There are examples I’ve seen but not are all obvious unless you knew beforehand:

  • Richard Dreyfuss in The Graduate (starring Dustin Hoffman) as “boarding house resident” (uncredited)
  • John Krasinski in State and Main (starring William H. Macy) as “caddy / judge’s assistant” (uncredited)
  • Bruce Willis in The Verdict (starring Paul Newman) as “courtroom observer” (uncredited)
  • Channing Tatum in War of the Worlds (starring Tom Cruise) as “boy at church” (uncredited)
  • Brad Pitt in No Way Out (starring Kevin Costner) as “party guest” (uncredited)
  • Sylvester Stallone in Klute (starring Jane Fonda) as “disco dancer” (uncredited)
  • Jeff Goldblum in Death Wish (starring Charles Bronson) as “freak #1” (uncredited)
  • Vin Diesel in Awakenings (starring Robin Williams) as “hospital porter” (uncredited)
  • Gerard Butler in Tomorrow Never Dies (starring Pierce Brosnan) as “crewman” (uncredited)
  • Megan Fox in Bad Boys II (starring Martin Lawrence) as “dancer in club” (uncredited)

I mean, have you seen a movie where an actor you recognize began their career as a extra before they were stars?

  • Dookieman12@piefed.socialEnglish
    4·
    12 days ago

    Samuel L. Jackson is the highest grossing actor of all time. His first non-independent film role was Gang Member No. 2 in the 1981 film, Ragtime.

    • naught101@lemmy.world
      4·
      12 days ago

      I just re-watched Jurassic park, and realised he’s in that too. A few years before Pulp Fiction

      • Dookieman12@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        11 days ago

        Ah, a classic. Amazing how practical effects from 1996 hold up so well today.

        A slightly more well-known film with SLJ in a minor role is Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy, where SLJ plays a holdup man at a restaurant (I think McDonald’s).

        • FloatingAlong@lemmy.world
          1·
          11 days ago

          “Look… me and the McDonald’s people got this little misunderstanding. See, they’re McDonald’s… I’m McDowell’s. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.”

  • viltrac@lemmy.zip
    3·
    11 days ago

    Sam Rockwell is a punk in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

    Side note: Secret of the Ooze is a very fun movie, and I find it worthwhile to this day!

  • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
    2·
    11 days ago

    not exactly this but I have been watching old sitcoms and finding it funny where I see people. jaws from james bond was on I dream of jeanie. alice from alice was on barney miller and maybe twice as both a cast member and a one episode character. they guy who owns the radioa station from news radio was on murphy brown. elaines boyfriend who also played the tick played a reoocurring role on news radio.

  • raspirate@lemmy.world
    1·
    11 days ago

    This isn’t exactly the same thing, but Matthew Fox played a paratrooper with no lines in World War Z. This was after Lost, so he wasn’t an unknown by any stretch. He originally had a bigger part, but they changed the entire 3rd act in reshoots and his role was reduced to basically nothing.