Emma Watson rose to fame at 10, playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. After the series ended, she took on roles in The Bling Ring, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Little Women, while also building a reputation as a dedicated activist. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio started in commercials as a teen before landing his breakout role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which earned him his first Oscar nomination. He later became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with films like Titanic, Inception, and The Revenant, finally winning an Academy Award in 2016. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Lindsay Lohan began as a child model at three, but her big break came at 11 when she played twins in The Parent Trap. She went on to define the 2000s teen movie era with hits like Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. | © Paramount Pictures
Emma Roberts booked her first movie role at just 10 and quickly became a Nickelodeon regular, even releasing a teen pop album. She later broke out in films like Aquamarine and Wild Child before finding lasting success in American Horror Story and Scream Queens. | © Relativity Media
Christian Bale landed his first big role at 13 in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, after deciding to pursue acting as a child. Though he faced bullying early on, he later became world-famous with American Psycho and is now known for extreme transformations in films like The Machinist and The Dark Knight. | © Lionsgate Films
Elijah Wood got his start at eight with a small role in Back to the Future Part II and went on to appear in films like Flipper and The Ice Storm. His career skyrocketed when he played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, making him a household name worldwide. | © Lionsgate Films
Kirsten Dunst began acting in commercials at just three, but her breakout came at 10 playing a child vampire in Interview with the Vampire alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. She went on to star in The Virgin Suicides, later worked with Sofia Coppola again, and became widely known as Mary Jane in Spider-Man. | © Columbia Pictures
Natalie Portman made her film debut at 12 in Léon: The Professional and just a few years later landed the role of Padmé in the Star Wars prequels. She later won an Oscar for Black Swan, a performance that showcased her dedication with months of intense ballet training. | © Searchlight Pictures
Elizabeth Taylor began acting at 10 and had her breakthrough at 14 in National Velvet alongside Mickey Rooney. She went on to become one of Hollywood’s most legendary stars, with classics like Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? earning her lasting acclaim. | © 20th Century Studios
Kurt Russell started acting at 12 in the TV series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters and later signed a 10-year deal with Disney, appearing in a dozen films as a teen. On the set of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, he met Goldie Hawn, and the two have been together since 1983. | © Universal Studios
Gabriel Macht made his film debut at just eight years old in Why Would I Lie?, earning a Young Artist Award nomination under the name Gabriel Swann. Decades later, he became widely known as Harvey Specter in Suits, a role he played from 2011 until the show’s finale in 2019. | © USA Network
Brie Larson started acting at nine, appearing in comedy sketches on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno before taking roles in Raising Dad and family films like 13 Going on 30. She later won an Oscar for Room, starred in Short Term 12 and the Marvel films, and most recently earned acclaim for Lessons in Chemistry. | © Cinedigm
Ryan Reynolds kicked off his career at 15 on the Canadian teen drama Hillside (known as Fifteen in the U.S.). After early comedy roles, he broke out in films like The Proposal and later became iconic for Deadpool, with hits like Green Lantern and Free Guy along the way. | © 20th Century Fox
Jeff Bridges first appeared on-screen as a baby in The Company She Keeps (1951), and later acted alongside his father and brother in TV shows like Sea Hunt. By 23, he earned his first Oscar nomination for The Last Picture Show and eventually took home Best Actor in 2010 for Crazy Heart. | © Lionsgate
Sarah Jessica Parker got her start on Broadway at just 12 years old in Annie, before moving on to early screen roles like the sitcom Square Pegs. She later became a household name with Hocus Pocus and, of course, as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, a role that brought her multiple Emmy wins. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Many of Hollywood’s biggest names didn’t just appear out of nowhere – they grew up in front of the camera. These stars proved early on they were destined for the spotlight.
