15 Hollywood Icons Who Started Out as Extras

Before they became household names, many Hollywood stars started out as extras in movies and TV shows. Long before leading roles and red carpet appearances, they were often just faces in the background, gaining experience one small part at a time. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest actors who got their start with these surprising early roles.

Sylvester Stallone

Before rising to superstardom as Rocky, Sylvester Stallone made one of his first on-screen appearances as a nameless extra in the comedy film Bananas. His silent walk-on role is just a small glimpse of the hard work and determination it took for him to later become a globally recognized action icon. Stallone has said the director, Woody Allen, almost turned him away for not looking tough enough before he talked his way into the part, as reported by FandomWire.

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart made her uncredited debut as “Girl in Fountain Line” in a Disney Channel movie. That fleeting moment marked the beginning of her journey from an atmospheric background to headlining major films and earning critical acclaim. She was just eight years old and had no lines when she appeared briefly in 1999’s The Thirteenth Year, according to HuffPost.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts had a humble start with a minor appearance in the film Firehouse. She played an uncredited character named Babs in the low-budget 1987 comedy long before landing her breakout role, as reported by B&S About Movies.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron caught her first taste of movie-making as an extra in a horror film. That uncredited part came in 1995’s Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest before she moved on to bigger roles, per IMDb.

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner took on the background role of “Woman in the Elevator.” The credit came from Woody Allen’s film Deconstructing Harry, even though Garner already had television credits to her name by then, according to LatestLY.

Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum‘s road to fame included early days spent dancing as an extra. He was a background dancer in Ricky Martin‘s “She Bangs” music video, a gig that reportedly paid him $400 for the four days it took to shoot, according to Hola!

Megan Fox

Megan Fox appeared as a background extra in Bad Boys II. At around 15 years old, she was cast as a dancer in a club scene, giving her one of her first on-screen roles per SlashFilm. That small part marked the beginning of a career that would later make her one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood played uncredited roles in studio films, quietly learning the ropes on set. His very first screen credit was as a lab assistant in the 1955 monster movie Revenge of the Creature, a role that went unrecognized for years, according to CBR.

Matt Damon

Matt Damon can be spotted in a crowd at a baseball game in Field of Dreams among other extras. He and childhood friend Ben Affleck were both hired as unpaid background players for the 1989 shoot at Boston’s Fenway Park, as reported by Fox News.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt appeared as an uncredited extra in the 1987 film Less Than Zero. He played a partygoer with no lines. It was one of four background roles he landed that year while trying to break into the industry, per Far Out Magazine.

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum‘s unmistakable presence on screen started with the tiniest of roles in Annie Hall. According to Empire, his entire contribution to the film amounted to roughly six seconds of screen time with just one line: “I forgot my mantra.”

Bruce Willis

Before the Die Hard franchise made him a household name, Bruce Willis appeared as an extra in the tense courtroom drama, The Verdict, as reported by Film at Lincoln Center. Willis can be spotted sitting silently in the gallery during Paul Newman‘s climactic speech.

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe‘s journey to acclaimed actor status began with work as an extra, although he was famously fired from one of his earliest sets. He was let go from the troubled production of Heaven’s Gate after laughing at a joke during a lengthy lighting setup, per Far Out Magazine.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr. spent time in the famed barbershop chair as an extra in the hit comedy, Coming to America, marking his initial foray into the film world. His perseverance later paid off with an Oscar-winning turn and a celebrated acting career, according to IMDb.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan began his illustrious career with background parts in martial arts classics. He got his start working as a stuntman and extra on two of Bruce Lee‘s films, including a small role as a Japanese martial arts student in Fist of Fury, according to the South China Morning Post.

This story 15 Hollywood Icons Who Started Out as Extras first appeared on InTouch Weekly. Follow InTouch Weekly on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.