Hollywood stars who became famous thanks to their first film

Many Hollywood actors have had to work for ages, going from audition to audition, from small parts to even smaller parts, in order to get to the stardom where they are now. But not all of them have had to struggle so much.

Some actors and actresses managed to strike gold with their very first movie. Let's see who they are.

Not everyone knows that Anne Hathaway made her first film at a very young age. It immediately earned her huge popularity, especially among teenagers. In 2001, she starred in the film 'The Princess Diaries,' a romantic comedy with a famous co-star: Julie Andrews.

The film was a great stepping stone for Hathaway who, to date, has made more than 30 films already. Among the most famous are 'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006), 'Bride Wars' (2009), and 'Interstellar' (2014).

Julie Andrews gave Anne Hathaway the example of 'beginner's luck.' In the early 60s, the wonderful actress starred in a movie that would make her world-famous: 'Mary Poppins' (1964).

At the time, the success was worldwide, so Andrews had no trouble being cast in other roles. Often they were in the same genre, but who would mind getting the lead role in 'The Sound of Music' (1965)?

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Another unforgettable first role among Hollywood stars is that of Cameron Diaz in the film 'The Mask.' She played alongside an amazing Jim Carrey in 1994.

Soon her success was consolidated thanks to other performances. She became one of the most requested actresses of the 90s and early 2000s. How about: 'There's Something About Mary' (1998), 'Charlie's Angels' (2000), 'Vanilla Sky' (2001), and 'Gangs of New York' (2002)? While she took a break after 'Annie' (2014), the actress has announced that she will return in a Netflix project, 'Back In Action', alongside Jamie Fox.

For Edward Norton, his first steps into the world of cinema were marked by a combination of luck and talent. His first film was 'Primal Fear', directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring the famous Richard Gere. For this film from 1996, Norton was nominated for an Oscar as a supporting actor.

To date, Edward Norton's career boasts numerous film projects, including Woody Allen's 'Everyone Says I Love You' (1996), 'Fight Club' (1999), '25th Hour' (2002), The Incredible Hulk' (2008), and 'Birdman' (2014). For the latter, he was again nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor.

Do you remember the young protagonist of the 1993 film 'The Piano' directed by Jane Campion? That girl was a Anna Paquin, born in 1982.

Paquin's success, crowned with an Oscar, led to great film projects like Franco Zeffirelli's 'Jane Eyre' (1996), 'X-Men' (2000), and 'The Irishman' (2019).

It was 1998 when a young Jason Statham took part, almost by chance, in one of the most popular films of that time. It was 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', directed by Guy Ritchie.

Since then, Jason Statham's career has involved countless film projects. Recent works include 'Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw', 'Wrath of Man' (also directed by Guy Ritchie) and 'The Expendables 4,' which will be released in 2023.

Another actress who shot to fame with her first role was Natalie Portman in 'Leon: The Professional', directed by Luc Besson in 1994. She was only 13 years old.

Talking about Portman's filmography, as well as the other stars we've just seen, could entertain us for a long time. Among the most successful films are 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' (1999), 'Closer' (2004), 'Black Swan' (2010), 'Lucy in the Sky (2019), and 'Thor: Love and Thunder' (2022).

It's not exactly a movie he starred in, but it was definitely an example of first-time succes. Will Smith had his big break with his first TV role. It was 1990 and we were all glued to the screen to see 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'.

His first TV role earned him a golden career among Hollywood stars. His most successful films of the 90s include 'Bad Boys' (1995), 'Independence Day' (1996) and 'Men in Black' (1997). But also in recent years he's done some tremendous work, winning an Oscar for his role in 'King Richard' (2021).

Johnny Depp's acting career began completely by chance. He was accompanying a friend, Nicolas Cage, to an audition, and in the end it was he who was chosen. Depp's first ever movie was 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984), and it would become the first of nine films in the saga.

Johnny Depp would continue the momentum, making the unforgettable 'Edward Scissorhands' (1990), 'Arizona Dream'(1993),' Blow '(2001), and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' - obviously one of his greatest legacies.