Everyone has to start somewhere, even the brightest stars. Unless they are from a prestigious family of stars, they didn’t just land in a blockbuster.
Before he made his name as Hollywood's most charismatic leading man, George Clooney was already a TV celebrity. His first breakout role was as Dr. Dough Ross in the classic drama series ER. The series had three times the viewership of American Idol. His maiden movie was Return to Horror High, a horror comedy in 1987, although many think From Dusk till Dawn, where he played a vampire slayer alongside Quentin Tarantino, was Clooney’s first foray onto the silver screen. Many also don’t know From Dusk till Dawn was Tarantino’s first paying gig as a scriptwriter (He earned a whooping $1,500 for this). Clooney quickly rose the stardom ladder after slaying hundreds of vampires. His next movie was One Fine Day, a romantic comedy, starring opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. Soon, the Batman role came knocking. And, as they say, the rest is history. Now, an established actor, and director, Clooney takes on a variety of roles and gives fabulous performances in the films he stars in, such as Up in the Air. That movie was nominated at the Oscar’s for Best Actor, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Supporting Actress (not one but two actresses were nominated - Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick!) and Best Adapted Screenplay. We also see Clooney sometimes settling for supporting - but meaningful - roles such as in Gravity.
Mention Tom Hanks, and everyone remembers the down-to-earth-running Forrest Gump and sweet, humorous Joe Fox in You've Got Mail. Hanks isn’t particularly good-looking but he exudes the boy-next-door charm that audiences rally for. As the happy-go-lucky Viktor in The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg, he finds romance despite being stateless and stranded at JFK airport after a sudden outbreak of civil war in his country. He Knows You're Alone marked Hanks’ first feature film debut. Though he played a small part, it was said that the filmmakers liked him so much that they omitted filming his death scene in the film. A two-time Oscar Best Actor for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia, many know him from Splash. He played a young man who reunites with the mermaid who saved his life when he was a boy.
While The Devil Wears Prada made a huge adult star of Anne Hathaway (after her roles in The Princess Diaries), Emily Blunt’s role as the bitchy assistant left the audiences with a deep impression. Blunt said, "The day the movie came out, all the people in the bakery suddenly knew who I was. It was surreal.” The actress is very versatile and fares well in in dramas such as Arthur Newman, and action movies such as time-travel movie Looper and, especially, Sicario - in which she starred alongside established actor Benicio Del Toro. Blunt established her foothold in Hollywood with her first movie, Irresistible, in which she played the part of a husband-snatching woman.
Christian Bale’s first acting job was in a cereal commercial in 1983. He caught the public eye in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun as a 13-year-old. He was awarded a special award by the National Board of Review for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor. Bale is a very dedicated actor who puts a lot of effort into his roles. A very good example is The Machinist. He transformed his body by dropping a whopping 60 pounds to portray an industrial operator who has suffered from insomnia for over a year. The actor won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter in 2011.
Julianne Moore has been nominated numerous times for an Oscar as Best Actress over the years, and finally won her first Oscar award in 2015 playing an Alzheimer's stricken professor in Still Alice. Moore made her cinematic debut in 1990 as a mummy's victim in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie. She later expressed her regret at participating in this low-budget horror. However, this movie set the stage for Moore’s next thriller, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, where she played the main character's ill-fated friend. She went on to be involved in highly acclaimed titles such as Children of Men and international hits such as The Hunger Games. Moore finds little value in fame and hence attracts little gossip. She is often described as down to earth and humble.
To rise above the rest, actors have to trudge through thankless roles for years before landing their breakout role. With hard work and passion, they eventually rise to the international stage and have their art recognised.
