Pop culture sometimes has a short memory. It can feel like the movie stars we’ve seen in legendary roles for years were always famous actors. However, even the most iconic Hollywood royalty had to start somewhere. Whether they start in commercials, small guest roles, or long forgotten independent films, there is a familiar road of paying dues that most actors first face. Many actors languish in this purgatory and don’t get any further. However, for an elite and lucky few, one crucial role can be the stepping stone they need to get some initial recognition and respect in the industry.

To be fair, the roles that “make” a household name actor may not always be the films they are ultimately best known for. In some cases, those opportunities come further down the line after additional years of putting in the work. However, there are must-see movies out there that can show hints of an actor’s greatness, sometimes even before the rest of the world takes notice. This list will attempt to uncover a few of those memorable moments and remind audiences why they fell in love with these impressive actors in the first place. While some of these films became huge money-making blockbusters, most didn’t initially start out with those lofty expectations put upon them at the beginning. Here are the breakthrough movies roles that turned actors into Hollywood stars.

Related: These Movie Stars Also Had Successful Runs on Broadway

Leonardo DiCaprio – What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Whats-Eating-Gilbert-Grape
Paramount Pictures

Leonardo DiCaprio consistently makes must-watch films and has done so for nearly 30 years now. While some of DiCaprio’s work in the 90s may be overshadowed by his bigger films, such as Titanic, Romeo + Juliet, The Basketball Diaries, and The Man in the Iron Mask, it’s this breakout role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape that first showed how incredible an actor he is. DiCaprio played the mentally-challenged younger brother of Johnny Depp and was nominated for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award at the 1994 Academy Awards. He’s gone on to play iconic characters in dozens of other films since then, such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed, Catch Me If You Can, Inception, The Great Gatsby, Don’t Look Up, Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, and his Oscar-winning role as Hugh Glass in The Revenant, an award that previously eluded him for many years despite his popularity and critical acclaim.

Salma Hayek – Desperado

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Columbia Pictures

The action-thriller Desperado put Salma Hayek into the Hollywood spotlight for the first time outside her native Mexico and established her as one of the most talented and beautiful actors in the world. Coincidentally, a similar star-studded performance also occurred alongside actor Antonio Banderas for Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask of Zorro just a few years later. Hayek has gone on to prove herself over and over again as an incredible and hardworking actress in numerous movies over the years, such as Frida, Traffic, From Dusk Till Dawn, Fools Rush In, Dogma, Grown Ups, and just in the past year in Eternals, House of Gucci, Bliss, and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

Christian Bale – American Psycho

American Psycho TV Show Is Happening at Lionsgate

Christian Bale is a shape-shifting actor, willing to completely change his look for any role he chooses to take on. However, in his first big opportunity to shine as a narcissistic banking executive named Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Bale is intense, funny, and scary all at the same time. It’s a testament to his acting range and passionate delivery of his characters. Christian went on to even bigger roles as Bruce Wayne and Batman in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, for which a recent poll named him the best Batman of all-time. However, don’t sleep on his numerous other memorable performances in Vice, The Big Short, American Hustle, The Machinist, Ford v Ferrari, Public Enemies, The Fighter, among others.

Drew Barrymore – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestria

As many people may remember, Drew Barrymore got her big break in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. back when she was still a young child. Her transition into bankable lead Hollywood actress as an adult is inspiring, especially considering the stories of so many other childhood actors at the time who weren’t able to do the same. Barrymore became the loveable, yet still tough when needed, character actress we know her as today. She’s most recently transitioned in a successful daytime TV talk show host as well. She played unforgettable roles in Scream, Charlie’s Angels, Never Been Kissed, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, Ever After, Fever Pitch, and Donnie Darko to name a few. You can now see Barrymore playing the principal in the latest Scream film.

Denzel Washington – Malcolm X

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After initially playing Malcolm X in a popular play, it was a meeting with director Spike Lee that helped Denzel Washington land the important movie role of the legendary 1960s Civil Rights leader. Without Malcolm X, we may never have seen Washington in other excellent films like Philadelphia, Training Day, Crimson Tide, Remember the Titans, Fences, The Pelican Brief, Man on Fire, John Q, and Flight.

Sandra Bullock – Speed

Speed Movie

While you may have seen Sandra Bullock in movies before Speed such as Demolition Man and Love Potion No. 9, it wasn’t until this performance alongside Keanu Reeves that Bullock became a household name. Since then, Bullock has racked up hit films like The Blind Side, Bird Box, Crash, Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, A Time to Kill, The Net, and Oceans Eight to her lengthy resume.

Jared Leto – Requiem For a Dream

Requiem for a Dream One Perfect Shot

You may best know Jared Leto from his work as the Joker in recent DC Comics films like Suicide Squad or Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Others will remember his Academy Award-winning role in Dallas Buyer’s Club or know him as the frontman of rock band, 30 Seconds To Mars. Gen-Xers will likely have connected with him as the heartthrob on the 90s MTV show My So-Called Life. However, Leto has been in many other interesting and thought-provoking roles you should certainly familiarize yourself with. Requiem For a Dream is about the tragic world of extreme drug addiction. If you’ve seen this film before, you likely have not forgotten it. Leto’s slightly under-the-radar roles in hit films like Fight Club, Girl Interrupted, American Psycho, Panic Room, and Chapter 27 are all binge worthy as well.

Angelina Jolie – Hackers

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Angelina Jolie has been an A-list actress for more than two decades now. However, early fans of hers will affectionately remember her role as Kate in the late 90s computer-based, Hackers. Jolie’s career only skyrocketed from that point forward — Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Gone in 60 Seconds, Salt, The Bone Collector, Girl Interrupted, Maleficent, Changeling, and Wanted all came in the proceeding years.

Related: Angelina Jolie Turned Down a Superhero Film Before Eternals, Was It Wonder Woman?

Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker

Nowadays, it’s tough to see Jeremy Renner and not see him as the character of Clint Barton, who’s best known as the Marvel Comics superhero, Hawkeye. This is for good reason, as he’s played the role in Thor, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, Disney’s What If…?, and his own Disney+ show, Hawkeye. There’s a lot more to Renner than just Hawkeye, however. Renner was nominated for an Academy Award in 2010 for The Hurt Locker, where he played a Sargent in the Iraq War. Besides his Avengers work, The Hurt Locker led to big roles in The Town, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Bourne Legacy, American Hustle, and Wind River.

Emma Stone – Superbad

Superbad

What’s not to love about Emma Stone? She’s capable of pulling off literally any role required of her. Whether she’s in a wild over-the-top comedy, biography of a respected sports star, singing and dancing in a throwback Hollywood musical, part of Sony's Spider-Verse, taking on an iconic Disney character, acting in historical dramas, trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, futuristic sci-fi experiments, or romantic love story, she’s practically done it all over the past 15 years alone. In Superbad, Stone was still an unknown actress to most, but was able to hold her own with the raunchy dialogue of her male counterparts with much less screen time to do it in. After that, her career truly took off with roles in La La Land, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2, Cruella, The Help, Crazy Stupid Love, Zombieland, Easy-A, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Favourite, and Battle of the Sexes. She even found time to appear in a Paul McCartney music video, complete some memorable voice-over work, and star in the Netflix series, Maniac. With Cruella 2 currently in pre-production, the hit roles look to show no sign of slowing up for her.