Most A-list celebrities are known to most as put together icons, who seem to know exactly what to do and when but that wasn’t always the case. Believe it not, these famous faces were once young and not as polished as we have come to expect them to be and we have the pictures for proof.
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You won’t just be blown away by how some of Hollywood’s most treasured superstars looked on their first red carpet, but how their style and look has changed throughout the decades. Some for the better and others for the worst!
1979: Meryl Streep
The legendary Meryl Streep is known for her awe-inspiring performances and Oscar-worthy roles in films such as Sophie’s Choice (1982) Death Becomes Her (1992), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and The Iron Lady (2011) to name a few.
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And of course, Streep has maintained this success streak in showbiz for decades. In fact, her very first gigs were in the late ‘70s, and within a few years, she was walking down the red carpet in 1979 for the premiere of The Seduction of Joe Tynan.
1981: Tom Cruise
Cruise has become more legend than an actor for most Hollywood fans, the energetic actor these days is known for this work in the blockbuster Mission Impossible movies but he got his start in, 1981’s Endless Love.
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His very first red-carpet premiere was that same year for the movie, to which he showed up with the equally talented, Heather Locklear. From there, he went to star in 1986’s Top Gun, to 1988’s Cocktail, to 1996’s Jerry McGuire, to 2005’s War of the Worlds, Cruise never ceases to amaze us with his phenomenal performances.
1982: Drew Barrymore
It’s easy for us to forget that some of our favourite celebs started when they were teeny tiny, much like Drew Barrymore who starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1982’s E.T at just 7-years-old.
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As we all know, E.T went on to become a smash hit and a classic and so did Berrymore. She went on to star in all sorts of comedy films alongside Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, as well as action films like Charlie’s Angels.
1985: Robert Downey Jr.
We all know and love him as Iron Man in the expansive Marvel Universe but before he was the vivacious Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. had been working in small side roles waiting for his breakthrough.
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His first appearance on the red carpet was actually for the 1985 TV Movie premiere of Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, his at-the-time girlfriend.
1986: Tom Hanks
Whether it’s for his unbelievably inspiring and tear-jerking voice acting or his on-screen roles in countless hit movies Tom Hanks is cherished around the world. The American actor started acting when he was in his early 20s in the ‘80s with his breakthrough role in the 1988 film Big.
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While that was Hanks’s most notable red carpet, it wasn’t his first. That honour went to the 1986 film Nothing in Common. Hanks showed up in his signature short curly hair, a tweed jacket, and trendy tinted glasses.
1986: Angelina Jolie
The astonishing and awe-inspiring Angelina Jolie is known nowadays for her extensive charitable work and timeless elegance. During her years in Hollywood, she has not just walked down the red carpet countless times throughout her career but has also won critical acclaim for her work.
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Born to Oscar winner Jon Voight and actress and producer Marcheline Bertrand, Jolie was strutting down the red carpet ever since she was a little girl, she still had the same expressive style and beauty we have come to love and expect from Jolie.
1987: Christian Bale
Known to modern audiences for his serious roles like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and the admired Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, Christian Bale actually started out acting when he was in his early teen years.
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His first starring role was when he was only 13 years old, in Steven Spielberg’s 1987 war film Empire of the Sun. We all need to take a moment and appreciate Bale, in his oversized jacket and goofy smile. A version of him, we don’t get to see much anymore.
1988: George Clooney
There’s no question about it, George Clooney is a total heart-throb swoon-fest! It’s safe to say that he’s aged-well with his iconic salt-and-pepper look, but looking at this throwback picture of him in 1988 alongside then-girlfriend Kelly Preston is melting our hearts.
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From his thrilling role in the 1996 action horror film From Dusk to Dawn to the exciting action-packed Ocean’s series in the mid-2000s to 2014’s historical comedy film The Monuments Men, Clooney doesn’t cease to amaze fans with his great acting range and ability to adapt and connect with audiences.
1988: Brad Pitt
While he didn’t get his big break until the ‘90s, Brad Pitt had already built a strong portfolio with nearly a decade of work, starting with his first film Red Heat in 1988 it was also his first red carpet.
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From this picture, you can tell that Pitt was meant for the fame and fortune about to come his way, just check out this laidback cool kid leather jacket and white shirt look that Pitt’s rockin’, which is honestly still cool some 32 years later!
1989: Halle Berry
Halle Berry broke down many doors for women of colour, starting as young as her teen years. She won the Miss Teen All-American Pageant in 1985 and made it all the way to the finals in the Miss USA Pageant a year later.
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Soon after, she turned her eyes toward Hollywood and began a successful acting career that would span decades. Berry has won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball in 2001 and later became a superhero when she starred in Catwoman, and as Storm in the X-Men movies.
