this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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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?

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[–] Username@lemmy.nz 1 points 7 minutes ago

Jennifer Lawrence had one line in an episode of Monk

[–] viltrac@lemmy.zip 1 points 45 minutes 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!

[–] raspirate@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour 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.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Streets of San Francisco”.

[–] sik0fewl@piefed.ca 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Bill Paxton in Terminator.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

game over man!

[–] 18107@aussie.zone 7 points 4 hours ago

Peter Capaldi as Caecilius in Doctor Who (The fires of Pompeii) before joining Doctor Who as The Doctor

[–] galacticworm@piefed.social 5 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Jean Claude Van Damme dancing in a skin tight onesie in the background in Breakin’ (1984). A breakdance movie

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bt6-F11LZsQ&ra=m

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (2 children)

Steve Buscemi.

I've only ever seen the dude playing the main character in ONE movie. GhostWorld.

Outside of that, he's always just a rando side character. Yet everyone still knows who he is.

[–] Slovene85@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago

He's the guy who doesn't tip.

[–] TwistedTurtle@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

I liked him in Boardwalk Empire.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 5 hours 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.

[–] nightwatch_admin@lemmy.world 25 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

“We ain’t found shit!” Tim Russ as an unnamed Spaceball before becoming Lt. Commander Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 hours ago

Holy shit that's the same guy????

[–] ech@lemmy.ca 40 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Elijah Wood in Back to the Future 2 as that little brat on the arcade cabinet.

[–] OS2Warp@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 hour ago

You mean you have to use your hands‽

[–] master_of_unlocking@piefed.zip 13 points 13 hours ago

Marisa Tomei is in the background during a scene in The Toxic Avenger (1984). No lines, just screams and runs.

[–] Infrapink@thebrainbin.org 8 points 12 hours ago

Jackie Chan is an unnamed martial arts student in Fist of Fury and a random mook who gets killed by Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. He mostly worked as a stunt double at the time, and was so good at stunt work he transitioned into credited performance.

[–] Klanky@sopuli.xyz 15 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Would Jack Black in Waterworld count?

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Jack Black's first acting role was in commercials for Pitfall on the Atari where he's the only person you see.

[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 12 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Jack Black was in so many smaller roles so different from his mainstream roles before making it big.

It's hilarious seeing him as a jock/bully/soldier in Mars Attacks.

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago (4 children)

Also as a rat burger aficionado in Demolition Man and the gunsmith in The Jackal.

[–] Thassodar@sh.itjust.works 5 points 13 hours ago

He was also the tech guy in Enemy of The State.

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[–] Klanky@sopuli.xyz 2 points 12 hours ago

Oh that's right! I forgot he was in Mars Attacks!

[–] Dookieman12@piefed.social 17 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

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 12 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

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

[–] Dookieman12@piefed.social 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

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 6 points 12 hours 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."

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 6 points 15 hours ago

Hold on to your butts!

[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 16 hours ago

My boy Adam Scott (main guy in Severance) in Star Trek VIII: First Contact as Worf's helmsman.

Here's his scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-KoydNOWGc

[–] harmbugler@piefed.social 6 points 14 hours ago

Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane in Krull (1983)

[–] MajesticTechie@feddit.uk 15 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Robert Downey Jr in Weird Science.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 15 hours ago

How about Robert Downey Jr. in that one weird season of SNL lol

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 13 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (3 children)

Not exactly the same, but Harrison Ford ~~was working as a carpenter on Star Wars and~~ was asked to just read in some lines as Han Solo while they were casting the other roles. Apparently he did a good job.

He had already acted in American Graffiti so I guess that's why they asked him to read in.

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 hours ago

Here's Harrison Ford's first movie appearance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eAEF5G-YXg

According to Ford, the director told him he wouldn't make it in the movie business because when a great actor is on the screen, you know it's a great actor. Ford replied, "I think when I'm on the screen you're not supposed to see a great actor, you're supposed to just see a bellhop."

[–] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 6 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

I thought that story was about how he ended up in American Graffiti. I thought he was doing work at Lucas’s house. Maybe I’m misremembering.

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[–] sploder@lemmy.world 10 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Matthew McConaughey in an old Unsolved Mysteries episode.

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[–] yesman@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago

John Cusack in '16 candles': he was one of the nerd friends who takes pictures of the unconscious cheerleader. And Brad Pitt in 'True romance' he was the roommate who needed cleaning supplies.

[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 9 points 18 hours ago

"freak #1". That's some chaos theory right there.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 2 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I remember seeing some movie (don't remember the name) with a very familiar face playing a character dying from an overdose pretty earlt on. After checking the credits, I noticed that Jim went as James Carrey back then.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago

Brent Spiner on the gameshow To Tell the Truth from 1972. I used to watch it but I have no memory of that episode.

https://youtu.be/r6f4EK9fvIg

Jerry Doyle from Babylon 5 was an extra on Moonlighting (Bruce Willis). The scene was Jerry Doyle was in a line of actors for a casting call to replace Bruce Willis because Bruce Willis was threatening to quit.

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