Before They Were Famous: Alan Rickman, John Krasinski & Aubrey Plaza

January 20th 2016, 12:43am

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Welcome to “Before They Were Famous“, where we take a look at some of the past exploits of today's biggest stars, be it from movies, television, Broadway, competitions, etc.! The more embarrassing, the better. Our memories are long, but the internet's memory is forever, so jump back in time with us to witness some of our favorite stars before they were marquee names.

Alan Rickman (EYE IN THE SKY)

It's not often that an actor is as universally adored and respected as Alan Rickman. So to celebrate his illustrious career, we found this video from his appearance on the long-running British television show SHELLEY (1980). At the time, Rickman was 34 years old, and eight years away from his turn as Hans Gruber in DIE HARD.

In the clip, Rickman plays a hippie-looking fellow named Clive, who is attending a dinner party at his friend Shelley's house. Loving the glasses, haircut, and facial hair, Alan! I'm going to miss his talent, and, of course, that distinct voice, which shined through even back then.

John Krasinksi (13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI)

In 2003, two years before the start of THE OFFICE, John Krasinski starred in a commercial for Pepsi. At the time, Pepsi was running a "Billion Dollar Giveaway" promotion. Pepsi printed one billion codes and placed them on their products; these codes could be cashed in for an assortment of prizes. Out of the redeemed codes, Pepsi chose 100 "winners" who competed in a game show to win $1 billion dollars (I hope you said that like Dr. Evil).

Of course, no one won the money. However, a few people one $1 million. With his incredible success in the years following this commercial, I wonder if Krasinski still drinks Pepsi out of a wine glass?

Aubrey Plaza (DIRTY GRANDPA)

This might be the most excited I have ever seen Aubrey Plaza… and it's all about butterfly shrimp. In this commercial for the fast food restaurant Popeye's, Plaza's only line is random and hilarious, just like her, "I like butterflies." In an interview with the LA Times, Plaza recounted her commercial days, “I remember a moment where I was eating a bunch of butterfly shrimp and getting paid a lot of money to do that" during a Popeyes commercial, the actress recalled during the Los Angeles Times’ third annual Young Hollywood roundtable on Friday night. “I was living in Queens and I had no money, and I remember thinking, ‘I think I could do this. I’ll just do stuff like this.’”

Another of my favorite "Before They Were Famous" clips involving Plaza is from her days doing improv for UCB in preparation for her Saturday Night Live audition. She did a killer Sarah Silverman impression, from the voice and facial expressions to the joke content itself. Check it out below: