first movie

First movies of A List actresses

They light up the screen and the red carpets, are lusted after by males across the world and command millions of dollars for every film they get out of bed to make.

Welcome to the world of the A list actress, pampered, privileged and downright loaded; these stars seem to live charmed lives. Like their male counterparts however, they have often had very humble beginnings and their early performances often forgettable.

Julia Roberts

Tall, beautiful and everyone’s favourite pretty woman, Julia seems to have enjoyed instant success back in the 1990, but in reality there is no such thing. Her first film role was in the 1988 teen move Satisfaction.

Satisfaction

Justine Bateman was the star, playing the singer in an all-girl rock band that she calls ‘The Mystery’. Julia plays the role of Daryle, the bass player, and the film did anything but set the world alight. Julia’s talent was recognised however and her career went into orbit only 2 years later.

Angelina Jolie

The rebellious daughter of actor Jon Voigt, Angelina Jolie has always stood out in a crowd. This A lister is the highest paid actress in Hollywood, as well as being a serial adopter, biological mother of 3, humanitarian and the female half of Brangelina, alongside Brad Pitt.

Angelina Jolie first movie

While she commands millions of dollars a film these days, but those pay checks were just a pipedream when she made her film debut as a machine/human hybrid in the highly forgettable Cyborg II: Glass Shadows. Whatever she was paid to take part in this stinker wasn’t enough, but happily things improved pretty quickly for Angelina and her career has been in the ascent ever since.

Reese Witherspoon

Although the young Reese Witherspoon’s first film role was as the lead female, the film was light years away from the blockbusters that she now appears in, and was just the first step in the learning curve that resulted in the phenomenal success she enjoys today.

Reese-Witherspoon-First movie

At only 15, she played the part of 14 year old Dani in the 1991 movie The Man In The Moon. This drama tells the tale of her love for a senior who falls for her sister. Unlike some debuts, Reese can look back at this film and be rightly proud of her performance.

Cameron Diaz

Now although we said earlier that there was no such thing as instant success, along comes Cameron Diaz to prove us wrong. No walk ons and bit parts in B movies for Ms Diaz, she gets her first movie role in a bona fide blockbuster.

Cameron Diaz First Movie

The year was 1994, and the film was The Mask. Cameron has a flair for comedy, and she stands out in this Jim Carrey vehicle so much that she became an instant star. She remains as popular today, mainly thanks to her diversity and taking roles in smaller films to show her prowess as a serious actress.

Nicole Kidman

The statuesque antipodean beauty was at one time known as Mrs Tom Cruise and it has to be said her career was greatly eclipsed by his. The tables have turned now somewhat, and it is Nicole who has the coveted Oscar statuette on her mantelpiece, not her ex-husband. Her first film was released in 1983 but only in cinemas in Australia and is the retelling of a famous Aussie tale known as Bush Christmas.

Nicole Kidman First Movie

It was released on video in other parts of the world under the title of ‘Prince and the Great Race’, but is still a little known film and a far from auspicious start to the illustrious career one of our brightest stars now enjoys.

Kate Winslet

Striking English beauty Kate Winslet has the world at her feet. After several nominations she won the coveted best actress Oscar in 2009 for ‘The Reader’, heady heights indeed for the girl from Reading, near London. Her first film role was in the 1994 Peter Jackson directed Heavenly Creatures.

Kate_Winslet_First Movie

It is the dark tale which tells the story of the obsessiveness between two girls who have joined forces to kill one of the girls’ mothers. The film gained great critical acclaim and Ms Winslet was well on her way to the A list.

In case its bugging you the photo at the top of the article is a teenage Cameron Diaz

A-list actors first movies

When we think of today’s A list actors we think of multi-million dollar blockbusters, red carpets and lavish lifestyles. Yet some of our favourite stars had very inauspicious starts to their careers, and while some struck gold relatively quickly, others struggled and have an early CV they would rather forget. Here are some of our favourite actors and the first films they appeared in.

Johnny Depp

This charismatic heart throb is known the world over as Capt. Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but he has worked long and hard to achieve his position amongst Hollywood’s elite.

Way back in 1984 he auditioned for, and got a small part in a low budget horror film called A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yes it’s true; our favourite pirate was one of Freddie Krueger’s first victims. He played a friend of the female lead who met an untimely end by being sucked through his own bed.

Brad Pitt

Famed as one half of the super couple Brangelina, Brad Pitt is another star who served a long apprenticeship to receive the worldwide recognition he enjoys today. It is quoted on many websites that his first film appearance was as the cowboy who got down and dirty with Geena Davis in Thelma and Louise, but he made his first film 3 years prior to this 1991 appearance.

His first role was in a small film that was a US/Yugoslav production called The Dark Side of the Sun. This told the tale of a young American boy (Pitt) who goes to the Adriatic with his family to try and find a cure for his chronic skin condition. However, due to the war that broke out in Croatia, the film’s release was shelved and didn’t see the light of day until 1997.

Sir Anthony Hopkins

This highly revered and respected British actor was a bit of a late starter and didn’t get his first part in a film until 1968 when he was 31 years old. This was in the role of Richard l in the historical drama The Lion in Winter. Although a relatively small part, his talent shone through and from then on his career made a steady ascent and he is the proud owner of an Academy Award for his outstanding portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in the Silence of the Lambs.

Denzel Washington

The tall and handsome actor is instantly recognisable today, but it wasn’t always so. Way back in 1981, the struggling young actor from Mount Vernon, NYC, won his first role in the George Segal comedy Carbon Copy. Denzel played the part of a boy whose father, Segal, was unaware of his existence until he turns up one day and wants to live with his dad in the Caucasian dominated community of San Marino. A far from earth shattering debut from one of our best loved actors.

Tom Cruise

Quite simply one of the biggest stars ever in the motion picture industry, Thomas Cruise Mapother VI, actor, producer and scientologist is known the world over for his impressive list of films and reputation for doing his own stunts.

He appeared in many teen movies in the 1980’s, but very few remember his first appearance as Billy in the 1981 Brooke Shields vehicle Endless Love. Playing the part of one of the jock friends of Brooke’s love interest, he hardly set the screen alight but his performance obviously impressed the right people as the rest, as they say, is history.

Will Smith

Singer, actor, director, producer, Oscar nominee, everything Will Smith touches seems to turn to gold, but anyone watching his film debut back in 1992 would have been thought crazy had they then predicted the success this young kid from Philadelphia would go on to achieve.

Where The Day Takes You is the dark and gritty tale of a group of runaways trying to make a living on the mean streets of L.A. Will’s name was way down the cast list and although a TV star he took film acting seriously and honed his craft through bit parts and B movies. The success he enjoys today proves it was all worth it.

Tom Hanks

No, splash was not the first film role of the legend we call Tom Hanks, this debut came 4 years earlier in the little known thriller/horror He Knows Your Alone in 1980.What he went on to achieve from such humble beginnings should be a lesson for all young and aspiring actors, even our heroes had to work damned hard to achieve fame, fortune and success.