B-movies are movies made with a lower budget. Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, a B-movie usually referred to a double-feature screening together. These days, the term is loosely applied to movies that are just plain bad, or, in some cases, movies that are so bad, they're good. A-list actors, on the other hand, are major movie actors, the ones that keep their name in the headlines with cameras all around. What you probably didn't know is that many of these A-list actors got their start in B-movies. Before the recognition, awards, and accolades, some of the biggest names in Hollywood actually debuted in small roles in low budget films. Here are 10 B-movies with A-list actors that are worth checking out.

10 Matthew McConaughey — Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

matthew mcconaughey in texas chainsaw massacre
Genre Pictures

Matthew McConaughey is a charismatic and polyhedral character known for his roles in The Lincoln Lawyer, Dallas Buyers Club, and True Detective. While his breakout role was as a supporting character in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused in 1993, he would play a role in a low-budget horror sequel the following year. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is the fourth installment in the franchise. The plot follows four teenagers who encounter Leatherface and his deranged family on the night of their prom.

McConaughey plays Vilmer, a tow truck driver with a cybernetic leg who is part of Leatherface's murderous family. He has plenty of screen time, while he threatens and torments Jenny (Renée Zellweger).

Related: Best Sci-Fi Movies with a Low Budget, Ranked

9 Jeremy Renner — National Lampoon's Senior Trip

jeremy renner in national lampoons senior trip
Alliance Films

Known for his role as Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jeremy Renner is a versatile actor. He performed in several commercials and supporting roles in television movies and series, but captured the public's eye with his complex and gripping portrayal of the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the 2002 film Dahmer. Before that, he got his film debut in the B-movie National Lampoon's Senior Trip.

Renner plays Mark "Dags" D'Agostino, one of the nitwit Ohio teens who is invited to a Washington gathering on educational failure.

8 Leonardo DiCarpio — Critters 3

A young boy with a confused look
New Line Home Video

With an impressive track record of blockbuster movies, it's hard to believe that Leonardo DiCaprio was ever in a B-movie. Although in the 80s he was a major teenage heartthrob and a leading man in Hollywood blockbusters today, he got his start as a supporting cast member in sitcoms and low-budget films.

As the third installment in the low-budget Critters series, Critters 3 follows the tiny furball aliens as they infest a Los Angeles apartment tower. The 1991 film marks DiCaprio's film debut, as he plays Josh, the stepson of a corrupt landlord.

7 Jennifer Aniston — Leprechaun

Leprechaun Jennifer Aniston
Trimark Pictures

Before landing her break in the sitcom Friends in 1994, Jennifer Aniston was floundering in the acting world. She had a few television roles behind her, but had not yet shined in the industry. During this time, she starred in the 1993 horror-comedy Leprechaun. The film also marks her film debut.

The movie follows Aniston's character Tory Redding, who, with her father, rents out an old farmhouse for the summer. A contract worker unknowingly releases an ancient killer leprechaun from his imprisonment, who subsequently kills off characters until he can find his pot of gold.

6 Eva Mendes — Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror

eva mendes in children of the corn v fields of terror
Dimension Films

Eva Mendes is an actress, model, and businesswoman known for her roles in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Ghost Rider, and Training Day. Before her career-changing appearance in Training Day, she got her start in a series of B-movies, including Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror. The 1998 supernatural slasher is the fifth installment of the series where the child cult leader, Ezeekial, is possessed by the demon known only as "He Who Walks Behind the Rows." Mendes plays Kir, one of the six college students who take a wrong turn and end up trapped in the deserted rural town run by the murderous cult of children.

5 Angelina Jolie — Hackers

angelina jolie in hackers
United Artists

Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie rose to fame after her role in the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted. She would go on to star in multiple blockbuster movies while appearing on many "most beautiful women" lists and participating in international charity projects. However, even Jolie isn't exempt from playing in a low-budget B-movie before hitting fame.

In 1995, Jolie starred in the low-budget film Hackers, starring as Kate "Acid Burn" Libby, a hacker who joins a group of fellow hackers who discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus. Together, they use their computer skills to gather evidence while being pursued by the person behind the virus and the Secret Service.

Related: 25 Great Low-Budget Horror Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of

4 Mark Ruffalo — The Dentist

mark ruffalo in the dentist
Image Organization

Another star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mark Ruffalo is known for his portrayal as the Avenger Hulk. His first success began with the 1996 off-Broadway play This is Our Youth, and the 2000 film drama You can Count on Me. Prior to his blockbuster roles, Ruffalo played inauspicious roles in several films including The Dentist.

The 1996 slasher film stars Corbin Benson and follows a successful, yet mentally unstable, dentist in Los Angeles who begins committing murder. Ruffalo plays Steve Landers, a beauty queen's manager. While he doesn't have much of a big role in this film, there is a great scene where he punches Benson's character and threatens a lawsuit.

3 Tom Hiddleston — Unrelated

tom hiddleston in unrelated
New Wave Films

Trademarked by his extremely polite, articulate, and friendly personality, Tom Hiddleston is a British actor known for his role as the God of Mischief Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. His portrayal as the enigmatic trickster brought him to the spotlight, and he would continue appearing as the character in several films and a Disney+ original spin-off.

Before his breakthrough role in the MCU, Hiddleston won his first film role in Joanna Hogg's 2007 British drama film Unrelated. The film focuses on Anna (Kathryn Worth), who takes refuge from an unhappy relationship with a friend's family on holiday in Tuscany. Hiddleston plays Oakley, a teenager with whom Anna flirts with.

2 Chris Evans — Fierce People

chris evans in fierce people
Lions Gate Films

Chris Evans began his acting career by performing in school productions and community theater. He landed some small roles in low-budget films and procedural television shows before appearing in his first major feature, Not Another Teen Movie in 2001. His stardom began when he signed on to play Johnny Storm in the 2005 film Fantastic Four, which would only be his first Marvel role as he would continue on to play Captain America through the MCU franchise.

Before hitting big-time as an Avenger, Evans would play Bryce Langley in the low-budget 2005 independent drama thriller Fierce People. Fierce People explores the many facets of family and societal dysfunction, including mental illness, substance abuse, and rape. For a B-movie, the film stars many highly-rated actors, including Donald Sutherland, Diane Lane, and Kristen Stewart.

1 Johnny Depp — A Nightmare on Elm Street

Johnny Depp as Glen in A Nightmare on Elm Street
New Line Cinema

Johnny Depp is well-known for playing eccentric outcast characters with flamboyant appearances and mannerisms. After fronting a series of garage bands, Depp never would have started in the acting world had it not been for a chance meeting with actor Nicolas Cage. Cage encouraged him to turn to acting, which resulted in Depp's film debut in the Wes Craven's low-budget horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, which was released in 1984. He plays Glen Lantz, a teenager who falls prey to the dream-stalking entity Freddy Kreuger.

The film is the very first in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, and stars Heather Langenkamp, John Sason, Ronee Blakley, Robert Englund as Krueger, and Depp. Teen Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth her parents kept secret after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams. While Depp's character does die, it is a memorable death.