1990: Will Smith
He’s better known for his diverse and dynamic range of hit movies in more recent years and being the father of Jaden and Willow Smith, icons in their own right but before all that, the wondrous Will Smith got his name in the game through music.
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In fact, one of his very first red carpets was for the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards with DJ Jazzy Jeff. It was only through his hit songs did he kick start his incredible acting career with the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
1990: Leonardo DiCaprio
When we think of Hollywood elite’s, Leonardo DiCaprio name is always on the forefront and why wouldn’t it be, since the actor has been working in the industry since he was just 5-year-olds.
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And while his first big break was in 1996’s Romeo & Juliet followed by his moving performance in 1997’s legendary Titanic, the first time he walked on the red carpet was back in 1990, when he was just a teenager.
1994: Natalie Portman
In the ‘90s, America was introduced to Natalie Portman, a sweet and charming actress from Israel. At the young age of 12, she made her debut appearance in the 1994 film Leon the Professional, excitingly walking across the red carpet for the first time.
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It was after the new millennium that she truly shot up to the top starring in films like 2004’s Closer, 2005’s V for Vendetta, and 2010’s Black Swan. Portman is known was her ability to take on dark and troubled characters and bringing them to life on-screen, winning her two Golden Globes and an Academy Award.
1995: Salma Hayek
Since the start of her career, Salma Hayek is known for being full of personality, colour and life. She had a style which wasn’t seen around Hollywood and audiences loved her for her uniqueness. Much like Halle Berry, the Mexican-American beauty paved the way for other women of colour to not just be accepted in Hollywood but adored.
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Here she is, in all her beauty wearing a bold figure-hugging red dress and matching lipstick which she rocked for her debut featured film Desperado in 1995. Just a year later, she made another dazzling appearance in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn, which led her to land leading roles in films like After the Sunset, Frida, Savages, The Roads Not Taken, and Wild Wild West.
Kate Winslet
The glorious and elegant Kate Winslet made her debut in the mid-90s in her late teens and early 20s—landing her most famous role as Rose in 1997’s iconic historical romance drama, Titanic.
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The wondrous Winslet started out working on television shows, but it was only in 1996 that she walked across her very first red carpet for her big-time role in Sense and Sensibility. What did Winslet wear for this monumental role? A long black jacket, which covered a gorgeously unique lacey-sheer jumpsuit.
1996: Charlize Theron
From action-thriller movies like Mad Max: Fury Road to more comedic one like in the TV series Arrested Development, Charlize Theron has worked in a diverse set of the genres ever since starting her career in the ‘90s.
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But did you know that the amazing and beautiful actress was a professional dancer before her Hollywood start! In fact, the South-African born superstar actually started as a Ballerina in New York.
1996: Dakota Johnson
Most people only know Dakota Johnson from her work in the popular, Fifty Shades Grey series but before she became Anastseis Steel, she was already a Red Carpet sweetheart because of her
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Daughter of Miami Vice and Django Unchained’s Don Johnson, Dakota and her siblings joined her father for the movie premiere of 1996’s Tin Cup. There’s no doubt that she’s grown up a lot since then, but look at how adorable she is in her cute purple floral print dress. She truly looks like, a star in the making!
1997: Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson has proven time and time again just how dynamic of a superstar she really is on screen. From her performance in 1998’s The Horse Whisperer to 2003’s Lost in Translation, 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2014’s Lucy, and of course The Avengers series, it seems like she can and does act well, in everything.
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Scarlett’s dreams of becoming a big-time actress started when she was just a little girl, and the first time she strutted along the red carpet was when she was barely a teen at the Independent Spirit Awards 1997. While we wouldn’t say this shade of yellow, does Scarlet any favours we do love her unapologetic colour coordination and youthful flair!
1997: Ben Affleck & Matt Damon
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been long-time friends, with their careers also starting at the same time. While they appeared in small roles in films and TV shows, individually it was only when the two childhood friends worked together, did we get magic. In 1997, they co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting and it was this premiere that also marked the duo’s first red carpet appearance.
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Since then, both actors went on to become megastars in their own right: Ben Affleck went on to steal our hearts in films like Armageddon (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001) and started an award-winning career as a director with films such as Gone Baby Gone (2007) and Argo (2012). Matt Damon starred in the Bourne franchise (2002–2016), the Ocean’s trilogy (2001–2007) and The Martian (2015), among many others.
1997: Rachel Weisz
The remarkable Rachel Weisz was born in London, England and started acting on TV in the early ‘90s but it wasn’t until 1997 that she got to walk across the red carpet for the first time for the premiere of the drama romance mystery film, Swept from the Sea.
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Staying true to her style, Rachel wore a classic, sleek, and timeless beautiful black dress and mary-jane heels. This was just the start of the actresses extensive filmography, including movies like The Mummy series, 2003’s Runaway Jury, 2015’s The Lobster, and 2017’s The Favorite.