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But there are also a whole bunch of established Hollywood actors whose child acting past always comes as a surprise. So, here are 15 actors who you might not have realized actually got their start in childhood:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 1.<\/span><\/p>\n Nowadays, 40-year-old Scarlett Johansson<\/a> is best known for her roles in movies like Lost In Translation<\/i>, Jojo Rabbit<\/i>, and \u2014 most recently \u2014 Jurassic World Rebirth:<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But she has actually been in the industry forever<\/i>, with the star landing her first role as a sketch character on a 1994 episode<\/a> of Late Night with Conan O\u2019Brien<\/i> when she was just 9 years old:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Later that same year, Scarlett made her movie debut as John Ritter\u2019s<\/a> daughter in North<\/i>, and her first leading role came with the 1996 movie Manny & Lo<\/i>, when she was 11 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Scarlett gained more mainstream traction at 13 thanks to her performance in the movie The Horse Whisperer<\/i>, and her definitive breakout role was in the 2001 comedy Ghost World<\/i> when she was 16 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 2.<\/span><\/p>\n Christian Bale<\/a>, 51, was last seen on screen in the 2022 movie The Pale Blue Eye: <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But most people don’t realize that he is also a former child star, earning his first credit at age 12 in the 1986 movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna:<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He continued to work throughout his teens, starring in the 1987 movie Empire of the Sun<\/i>, as well as Henry V<\/i> and Treasure Island.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 3.<\/span><\/p>\n Elisabeth Moss<\/a>, 43, is best known for playing June in The Handmaid’s Tale<\/i>, which came to an end earlier this year:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But she has actually been acting since 1990, landing her first credited role in the TV film Bar Girls<\/i> at age 7:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n She made her movie debut in 1991 in the film Suburban Commando<\/i>, and in 1994, at age 11, she took on the role of Greta in Imaginary Crimes<\/i>. Elisabeth also did a lot of voice acting as a child, with credited performances in Once Upon A Forest<\/i> and Frosty Returns<\/i>, among others.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Elisabeth worked steadily throughout her childhood, and was 17 years old when she landed one of her breakout movie roles in Girl, Interrupted<\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 4.<\/span><\/p>\n At age 50, Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a> is objectively one of the biggest actors on the planet, starring in huge movies like Titanic<\/i>, Django Unchained<\/i>, and One Battle After Another<\/i> over the decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But he was actually just 14 years old when he first started acting, starring in two episodes of The New Lassie<\/i> in 1989, The Mickey Mouse Club<\/i> in 1990, and landing a recurring role in the TV show Parenthood<\/i> between 1990 and 1991.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Leo was 16 years old when he was cast in what was perhaps his most famous early TV role in the show Growing Pains<\/i>, and he made his movie debut that same year in the straight-to-video horror Critters 3<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Leo then had a pretty iconic run in 1993 \u2014 the year that he turned 18 \u2014 when two huge movies were released: This Boy’s Life<\/i>, in which he starred alongside his now-industry peer Robert De Niro<\/a>, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?<\/i>, which earned him his first of many Oscar nominations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But did you know that the 59-year-old star has actually been acting since she was just 13 years old? Her first major movie role was playing Sunshine Walker in the 1980 classic Little Darlings:<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The following year, she starred in the critically acclaimed drama Prince of the City<\/i>, and Cynthia went on to appear in several other movies and TV films, like I Am The Cheese<\/i> and My Body, My Child,<\/i> before her 18th birthday.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 6.<\/span><\/p>\n Absolutely everybody knows 34-year-old Jeremy Allen White<\/a> for his Emmy-winning performance in The Bear<\/i>, with the actor most recently being seen playing rocker Bruce Springsteen<\/a> in the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n However, Jeremy has actually been gracing our screens since 2006, which is the year he turned 15. That year, he appeared in the movie Beautiful Ohio<\/i> as well as an episode of Conviction<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He’s been acting steadily ever since, appearing in the 2007 indie movie The Speed of Light<\/i>, and starring alongside Ezra Miller<\/a> in the 2008 film Afterschool<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But Jeremy’s big break arguably didn’t come until he was 20 years old, with the star first entering public conciousness when he was cast as Lip Gallagher in the hit TV series Shameless,<\/i> which aired between 2011 and 2021:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 7.<\/span><\/p>\n Tobey Maguire<\/a>, now 50, shot into mainstream consciousness when he was cast as Spider-Man<\/i> in 2002, and he was most recently seen in a 2023 episode of Extrapolations<\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But Tobey\u2019s first credited acting role was way back in 1989, when he played \u201cBoy No. 3\u201d in the TV film Rodney Dangerfield: Opening Night at Rodney’s Place<\/i> at 14 years old:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The following year, Tobey appeared alongside Whoopi Goldberg<\/a> in the TV movie Tales from the Whoop: Hot Rod Brown Class Clown<\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n And he went on to star in a whole bunch of TV episodes before his 18th birthday, with appearances in Eerie, Indiana<\/i>, Blossom<\/i>, and Roseanne<\/i>. Then, at age 17, Tobey starred alongside young Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1993 movie This Boy\u2019s Life<\/i>, kickstarting his glittering movie career.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 8.<\/span><\/p>\n Among modern viewers, 52-year-old Neil Patrick Harris<\/a> is perhaps best known for playing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother<\/i>, but the star’s most recent screen appearance was in an episode of Dexter: Resurrection<\/i> earlier this year:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For people of a certain age, however, it’s wild to think that Neil isn’t known first and foremost for being a former child star, with the actor pretty prolific in his youth. In 1988, when he was 14, he made his movie and TV debut in multiple projects, including the Whoopi Goldberg film Clara’s Heart<\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The very next year, he landed his most famous childhood role, the titular character in the medical series Doogie Howser, M.D.<\/i>, which aired between 1989 and 1993:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 9.<\/span><\/p>\n Another big-name actor who has managed to shake her once-iconic child star image is Natalie Portman<\/a>, 44, who was last seen in Fountain of Youth<\/i>, which was released earlier this year:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n However, her very first acting credit was a leading role in the highly acclaimed 1994 movie L\u00e9on: The Professional<\/i>, when she was just 13 years old:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n And her portfolio remained pretty impressive throughout her childhood, with subsequent roles in Heat<\/i> and \n
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