16 Movies and Series We Didn’t Recognize Our Favorite Actors In At First Sight

There aren’t too many actors in the history of cinema that woke up famous after their first roles. Most of them have to walk a long path before getting their breakthrough roles. This is why it’s so interesting to read the biographies of actors and actresses and see how much they worked to get the recognition and success.

Zoe Saldana

Before she became famous as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, Zoe Saldana was in Pirates of the Caribbean. There, she played a pirate, reckless Anamaria, ready to sail with Captain Jack Sparrow. It seems that Zoe is simply amazing in the role of a rebel.

Gwendoline Christie

Gwendoline Christie spent many years working in Game of Thrones. She portrayed Brienne of Tarth, a powerful woman that can beat any man. And earlier, she was a charming passer-by in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Few viewers connected her to this character, which is a shame because Gwendoline is an amazing actress.

Austin Butler

Austin Butler was great in the role of King of Rock ’n’ Roll from Memphis. His Elvis Presley looked very real. But he was also a frequent guest on the Disney Channel, appearing in Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place!

Katherine Waterston

Katherine was noticed by many fans when she appeared on the screen as Tina Goldstein. But the actress has been in many other great movies, one of which is Steve Jobs.

Riki Lindhome

Riki portrayed the weird but charming psychologist who found common ground with Wednesday. Maybe she landed the role thanks to her earlier experience as the quirky Ramona Nowitzki, who liked complex Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory.

Lee Pace

Lee Pace has always been great at portraying supernatural characters. In The Hobbit, he played the king of elves, Thranduil. And in The Twilight Saga, he was a vampire.

Morfydd Clark

Many people only learned about actress Morfydd Clark after she appeared in the role of Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. But she has joined other all-star casts before, such as in The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney got incredibly popular after appearing in the hit series Euphoria. But her most loyal fans know that she was in Pretty Little Liars years earlier.

Robbie Coltrane

Robbie Coltrane, who played Rubeus Hagrid, became famous thanks to the Harry Potter movies. But many people know him from the film Krull, where he looks very different.

Julia Garner

Julia Garner was incredible as the star of Inventing Anna. But several years earlier, she was in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, even if many people don’t remember her role in that film.

Luis Guzmán

Loving husband and father, Gomez Addams is an incredible optimist. It’s hard to believe it, but we also saw Guzmán in a small role in Yes Man.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Love Actually is a Christmas classic, and many viewers watch it over and over again. But not everyone may have noticed that Chiwetel Ejiofor also appeared as one of the scientists in The Martian.

Eamon Farren

Eamon is great in complex roles. His predatory-looking face helped him a lot in The Witcher, making it hard to look away. In Twin Peaks, he didn’t have much screen time, but he was still pretty impressive.

Dakota Johnson

Dakota became famous after she portrayed Anastasia Steele, who won the heart of businessman Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey. After this role, she had a lot of good offers, but even before that, she’d already been in big movies with famous stars. For example, she had a little screen time in The Social Network with Justin Timberlake.

Chris Hemsworth

Today, it’s hard to imagine Chris Hemsworth as anyone but the powerful god Thor. But several years prior to his appearance in the Marvel universe, he did a small part for Star Trek, playing Captain Kirk’s father. His character didn’t have much screen time, but saved a lot of lives.

Charlie Hunnam

Charlie Hunnam played the freedom-loving traveler in Shantaram. It may be hard to believe, but several years before, that handsome man also played a young kid in Queer as Folk.

What actors and actresses do you love so much that you’ve been following their careers for years?