15 Actors Who Won Everyone’s Hearts With Their First Role and Became Stars

Before a breakthrough role, many of the brightest acting stars slowly crawled towards success, facing many challenges on their way to becoming well-known faces to the public. Take Emma Watson, synonymous with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, who before her breakthrough role, had never acted professionally. Let’s look at some of the most famous acting names and see what changed from when they started to today — come along!

Emma Watson — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Colin Firth — Another Country (1984)

Anne Hathaway — The Princess Diaries (2001)

Julie Andrews — Mary Poppins (1964)

Hugh Jackman — Paperback Hero (1999)

Lupita Nyong’o — 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Natalie Portman — Léon: The Professional (1994)

Penélope Cruz — Jamón Jamón (1992)

Jennifer Hudson — Dreamgirls (2006)

Reese Witherspoon — The Man in the Moon (1991)

Rachel Zegler — West Side Story (2021)

Helen Mirren — A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)

Michelle Pfeiffer — Delta House (1979)

Sandra Bullock — Hangmen (1987)

Alan Rickman — Die Hard (1988)

Which other acting legends should be added to the list? Who do you think is the new and upcoming movie star of the year?