Whether it’s shedding their Mouseketeer image for more mature pastures, or pivoting from geek chic to intellectual cool, successful celebrity reinvention in the public eye takes guts, timing, and a little bit of luck.
Men’s Journal recently explored the topic, highlighting “five actors who turned awkward starts into A-list artistry,” and we have to say, yeah, these track.
The publication’s list starts with Jesse Plemons, 37, whose awkward phase was captured in several small TV and film roles, including a bit part on Varsity Blues in 1999. His big break came with Peter Berg’s Friday Night Lights, a sports drama showcasing football as life in the South. Plemons played Landry Clarke, the backup quarterback’s dorky best friend. His acting chops, however, were anything but.
Producers took note, and Plemons began landing big-time roles on both TV — Breaking Bad, Fargo — and in film — The Irishman, The Power of the Dog, Bugonia. The guy is an Oscar magnet now. Not to mention married to one of the industry’s most talented actresses, KirstenDunst.
Fourth on MJ’s list is Barry Keoghan (pronounced “key-O-gin”). Keoghan, 33, got his start by answering a casting call in Dublin for the crime film Between the Canals, per Britannica. He gained more recognition on TV for his role in the 2013 season of Ireland’s Love/Hate.
Incredibly versatile with a chameleonic look to match, the actor scored a breakout role in 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, from helmer Yorgos Lanthimos. After that, Keoghan became a strong supporting actor in films like American Animals,The Batman, and The Banshees of Inisherin.
In 2023, he took on his first leading role in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, playing Oliver Quick, an Oxford student obsessed with his aristocratic classmate (Jacob Elordi), who by the end of the film is barely recognizable. He’s also been tasked with carrying the baton for the Peaky Blinders universe and tapped to playRingo Starr in Sam Mendes‘ Beatles project. So, yeah, the glow-up is glowing.
At Nos. 3 and 2, MJ has Chris Pratt, 46, and Paul Dano, 41, respectively. The former went from goofy guy next door in shows like Everwood and Parks and Recreation, to perfectly tanned and shredded romantic day-saving lead on the big screen with the Jurassic World franchise and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Dano, on the other hand, made the jump from gangly bookworm – see: The Girl Next Door – and forgettable side piece in the A.J. Soprano social circle, to a commanding presence on every screen he graces. The multi-hyphenate continues to rise as a formidable actor (There Will Be Blood, Prisoners, The Fabelmans) and writer/director (Wildlife).
And, finally, at the top, the actor the outlet says has made the most impressive transformation is Will Poulter. An English actor and 2014’s BAFTA Rising Star Award winner, Poulter, 33, began his screen career with Son of Rambow, a fantastic indie about two kids who love making war movies.
Growing up on the big screen, Poulter moved on to The Chronicles of Narnia and We’re the Millers, during which he gives one of the most iconic performances as the naive Kenny Rossmore. Around 2023, Poulter stunned fans with his appearance as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Fans further lost their minds over Poulter’s Chef Luca in The Bear. His physique was seemingly swole overnight, his acting abilities as refined as his cheffy tweezer technique, and his confidence top-notch on the red carpet. Perhaps it was his Navy SEAL training for Warfare or the fact that he was (falsely) linked to romancing the amazing Florence Pugh – whatever the reason, Poulter has solidified himself a hot Hollywood commodity.
All five are “proof that Hollywood glow ups aren’t about looks — they’re about evolution.”
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This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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