Matt Damon was in a 1990 TV movie, "Rising Son"
Before "The Martian," the "Bourne" franchise, and even "Good Will Hunting," Matt Damon's first lead role was in the 1990 TV movie, "Rising Son." Damon played the son to Brian Dennehy's character, an automobile factory foreman whose company is closing down due to Japanese competition.
Watch the "Rising Son" trailer below:
Cate Blanchett was on an Australian cop drama in the early 90's
Before she was Queen Elizabeth or starring in "Carol," Cate Blanchett was Mrs. Haines in the Australian cop drama, "Police Rescue." But this bit part in that TV series could've helped get her a role in the 1994 "Police Rescue" movie based on the series.
See her below on "Police Rescue" at around 27:06 in:
Leonardo DiCaprio was on "Growing Pains"
Even we thought that "The Revenant" star Leonardo DiCaprio's earliest TV role was on ABC's "Growing Pains," but we were wrong. He actually starred on a 1990 series called "Parenthood," with David Arquette and Ed Begley, Jr. before that. This was NBC's first stab at a sequel to the 1989 Ron Howard movie. It only lasted a season. NBC tried "Parenthood" again with a totally different cast in 2010 and got six seasons out of it.
Jennifer Lawrence played a mascot in an episode of USA Network's "Monk"
In just six years, Jennifer Lawrence went from wearing a gold bear uniform to winning golden statues. In 2006, the Oscar nominee for "Joy" appeared on an episode of USA Network's "Monk." For an early career gig, her character, simply named "mascot," got a lot of screen time. Too bad, she wore a plush bear head most of the time.
Watch Lawrence on "Monk" below:
Michael Fassbender starred alongside "Homeland's" Damian Lewis on HBO's "Band of Brothers" in 2001.
A young Michael Fassbender appeared in the award-winning war drama, "Band of Brothers" for HBO in 2001. Aside from being produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the miniseries also starred "Homeland" and "Billions" actor Damian Lewis, "Office Space's" Ron Livingston, and New Kids on the Block singer-turned-actor Donnie Wahlberg.
Tom Hardy also starred on "Band of Brothers"
"Band of Brothers" was clearly a breeding ground for future stars. Like Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy got his acting start on the 2001 HBO miniseries. At 24, Hardy brandished his guns way before doing so in "The Revenant."
Watch Hardy in a scene from "Band of Brothers" below:
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Saoirse Ronan was on a few episodes of "The Clinic" in 2003
Although Saoirse Ronan was born in New York City, the Oscar nominee for "Brooklyn" moved with her parents to Ireland at age three. Six years later, Ronan appeared on a few episodes of one of the country's most popular dramas, "The Clinic," in 2003.
Watch her in a scene from "The Clinic" below:
Eddie Redmayne was on a British series "Animal Ark" in 1998
You know him now in coveted roles such as Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything" and an Oscar-nominated turn in gender-bending "The Danish Girl." But in 1998, he was just a curious schoolboy on an episode of the British series, "Animal Ark."
Rooney Mara, like many actors, was on an episode of "Law & Order"
Before playing an edgy hacker in "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and taking on a love interest played by Cate Blanchett in "Carol," Rooney Mara's first TV appearance was on a 2006 episode of "Law & Order: SVU." She would later get into trouble after calling her storyline "awful" and "stupid." She, of course, said her quote was taken out of context.
Christian Bale starred in an NBC miniseries, "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna" when he was 12
Long before Christian Bale donned the Batman cape and lured women to their death in "American Psycho," he was a precocious 12-year-old in his first on-screen role in the NBC miniseries, "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna." In fact, that gig is how he caught the eye of Steven Spielberg and went on to star in Bale's first feature film, "Empire of the Sun," the very next year.
Watch Bale in a scene from "Anastasia" below:
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna / Scene #2 by falcounderground
Alicia Vikander was on a TV movie in Sweden called "Min balsamerade mor"
Before she was Hollywood's "it girl" for films like "The Danish Girl" and "Ex Machina," Alicia Vikander starred in her first acting role at about 13 years old in her native Sweden on a TV movie called "Min balsamerade mor," which means "My Embalmed Mother." Playing one of the grieving daughters, the period film was shot partially in black and white.
See the young Vikander in "Min Balsamerade Mor" below: