19 Celebs That Starred In Commercials In The Early Days Of Their Careers
Drew Barrymore started appearing in commercials when she was just a baby!
Achieving success in life does not really have a shortcut (unless you're born into a life where everything is handed to you on a silver platter and your well-being is already taken care of for the next 50 years), and we all have come from somewhere. When you are already successful, it's always great to look back on what you were initially doing when you were just starting out and see how far you have come throughout the years.
Celebrities are no exception to this (unless, again, they're born into the spotlight and their parents are already ultra-famous celebrities). They had to go on auditions after auditions just to get their first acting credit that isn't "Girl #2," and after years of hard work, some of them did have their well-deserved breakthrough and are now living the Hollywood life they dreamed of.
Most celebs just started out small, starring as extras, being involved in music videos, and then working their way up to getting featured as minor characters in films or, in this case, acting in commercials. Even if it may seem like their fame skyrocketed in just a couple of months, they had to go a long way before achieving this much success today.
Here are 19 celebs who are living proof that starting small is just the beginning of a successful career:
1. Zendaya starred in an iCarly toys commercial under her modeling jobs with Macy's and Old Navy. This was way before she got her own show on Disney.
Playmates ToysWatch the video here:
She then landed a role in Disney Channel's Shake It Up, playing Rocky Blue from 2010 to 2013. She's now also known for her role as Rue in Euphoria and as Tom Holland's MJ in Spider-Man.
Craig Sjodin / Disney Channel via Getty Images/ HBO2. Drew Barrymore was in a dog-food commercial at just 11 months old. She was set to become a Hollywood star the moment she came out of the womb!
Gaines-Burgers/dVour Brands Corporation
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She then landed her role as Gertie in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which cemented her reputation as one of the most famous child stars of that time.
In 1982, Barrymore landed the role of Gertie in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, making her one of the most famous child stars in the industry at the time.
3. Mila Kunis landed her first gig in 1993 and was featured in Barbie and Lisa Frank commercials.
Lisa Frank Incorporated
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After that, Kunis had a few minor roles in TV shows and movies. In 1998, she landed her role as Jackie Burkhart in That '70s Show.
Fun fact: the character required the actor to be 18 years old, but Kunis was just 14 at that time. When the producers found out her actual age, they still kept her because she was the perfect fit for the role.
20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection/Fox / Getty Images
4. Before Paul Rudd became ultra-famous, he appeared in a 1991 commercial for the Super Nintendo.
Nintendo
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Rudd then appeared on Sisters. In 1995, he landed his first role in a film as Josh in Clueless.
Paramount Pictures / CBS / Getty Images/Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection
5. Steve Carell worked as a mail carrier for USPS before making it big. In 1989, he starred in a Brown's Chicken commercial.
Brown's Chicken & Pasta
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Not long after that, he landed his role as Gary in the comedy sketch, The Ambiguously Gay Duo, on The Dana Carvey Show/Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2011. He is famously known as Michael Scott on The Office (2005-2011).
ABC / NBC/ Ron Tom / NBC / courtesy everett collection
6. Ben Affleck starred in a Burger King commercial in 1989 before he had his big break.
Burger King
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His first lead role was in Dazed and Confused (1993). He further cemented his reputation as an actor in Good Will Hunting (1997), Armageddon (1998), Daredevil (2003), and many more.
Miramax/20thcentfox/Courtesy Everett Collection
7. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most famous Hollywood actors, but way back in the late 1980s, the early days of his career were spent starring in commercials such as Bubble Yum bubble gum.
The Hershey Comapny
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After starring in commercials, DiCaprio started landing huge gigs, including Romeo in Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997).
20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
8. After modeling for companies like Abercrombie & Fitch, Channing Tatum started his career in TV by doing Pepsi and Mountain Dew commercials in 2002. He used to model for Abercrombie & Fitch and other companies.
