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.
Believe it or not, Angelina Jolie has been in the entertainment business longer than you may have realized. It all started when six-year-old Angie had a small role in her father, Jon Voight's, film LOOKIN' TO GET OUT (1982). It's amazing how much she looks like her daughter, Shiloh!
The next glimpse we get of Angelina is when she and her brother accompany their dad to the Oscars; Voight was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performances in RUNAWAY TRAIN. The ten year old, rocking a fabulous white dress, pearls, and pink lipstick, was obviously taking cues from Madonna, and I love it!
And finally, here is a clip of sixteen-year-old Angelina being interviewed with rock music blasting behind her. Even back then, Angelina shows she is her own person. She enjoys fencing, boxing and says she collects old swords; one day she wants to have her own weapon room. And yes, interviewer… girls do box. Just ask Holly Holm.
According to Mark Ruffalo, he had "terrible cystic acne in high school." Well, you wouldn't know it from his beautiful skin in this 1989 Clearasil ad for their Double Clear pads. In the commercial, curly-haired Mark and his friends are running from acne. And thanks to the Clearasil product, they are able to double zap the pimples away!
This was twenty-year-old Mark's first paying gig, where he made $30,000 for the role. But ironically, when he was facing acne issues as a kid, Clearasil did NOT work for him. "Clearasil was the worst, actually. The only time it cleared up was when I stopped using everything you could buy to fix it."
If her appearance on Stephen Colbert is any indication, Jennifer Connelly does not want you to see this commercial she did as a teenager. Too bad, Jennifer, I have a "Before They Were Famous" article to write. Around the same time as LABYRINTH (1986), Jennifer starred and sang in an advertisement for the Japanese electronic company Technics. The audience must have enjoyed the featured song, "Ai No Monologue", because it was put on an album!
On Colbert, Connelly talked briefly (and embarrassingly) about her "character" in the commercial, "I'm so in character. I've merged with a character. It's me… I think it was for Technics. It was a stereo company. Thank you so much, by the way. I'll never take myself serious as an actor again, and nor will anyone else."
Oh please, Jennifer. I think your Academy Award, as well as performances in A BEAUTIFUL MIND and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM prove otherwise. Just please don't make me watch WINTER'S TALE again.
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