With the start of a new year, several actors will celebrate a new milestone as their film careers turn 20 in 2024. Although several of these actors began their acting careers earlier in theater or on the small screen, they had their film debuts in 2004. Two decades later, some of these actors have become one of Hollywood’s A-list stars.
2004 might seem like only a few years ago, but these actors have had a complete career turnaround in the last two decades. Although most have yet to win an Academy Award, their contributions to American cinema cannot be overstated. Here are 10 popular actors who made their film debut in 2004 and whose film careers will turn 20 in 2004.
Ed Helms
Ed Helms is an American actor and comedian whose on-screen career began in television. TV audiences from the early 2000s will recognize Helms as a correspondent on The Daily Show. Helms appeared in 207 episodes of the show between 2002 and 2009. In between that time, Ed Helms made his film debut in the sports slapstick movie Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story (2004). The movie is an improvisational comedy about a disgraced paintball champion. Helms was cast in a blink-and-you-miss-it role as Bunker McLaughlin.
Watch Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story on Amazon
Olivia Wilde
Like Ed Helms, actress Olivia Wilde made her on-screen debut in television in 2003. In 2004, Olivia Wilde made her film debut in the romantic comedy The Girl Next Door. With Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, and Timothy Olyphant in lead roles, Wilde was cast in a supporting role as Kellie. Over the years, The Girl Next Door grew a cult following.
Watch The Girl Next Door on Netflix
Patrick Wilson
Known for his roles in the Insidious film series and The Conjuring universe, actor Patrick Wilson is also one of the actors whose careers will turn 20 in 2024. Although he first starred in My Sister’s Wedding in 2001, the movie was never released. Three years later, Wilson made his film debut in the 2004 war historical drama The Alamo. Patrick Wilson was cast in a more prominent role, portraying Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis. The historical figure was known for being among those who set the Texas Revolution in motion. Actors Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton played leading roles in The Alamo.
Amanda Seyfried
Interestingly, Amanda Seyfried made her film debut with the original Mean Girls movie in 2004. Cast as the dimwitted member of the plastic, Karen Smith, Seyfried was one of the memorable characters in the movie. Although Mean Girls was Seyfried’s film debut, her on-screen acting debut was in 1999 when she became a series regular on As the World Turns. In 2021, Amanda Seyfried was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mank.
Josh Duhamel
Before his film debut in 2004, Josh Duhamel was already an established television actor. Duhamel played Leo du Pres in All My Children from 1999 to 2002, reprising the role in 2011. When director and screenwriter Dave Rosenbaum chose to adapt Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, he chose Josh Duhamel to play the title character Dorian Gray. That same year, Duhamel also played another title character, Tad Hamilton, in the romantic comedy Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! Released on January 23, Duhamel’s performance earned him nominations at the Teen Choice Awards.
Watch Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! on Apple TV+
Will Forte
With the success of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, comedian and actor Will Forte was already a household name for TV audiences. However, 2004 marked a stepping stone for his career with his film debut. Will Forte made his film debut with the action-adventure comedy Around the World in 80 Days. The movie starred Jackie Chan in the lead role and cast Will Forte as the young French Policeman Bobby.
Watch Around the World in 80 Days on Disney+
Chris Pine
Chris Pine joined the cast of The Princess Diaries sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). For a film debut, Pine made an impression with several film audiences with his dashing looks. Chris Pine was cast as Lord Nicholas Devereaux. His character later becomes the love interest of Princess Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway). Like its predecessor, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement was a commercial success, grossing $134.7 million on a $45 million.
Watch The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement on Disney+
Emily Blunt
Joining the list of actors whose film careers will turn 20 in 2024, Emily Blunt received her first Oscar nomination in 2024. Blunt begins the new milestone with a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work in Oppenheimer (2023). Emily Blunt made her film debut in the British drama My Summer of Love (2004). Blunt was cast in a supporting role as Tamsin and co-starred alongside Natalie Press and Paddy Considine. Although her sophomore credit was in the famous The Devil Wears Prada (2006), My Summer of Love was where it all began for Emily Blunt on the big screen.
Watch My Summer of Love on Apple TV+
Jonah Hill
Two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Jonah Hill is also among the actors whose film careers will turn 20 in 2024. Hill starred in David O. Russell’s independent black comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004) in a minor supporting role. Jonah Hill played Bret Hooten, starring alongside Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, and Isla Fisher.
Watch I Heart Huckabees on Apple TV+
Amber Heard
2004 was a milestone year for Amber Heard as she made both her film and television debut. On the big screen, Heard’s debut was in Peter Berg’s sports drama Friday Night Lights (2004). Although cast in a minor supporting role as Maria, Friday Night Lights was a commercial success and a great start for Amber Heard. Besides these actors whose careers will turn 20 in 2024, here are the Top 15 Movies Turning 20 in 2024.
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