No job too small: Actors who started their careers as extras

For some, success is instant. Others float around for a while before obtaining a foothold in their career. And it is the latter achievement which can make the sweet smell of success even sweeter.

Starting out as extras, these renowned actors, once just another name on the call sheet, know all about that feeling:

Brad Pitt

A Hollywood superstar by every standard now, Brad Pitt worked extensively as an extra several times before making it big. Two of his most often discussed extra roles came in No Man’s Land and Less Than Zero — both released in 1987.

Bruce Willis

A true Hollywood moment perhaps — Bruce Willis, also a seasoned extra, appeared as one in the 1981 Paul Newman starrer The Verdict, years before going on to co-star with the industry veteran in 1994’s Nobody’s Fool.

Charlize Theron

Looking as beautiful as ever, Charlize Theron appeared very briefly in 1995’s box office bomb Children of the Corn 3: Urban Harvest, credited for playing “Eli’s Follower”.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Reaching the threshold of unparalalled success in adulthood, Daniel Day-Lewis debuted as a child actor in 1971’s Sunday Bloody Sunday, which saw him playing an extra among a group of delinquent kids.

Jackie Chan

Going on to become a master of action himself, Jackie Chan started out in the genre as an extra in Fists of Fury and Enter the Dragon, alongside the trailblazer who predated a career not much different than Chan’s — Bruce Lee.

Marilyn Monroe

The bombshell actress who went out to redefine Hollywood glamour, Marilyn Monroe famously worked as an extra in many films before acquiring stardom’s golden ticket — most memorably appearing as one in the 1950 classic All About Eve, starring Bette Davis.

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck

The inseparable duo, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck even started out as extras together — the pair appeared briefly as extras in 1989’s Field of Dreams, later continuing to take on extra duties separately in other films.