The 10 Worst Debut Movie Roles of Hollywood Stars

Hollywood is an interesting place. Someone can be a star and have countless hit films or win awards, but they will always be remembered most for the duds in their career, the roles or movies that were just painful to watch or so terrible that all the audience could do was laugh. Here are the 10 worst debut roles of Hollywood stars.

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Tom Hanks–He Knows You’re Alone

Tom Hanks has two Oscars for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia and is one of the most revered actors of our age. I couldn’t tell you the last bad movie he was in. However, Hanks’ first role came in the 1980 horror flick He Knows You’re Alone, which was critically panned. It’s a completely forgettable movie with a forgettable performance from Hanks, which is so startling because if there’s one thing you can usually say about Tom Hanks’ acting, it’s that it’s always memorable.

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Aaron Paul–Beverly Hills 90210

Aaron Paul is one of the best actors on the planet right now, and one of the only people who can truly go toe-to-toe with Bryan Cranston in a scene. However, Paul wasn’t always wowing viewers on Breaking Bad as Jesse Pinkman. Like most young actors, he got his start on a primetime soap–this case being Beverly Hills 90210. In his guest stint, Paul plays Chad, a high school student struggling to capture what the theater director wants out of his performance. For a performer as great as Paul, it’s pretty hilarious that his debut role was him essentially being told that he couldn’t act.

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Alison Brie–Hannah Montana

I’m still mourning the loss of my beloved Community because it was one of the best sitcoms I’ve ever seen and because now I won’t get to see the magnetic Alison Brie light up my TV screen every week. Although she’s best known for her work as Annie on Community or as Trudy on Mad Men, Brie actually got her first big acting gig as Nina in an episode of Hannah Montana. She plays the typical ditzy girl who continually ruins Jackson’s hair. It’s a stereotypical and obnoxious role, but worst of all, it takes the always pleasant Alison Brie and turns her into someone annoying.

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Jennifer Aniston–Leprechaun

Before Friends, Jennifer Aniston found herself struggling with some pretty terrible film roles. Her first role, though, playing the lead in the camp-fest that is the original Leprechaun, is so memorable for just how terrible it all is. The performance and the film itself were panned by critics, but the movie has become a cult classic since.

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Jason Bateman–Teen Wolf Too

Oh, Jason Bateman. I guess you have to get your start somewhere, right? In his case, Bateman’s debut role was playing the cousin of Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf Too, a sequel that nobody in the world needed or wanted. Thankfully, over twenty years later, Bateman has been on a roll with countless hilarious movies and a little show called Arrested Development.

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Paul Rudd–Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

It’s hard for me to imagine Paul Rudd in a bad film (dude is just so good in everything that he does), but that’s exactly what he was in when he made his debut in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Fortunately for Rudd, Clueless also came out that year–making him an instant heartthrob to women everywhere and also making me completely and totally envious of the fact that he got to kiss Alicia Silverstone.

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Jennifer Lawrence–Monk

Hey, remember that time Jennifer Lawrence was on Monk? No. You don’t? Well, that’s quite understandable since her main scene required her to be completely costumed as she played a high school mascot. Part of me thinks that Jennifer Lawrence’s goofy personality would go well with this type of role, though, that she would most likely just laugh it off. And, hey even if she didn’t, she certainly can laugh about it now, as she stares at her Oscar.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger–Hercules in New York

I can’t name any legitimately good movies that Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever been in, so it’s no surprise to me that the first film he was ever in was a clunker, too. Schwarzenegger has never been one to add any depth to his performances, and as long as he keeps doing The Expendables films with Stallone and the rest of the “old guys” gang, I don’t think he’ll have to.

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Amy Adams–Leslie in Drop Dead Gorgeous

Amy Adams is one of the best actresses on the planet right now, so it’s amazing to me that her first few performances in films like Drop Dead Gorgeous and Cruel Intentions 2 are so flat and uninteresting–although that’s probably more of an issue with the scripts than her acting. Thankfully, after a couple of bombs to start her career with, Adams finally landed some great projects soon after that showcased her talents to the world.

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Gwyneth Paltrow–Hook

Before her Oscar-winning performance in Shakespeare in Love or her Emmy-nominated work in Glee, Gwyneth Paltrow was a young actress who had the misfortune of being in some pretty bad movies. Paltrow’s struggles began with her debut role as the young Wendy Darling in Hook, but thankfully, she soon found roles in films that gave her better material and notoriety (and no, I’m not talking about Shallow Hal).

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