21 Now-Famous Actors Whose First Roles Were Complete And Total Flops

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Brad Pitt's first credited film role was in The Dark Side Of The Sun — an obscure American-Yugoslavian flick about a guy with a rare skin disease which makes him allergic to light. Shot in 1988 over seven weeks, Brad was only paid $1,523 for his role as the lead actor. 

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This short-lived TV show was a spin-off of Who's the Boss? and Halle Berry's first on-screen role. Unfortunately, it was a massive failure, received an "F" grade from People magazine, and was instantly canceled. 

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Before the train wreck that was Austin Powers in Goldmember, Beyoncé starred in this remake of the classic opera Carmen. Though she was praised for her voice (obviously), critics pointed out that her talent didn't quite extend into acting. 

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ScarJo's first movie role wasn't just a flop, it's considered by multiple critics as one of the worst films ever made. Released in 1994, North grossed just $12 million at the box office, against its $40 million budget.

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Before she made it big on Neighbours and moved to the US, Margot Robbie's first movie role was in a low-budget independent Aussie thriller named Vigilante — such a flop that it's not even on Wikipedia. She filmed it while still in high school, but it wasn't released until a few years later in 2008.

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This wasn't a random indie film which Vin Diesel was cast in — he wrote, directed, and financed the whole thing himself. Though it barely made a splash, it did get the attention of Steven Spielberg, who then cast the actor in Saving Private Ryan.

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Before Top Gun came Endless Love, Tom Cruise's film debut in 1981. Based on a book of the same name, it was panned by critics, with Leonard Maltin calling it a "textbook example of how to do everything wrong in a literary adaptation."

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The Back To The Future star made his debut in a Disney film back when he just went by "Michael Fox." Unfortunately, it was a massive flop, both critically and commercially, and reportedly lost Disney millions. 

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For a film to get a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's got to be pretty damn bad. That's exactly what happened for Leo's film debut, in the third installment of the horror franchise Critters. It was released direct-to-video in 1991.  

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This film, based on the Mattel toys of the same name, is about two teens who meet He-Man and help him save the universe from Skeletor. It was an undeniable flop with Variety labeling it a "colossal bore." Thankfully, Courteney was cast on Friends not long after, and all was forgotten. 

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Sylvester Stallone's first-ever movie was actually a 1970 softcore porno, which he filmed over two days and was paid $200 for. Six years later, when Sly was a household name thanks to Rocky, the film was re-edited and re-released as The Italian Stallion to capitalize on his success. 

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This tone-deaf film from 1980 is about a Black teen who tracks down his white biological dad, then tries to integrate into his life and neighborhood. Though the movie itself wasn't a hit, at least it helped get Denzel some exposure to launch his career. 

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Though it grew into something of a cult favorite, when Drop Dead Gorgeous was released in 1999, it was panned by critics and flopped at the box office. It was filmed in Minnesota, where Amy was living at the time while working in a dinner theater. 

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Long before Sandra Bullock made a name for herself in Speed, she appeared in this bomb of a movie, which made less than $3,000 at the box office. It's also the film debut of Allison Janney, who had a minor role. 

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This 1986 Canadian film is all about gymnastics, created in the wake of the success of dance-based movies like Flashdance and Footloose. Unfortunately, it didn't quite become the hit it was expected to, thanks in part to its very limited cinema distribution. 

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Julia Roberts's first credited film role saw her star as a bass guitarist in a girl band trying to make it big. Also starring Liam Neeson, and Jason Bateman's sister Justine, it was panned by critics. 

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The movie's tagline, "She was cold. He was old," really tells you everything you need to know. Uma plays a woman who meets guys, goes on dates, then drugs and robs them. It all goes downhill when someone begins targeting her. One of the more favorable reviews of the film called it "utterly dreadful." 

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Jason Bateman's first film role was as a college freshman who inherited the family gene which sees him turn into a werewolf. Critics were not kind to the new actor, guessing he was only cast because his dad served as a producer. "His performance is so inept, he’s not miscast, it’s a joke he was tested," one reporter wrote. 

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It really does seem that actors love to get their start in low-budget horror films. Though this was technically released after Clueless, he actually filmed Halloween first. Everything from the acting to the script was panned, and it's got a measly 9% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

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Fresh off winning Mr. Universe, Arnold decided to pursue a film career, and was instantly cast as Greek god Hercules. Not only was the storyline and acting terrible, but his accent was so thick that it had to be dubbed in post-production.

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Though she did have a small role in one of her father's films in 1982, it wasn't until 1993 that Angelina Jolie had her real on-screen debut in the sci-fi flick Cyborg 2. It was a pretty bad movie by all accounts — Angelina later revealed that after watching it for the first time, she "went home and got sick." In fact, she was so disappointed by the film that she didn't audition for anything else for an entire year.