By Eric Myford
Everyone has to start somewhere, right? Horror may be the red headed stepchild of the cinema world but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most filmed and profitable genres either. Many actors get their start in the genre, and you may be surprised to find some of your favorites have done just that. So if you're a struggling actor, don't shy away from being in a horror movie, seems to have worked out just fine for these people.
George Clooney
In a short period of time, George was in three horror movie sequels, his first being Grizzly II: Revenge. He would follow that up with Return to Horror High and Return of the Killer Tomatoes. Yeah, no bullshit. The prestigious actor you know today was fighting off tomatoes. Talk about starting off at the lowest point.
Mila Kunis
Everyone seems to forget that Pirahna was remade in the 90s, which is sad because I like this movie a lot. It also starred Mila in her first movie role as the main character's daughter. Funny thing is, as a wee child, she was a fearless badass in this movie, saving children from the carnivorous fish. So much fun!
Clint Eastwood
The man, the myth, the legend. So many great roles but he actually started off with two uncredited roles in horror back to back. First he was in Tarantula and then Revenge of the Creature, which was a sequel to Creature From the Black Lagoon. He is also known as a director and his first feature film was Play Misty For Me, an obsession thriller. What a start!
Bradley Cooper
He had done some TV stuff but his first feature film was the found footage flick, My Little Eye. He didn't even star in it! He was just a side character and now he can just choose his roles. To be fair though, it is a pretty good movie. And don't forget he was also in Midnight Meat Train, which was awesome.
Johnny Depp
I think everyone knows this one but it bears repeating. One of the biggest actors of all time got his very first role in A Nightmare on Elm Street as the male lead. And let's be honest, he also had one of the best deaths of the entire series, and that's really saying something because there were a lot of great deaths.
Jennifer Aniston
Long before she was a friend she was fighting against the luck of the Irish in Leprechaun, her first feature film credit. And come on, Leprechaun is an awesomely fun movie. Sadly she has yet to return to the genre but I always hope she will. Proof positive that horror can in fact lead to some seriously great things!
Demi Moore
Her first lead role was in the B movie, Parasite. Yeah, it may not have been a great movie by any means, but it certainly didn't hurt her career any, did it? Sometimes you just have to get credits on your resume, and even though the creature feature was pretty below average stuff, she showed a talent that would launch a very long career.
Seth Rogan
Yeah, his feature film debut was in Donnie Darko. Bet you forgot about that, didn't you? Or maybe you didn't know at all. This modern titan of comedy was once in a psychological thriller revolving around a big bunny. That's actually pretty cool because no one else on this list can claim that.
Matthew McConaughey
Alright, alright, alright. Matthew's first feature film credit was in the horror/comedy My Boyfriend's Back. He would also go on to star in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre IV, but this was most definitely outshined by him being in Dazed and Confused before that. His first film credit was Guy #2, and just look at him now.
Leonardo DiCaprio
I did honestly save the best for last. Long before he was Gilbert Grape, he would have his film debut in Critters 3. Critters fucking 3. One of the greatest actors of all time started his career in Critters 3 and he followed it up with Poison Ivy. Just let that sink in. Everyone, and I mean everyone, starts somewhere.
There are more to come, many more, but I thought this might be a good start. It kind of puts things into perspective though. Even if you're not an actor, in life sometimes you have to start at the bottom, but with talent and hard work, you can rise and live among kings and queens of your industry. Don't give up, persevere and you too might make someone's list someday.
Written by:
Have you listened to our podcast yet? It’s Beyond The Void Horror Podcast. We do Reviews of new/old movies, Horror Themed Shots, Trivia & we even make up horror movies on the spot for our segment called GravePlots. It’s a lot of fun. Join us. Check it out! Listen on iTunes Here or anywhere you listen to podcasts!