PepsiCo
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Tatum's role in Step Up (2006) cemented his status as a reputable actor in the industry.
Touchstone Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
9. Ryan Reynolds appeared in Pop Pops commercials in the early '90s before making it big.
The Topps Company, Inc
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Later on, Reynolds would land roles in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place (1998), The Proposal (2009), and Deadpool (2016), among many others.
20thCentFox/Walt Disney Co/20th Century Fox/ Courtesy Everett Collection
10. Matt LeBlanc first appeared on TV in a Heinz ketchup commercial.
Heinz/ H.J. Heinz Company
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Not long after, LeBlanc became known as the wholesome hunk Joey Tribbiani in Friends. He was in the show for all ten seasons, plus the spin-offs made for his character.
NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
11. Amanda Bynes started her Hollywood journey by appearing in Buncha Crunch commercials back in 1993.
Nestlé
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In 1996, she rose to fame when she starred in Nickelodeon's All That (1996-2000). She landed even more major roles in various movies, including Big Fat Liar (2002), The Amanda Show (1999-2002), What I Like About You (2002), and of course, She's The Man (2006).
Universal/Tollin/Robbins/Nickelodeon/ DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection
12. Sarah Michelle Gellar also started out her acting career doing commercials.
Burger King
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As she grew up, Gellar started to get huge roles, such as Kendall Hart in All My Children (1993), Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo (2002), and of course, Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Ann Limongello/Disney General Entertainment Content / Getty Images/Warner Brothers/20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection
13. Before Tobey Maguire became one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, he first worked in various commercials, including one for the Atari Lynx in 1990.
Epyx/Atari Corporation
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He then landed roles in Pleasantville (1998) and Wonder Boys (2000). In 2002, Maguire became the ever-iconic Spider-Man/Peter Parker.
New Line Cinema/Paramount /Columbia Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
14. Anne Hathaway first starred in a Better Homes and Gardens commercial when she was just 14.
BH&G/ Dotdash Meredith
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Four years later, Hathaway landed the role of Mia Thermopolis in Disney's The Princess Diaries. It marked the beginning of her remarkable journey to becoming one of the most famous actresses worldwide today.
Walt Disney Co. /Courtesy Everett Collection
15. Madison Pettis first did TV commercials for products like FurReal Friends, in addition to modeling, when she was just starting out in Hollywood.
Hasbro
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She then landed her first big role in the Disney film, The Game Plan, in 2006.
Buena Vista Pictures / Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
16. Kirsten Dunst starred in TV commercials, including Baby Uh Oh dolls, before having her big break.
Hasbro
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She has definitely come a long way, especially since she starred in huge blockbusters like Jumanji (1995), Bring It On (2000), and Spider-Man (2002).
Columbia Pictures/Universal/Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Columbia Pictures/ Everett Collection
17. Kat Graham also appeared in TV commercials, such as Barbie and Pop-Tarts. At 17 years old, she was part of Fanta's promotional campaign, playing a member of the "Fantanas."
The Coca-Cola Company
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She then appeared in Lizzie McGuire (2001–04), The Parent Trap (1998), and Hannah Montana (2006–11). In 2009, she became known for her role as Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries.
Quantrell D. Colbert / CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection
18. Keanu Reeves starred in Coca-Cola commercials in 1983 when he was just starting out.
The Coca-Cola Company
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He started to become famously known for his role as Neo in The Matrix series in 1999.
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
19. Brad Pitt started out by doing Pringles commercials in 1988.
Procter & Gamble
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In 1991, he started getting recognized for his talent when he had a role in Thelma & Louise (1991). He then starred in many commercially successful movies such as Ocean's Eleven (2001), Troy (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), and many more.
Warner Bros/ 20th Century Fox/ Everett Collection
It's definitely great and fascinating to see the earlier selves of these huge Hollywood stars just doing all these little projects back then, knowing how far they have come from when they were just starting out. The fame and success they have now are definitely well-deserved!
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