Name some embarassing early roles for well-known actors/actresses

[Tommy_Carcetti]

This past weekend, don't ask me why, I was flipping through the channels and came upon Leprechaun: The Movie. Given the fact that I don't believe I have ever actually seen Leprechaun: The Movie, I was unaware that the headlining actress of Leprechaun: The Movie was one pre-Friends Jennifer Anniston.

Now, I don't know Jennifer Anniston personally, but if I were to guess, I am supposing that starring in Leprechaun: The Movie is not something that she advertises too much as a great accomplishment in her acting career.

That got me thinking as to early roles of other A-list actors and actresses. Some are downright embarassing. Others are somewhat endearing--think Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies--but obviously worlds away from the stardom that they met down the road.

What are some of your favorite cringe-worthy early roles for big name actors and actresses?

[edhopper]

1. George Clooney

"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes II"

[begin_within]

21. I watched that being filmed

Or part of it anyway. The actual title is "Return of the Killer Tomatoes" and they filmed it all over San Diego, including 5 or 6 scenes in my neighborhood. I had only vaguely heard of George Clooney at that time and walked right by him. I only knew that he was the nephew of Rosemary Clooney. He had long curly hair then. They filmed one scene on my street, where a crowd of people is running up the sidewalk chasing a tomato. They stopped at the corner, but if they had crossed the street and kept going, they would have gone right in front of my house. They filmed another scene at a dry cleaner in my neighborhood, which is still in business today, and my neighbor Jennifer was working there the day they filmed it. (The scene where there is a display in a window that says, "Homeless look.") Jennifer says that Clooney was talking to her and tried to get her to join the cast as an extra, but she refused. I was right across the street with my reflection in the glass, hoping to sneak into the movie that way. But an assistant director noticed it and asked me to move. At one point they had the 6 cast members that were there that day pose for a group photo, and I took a photo of them too. I still show it to people who are interested in George Clooney. By the way, the movie turned out to be fairly amusing. It's not nearly as stupid as you think it would be - some funny lines in the film and it doesn't take itself seriously.

[gmoney]

23. wasn't he on "Facts of Life" too?

grey hair at age 25

[TZ]

2. I dunno how cringworthy it was at the time

But I remember George Clooney having a recurring character on Roseanne...

[Dr. Strange]

6. And Facts of Life.

[Shell Beau]

20. He was also on Golden Girls once!

[skypilot]

3. Kristen Scott-Thomas...

...in that awful Prince movie "Under the Cherry Moon".

[EstimatedProphet]

4. The Hof:

StarCrash
Revenge of the Cheerleaders

Of course, you could say he's actually gone down from these...

[Lautremont]

12. He shows off his knightrider in that cheerleader movie, in case anyone's interested.

Any Germans here?

[DS1]

5. Nicole Kidman: BMX Bandits

[Bucky]

7. Meryl Streep as "Chi-Chi LaBoom" in the first season of "Dukes of Hazard"

Judge Reinhold belongs in the polar opposite of this thread.

[JustAnotherGen]

35. On and FWIW

Remember Red Dawn and The Outsiders?

Can you imagine what the salaries alone would have been had they tried to make those movies with those casts in 1988?

Top Gun 1986 - Tom Cruise was in The Outsiders
Wall Street 1987 and Platoon 1986 - Charlie Sheen both
Dirty Dancing 1987 - Patrick Swayze both
St. Elmos Fire 1984 - Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe The Outsiders
Karate Kid 1984 - Ralph Machio - The Outsiders

Add in Diane Lane - The Outsiders . . . what hasn't Cherry been in?
Leah Thompson - Red Dawn . . . Back to the Future, 1985

Regardless of where those people are today - those two movies would have been big budget flicks if they had tried to cast them in late 1987

[sarge43]

8. Susan Sarandon

The Other Side of Midnight, 1977, a Sidney Sheldon trash o'rama.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Dammit, Janet!

Wasn't that after her appearance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show...or am I just in a Time Warp (again)?

[sarge43]

18. No Time Warp. After.

But I wouldn't call Rocky Horror an embarrassment. Other Side however was a head bagger.

[ceile]

10. Jennifer Aniston "Leprechaun"

Worst movie EVER!

ETA: it might help if I read the ENTIRE OP before posting....:crazy:

[Burma Jones]

11. Paul Newman in "The Silver Chalice"

At least Mr. Newman says it's really really embarrassing.....

[NJmaverick]

13. Hercules in New York: Arnold Schwarzenegger

[Lautremont]

14. Brad Pitt in "Cutting Class"

Johnny Depp in "Private Resort"
Kevin Bacon in "Friday the 13th"
Daryl Hannah in "The Final Terror"
Keanu Reeves in 'Hangin' In"

many, many more...

[WeRQ4U]

15. Matt LeBlanc as the drippy Heinz ketchup dude...

Same hair.

[MrScorpio]

16. This is your Winner right here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Md9lCfO-lo

[HughBeaumont]

28. No longer available.

They took down "Party at Kitty and Stud's" faster than Clubber Lang drops Balboa in Rocky III.

[flvegan]

17. Liam Neeson was in "Krull"

Horrible.

[JonLP24]

19. Shaq

He may not be well known as an actor but he's had quite some embarrasing roles.

[terrya]

22. Tim Robbins in "Howard the Duck"

I'm sure this tremendous actor would like to forget that one.

[gmoney]

25. He probably REEALLY wants to forget "Fraternity Vacation" too

and I'm sure EVERYONE involved in Howard the Duck would just wish it was a bad dream, trapped in a movie they never made.

[bertha katzenengel]

24. Dustin Hoffman sold the VW Fastback on TV.

Just him walking around the car, talking about it.

[last_texas_dem]

26. Katherine Heigl in _Bride of Chucky_

[JustAnotherGen]

27. Johnny Depp

Nightmare on Elm Street

[redwitch]

29. Jane Fonda

Barbarella.

[TroglodyteScholar]

30. Laurence Fishburne

As Cowboy Curtis on Pee-Wee's Playhouse.



Maybe that was closer to mid-career, but still...

[Fran Kubelik]

31. Sandra Bullock

Love Potion #9

[kwassa]

32. Jessica Lange in the first re-make of "King Kong"

A really bad movie by Dino Delaurentis

[JustAnotherGen]

33. Leonardo DiCaprio

on Growing Pains

[hobbit709]

34. James Arness as the giant carrot monster in the original The Thing.