Every successful career has a beginning. For many top Hollywood actors, that beginning was standing silently in a crowded room on a movie set. They did not have scripts or lines to speak. They just worked hard in the background. Here are eleven famous faces who spent time as movie extras before landing their biggest roles.
Harrison Ford Spent Years in the Background
Long before he was famous Harrison Ford spent twenty years working as a background actor. He struggled to get noticed while working on different movie and television sets. It is funny that the legendary Indiana Jones star had to wait so many years for his big breakout moment.
Brad Pitt Was an Extra in Hunk
Long before he became a massive superstar he was just another guy standing in the back of movies like No Man’s Land and Less Than Zero. He eventually caught everyone’s attention as a handsome hitchhiker in Thelma and Louise and he never really looked back after that.
Leonardo DiCaprio Started in Small Television Roles
Leonardo DiCaprio did not start out as a famous actor. He began his career as a kid doing basic television commercials. Next, he picked up tiny background parts in shows like Roseanne. He worked hard through those minor roles before he finally made it big and won major awards.
Viola Davis Appeared on New York Undercover
She is a legendary actress now but her on screen career actually started with very small background roles on regular television shows. She went from being an extra on police shows to winning huge awards for her amazing leading roles in movies.
Samuel L. Jackson Had Uncredited Film Roles
We all know his loud and famous movie quotes now but he started out with tiny uncredited parts in movies like Ragtime. He spent years taking small background jobs until Spike Lee finally gave him a real chance to show off his acting skills.
Lucy Liu Was on Beverly Hills, 90210
You might be surprised to learn that Lucy Liu started as a simple background extra. Long before her big movies she appeared on popular shows for teenagers. She even showed up on a classic family comedy right before she got the main television role that changed her entire life and career.
Eva Longoria Also Started on Beverly Hills, 90210
It seems like that teen show was a popular starting point because she also had a tiny background part on it in the year 2000. She kept doing small television roles for a few years until she finally became a huge household name on Desperate Housewives.
Eva Mendes Was an Extra in Music Videos
She dropped out of college to act and started out by just standing in the background of old Will Smith music videos. You can also spot her playing a tiny extra part in an old episode of ER before she finally landed bigger movie roles.
Marilyn Monroe Took Uncredited Movie Parts
She is arguably the most iconic actress ever but she actually started her acting career doing uncredited background roles in 1948. She worked in the background of movies like Green Grass of Wyoming before the studios realized how much star power she really had.
Kristen Stewart Was a Child Extra
Before she became super famous for playing a teenager surrounded by vampires she was just a little kid extra in The Flintstones. She had to stand in the background of a few different movies before people realized she was actually a really talented young actress.
Renée Zellweger Was in Dazed and Confused
You might know her as Bridget Jones today but back in 1993 she was just a background extra in a Richard Linklater movie. She took a bunch of very small parts for years before she finally got the chance to steal the show in Jerry Maguire.
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