12 Celebrities Who Started in TV Commercials – From Awkward Ads to Hollywood Royalty
Before the red carpets, blockbuster paychecks, and magazine covers, many of today’s biggest stars were just kids (or broke twenty-somethings) smiling awkwardly in 30-second spots for cereal, soda, and fast food. These early gigs paid the rent, taught them how to hit their marks, and sometimes became viral memes decades later. Here are 12 A-listers who got their very first on-camera experience selling stuff to America.
- Leonardo DiCaprio – Bubble Yum (1988)
A 14-year-old Leo with a mullet and braces enthusiastically chews pink gum and declares, “It’s wet and wild and juicy!” Long before Titanic, he was already practicing that heart-melting grin. - Brad Pitt – Pringles (Late 1980s)
Clean-cut and sporting a flat-top, a young Pitt crashes a beach party with a can of chips. He looks like he’s having the time of his life — and honestly, the hair is the real crime here. - Morgan Freeman – Listerine (1970s)
Before narrating March of the Penguins or driving Miss Daisy, a smooth-voiced Freeman warned America about “medicine breath” in one of the earliest known Black-led national commercials. - John Travolta – U.S. Army & Band-Aid (Early 1970s)
Pre-Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta rocked a buzz cut in military recruitment ads and later sang the jingle “I am stuck on Band-Aid ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me” — complete with dance moves. - Keira Knightley – Various UK Ads (Age 6–12)
She sold tea bags, breakfast cereal, and even appeared in a 1990s Nintendo Game Boy commercial long before bending it like Beckham or sailing with Captain Jack Sparrow. - Millie Bobby Brown – Citibank & Calvin Klein Kids (2016–2017)
Right before Stranger Things exploded, an 11-year-old Millie was already a pro — voicing animated Citibank spots and modeling for Calvin Klein’s children’s line. - Paul Rudd – Super Nintendo (1991)
A baby-faced Rudd shouts “It’s like living inside a video game!” while playing Super Mario World. The eternal youth we know today was already selling immortality… of the 16-bit kind. - Zendaya – Sears, Old Navy, and iCarly Toys (Early 2010s)
Before Euphoria and Spider-Man, little Zendaya was dancing in Sears holiday ads and promoting iCarly merchandise on Nickelodeon. - Steve Carell – Brown’s Chicken (1989)
Years before The Office, a young Carell sat in a fast-food restaurant passionately declaring, “I love the crispy taste of Brown’s Chicken!” Michael Scott would be proud. - Elisabeth Moss – Excedrin & Various (1990s)
A pre-teen Peggy Olson was treating fictional headaches and appearing in everything from shampoo to doll commercials before winning Emmys for The Handmaid’s Tale. - Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Peanut Butter Crunch & Sunny D (Late 1980s–1990s)
Before 500 Days of Summer and Inception, little JGL was pouring purple stuff and crunching cereal with the enthusiasm only a child actor can fake. - Sarah Michelle Gellar – Burger King (1981)
At age four, she starred in a controversial Burger King ad that mocked McDonald’s — so controversial that Burger King got sued, and child labor laws for actors were changed. Buffy the Big Mac Slayer was born.
These early commercials are now gold on YouTube — some cringeworthy, some adorable, all proof that even Oscar winners and box-office billionaires had to start somewhere. Next time you fast-forward through an ad break, remember: the next DiCaprio might be chewing gum right in front of you.
Which forgotten commercial star shocked you the most? Drop it in the comments!
By Sam Michael
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