24 Actors From Music Videos Who Went On To Become

I didn’t know I needed to see a red-headed Zooey Deschanel in a ’90s pop punk music video until today.

1. You probably know Taye Diggs from Rent, or Private Practice, or All American.

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But his first role? He played a poker player in 2Pac’s “Temptations” music video wayyy back in 1995.

Watch the video here:

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2. Rosario Dawson had already starred in Kids (her first role), but it was wayyy before all her iconic roles when she starred in her first music video.

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The year was 1999, and the music video was “Out of Control” by The Chemical Brothers.

Watch the video here:

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3. Matt LeBlanc’s fame skyrocketed when he began starring in Friends…but that wasn’t his first role.

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He was in a few different music videos in the ’90s, but I think my favorite one has got to be starring in Alanis Morissette’s 1991 music video for her hit “Walk Away.”

Watch the video here:

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4. Friends costar Courteney Cox famously appeared in a major ’80s music video.

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This was, of course, Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” 1984 music video.

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5. Zooey Deschanel became an indie darling in 500 Days of Summer, but is perhaps best-known for starring in the sitcom New Girl.

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However, wayyyy before that, Zooey starred in The Offspring’s 1999 “She’s Got Issues” music video — only her third role!

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Wild to see Zooey without her long, dark locks! (Though of course she was blonde in 2003’s Elf.)

Watch the video here:

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6. Jeremy Renner is likely best known for his role as Hawkeye in the Avengers films (and now TV show), as well as his role in the award-winning The Hurt Locker.

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Well, before all that, he appeared in P!nk’s 2003 music video for “Trouble.”

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7. We all know fellow Marvel star Sebastian Stan is a heartthrob, but I only just recently learned he’s been a heartthrob since wayyy back.

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He starred in Hayden Panettiere’s music video for her song “Wake Up Call” in 2008. This was three years before he played Bucky Barnes — though he had appeared on Gossip Girl twice for brief guest appearances.

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Also, remember how Hayden used to be a singer?

Watch the video here:

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8. Alexander Skarsgård is now a critically acclaimed actor, but back when he was filming the first season of True Blood — the role that would make him famous — he accepted a role in a strange music video with a new artist.

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The artist was Lady Gaga, and the music video was 2009’s “Paparazzi.”

Watch the video here:

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9. Robert Downey Jr. has been famous for decades, but I’m still mentioning him here because it was before his Iron Man-level superfame.

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The throwback music vid he was in is Elton John’s “I Want Love.” More like “I Want Love 3000,” amirite?

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Watch the video here:

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10. Maybe not a huge star, but still — you likely know Timothy Granaderos Jr.’s face from 13 Reasons Why.

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Years before, he had a blink-and-you-miss-it role in Selena Gomez’s “Love You Like a Love Song” video in 2011. It was his first role.

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11. X-Men actor Lucas Till has a very long resume — it’s almost impossible you’ve never seen him onscreen, even if you don’t immediately recognize him.

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Allow me to refresh your memory — back in 2009, he appeared in Taylor Swift’s iconic music video for “You Belong with Me.”

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He also starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie the same year.

Watch the video here:

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12. Miranda Kerr was already a successful model in 2006, but she wouldn’t rise to mega-fame until she became a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2007.

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A year before, she had actually appeared in the music video for “Number One” by Pharrell ft. Kanye West.

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Watch the video here:

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13. Kim Kardashian is now one of the most recognizable faces in the world.

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But that wasn’t the case back in 2007, when her reality TV show had only just started. In fact, you may have even missed her in Fall Out Boy’s music video for “Thnks fr th Mmrs.”

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Watch the video here:

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14. Angelina Jolie is another SUPER recognizable face — but this wasn’t so back in the early ’90s.

Her second role, all the way back in 1991, was in Antonello Venditti’s music video for “Alta marea.”

Watch the video here:

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15. It’s hard to avoid Chrissy Teigen now, but she wasn’t always this famous.

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She was a successful model, but not as famous as she is now, when she starred in John Legend’s “Stereo” music video in 2007. Of course, the two met on set, and ended up getting married and raising a beautiful family.

Watch the video here:

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16. Evan Rachel Wood is famous for so many films and shows, most recently Westworld.

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But way back when, she also appeared in Green Day’s 2005 music video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” (Okay, this is two years after her role in Thirteen, but it was so long ago and before her mega-fame that I’m still counting it!)

Watch the video here:

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17. Ana de Armas recently starred alongside then-boyfriend Ben Affleck in the flick Deep Water, as well as appearing in major blockbusters No Time to Die, Blade Runner 2049, and Knives Out in the last five years, catapulting her into fame.

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But way back in the day, she was in the music video for the Sidecars’ 2009 song “Mundo Fragil.”

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Watch the video here:

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18. Eva Mendes is known for her many TV and movie roles (and marriage with Ryan Gosling), but she was also in multiple music videos back in the day.

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The second was in 1997, for Aerosmith’s “Hole in My Soul.”

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The first was in 1996, for Pet Shop Boys’ “Se a vida é.”

Watch the video here:

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19. Another Aerosmith darling was Alicia Silverstone, best known for her role in 1995’s Clueless.

She appeared in four Aerosmith music videos before her starring role in Clueless. The first was 1993’s “Cryin’.”

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Two of the Aerosmith videos Alicia appeared in were with a pre-fame Liv Tyler (though of course Liv was a bit famous with her father being Steven Tyler). 

Watch the video here:

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20. Most of the examples on this list are of stars in music videos as young adults, but Labyrinth star Jennifer Connelly was still a kid in her first music video role.

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The video — which was also her first acting role overall — was Duran Duran’s “Union of the Snake.” The year was 1983, and Jennifer would’ve been around 12 when it was filmed.

Watch the video here:

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21. Zach Galifianakis skyrocketed to fame in 2009’s The Hangover.

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But before that, in 2005, he was in Fiona Apple’s “Not About Love” music video.

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He was also in Kanye’s 2007 “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” music video.

Watch the video here:

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22. Bobby Moynihan is a famous comedian and actor that was on SNL for almost a decade.

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But back when Bobby Moynihan was in his first season of SNL as a featured player, he starred as the love interest in Colbie Caillat’s 2009 hit “Fallin’ for You.”

Watch the video here:

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23. ER, Love, Victor, and Divergent actor Mekhi Phifer has definitely been around the block — he has a ton of roles and credits.

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But some of his first roles were in ’90s music videos. These include “Don’t Let Go (Love)” by En Vogue and “Nobody” by Keith Sweat — but most iconic is Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” from 1998.

Watch the video here:

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24. And finally, you probably know Adrian Grenier from Entourage or as the annoying boyfriend from The Devil Wears Prada.

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But even before those roles, he had a more important one — in Britney Spears’ 1999 “(You Drive Me) Crazy” music video.

Watch the video here:

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