

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:

Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images

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

Disney

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

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:

John Shearer / Getty Images

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

USA

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

Getty Images / USA

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