From Pepsi and Bubble Yum commercials to failed sitcoms and small guest roles, A-list celebrities were once struggling trying to make it in the business, just like everyone else in Hollywood, before they started getting award-winning roles.
Samuel L. Jackson didn't jump right into Tarantino movies. He was trained and started on stage. Johnny Depp was pursuing a music career before he got into acting, and Kerry Washington was popping up in educational videos before dominating in "Scandal."
We took a look back at 16 A-list celebrities before they were the recognizable names we know today.
SEE ALSO: The most famous people at every moment over the past decade
Jennifer Lawrence
Before Jennifer Lawrence became an Academy Award-winning actress and franchise star, she started out modeling and acting in small commercials. She earned her Screen Actors Guild card when she was 14 thanks to a promotional video for MTV's "My Super Sweet 16."
That same year, she also appeared in a Burger King video as a potential girlfriend to the Whopper Jr.
Bradley Cooper
The four-time Oscar nominee made his TV debut with a guest spot on season two of "Sex and the City." He picks Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) up at a bar and the two briefly make out in a car, but Carrie leaves after he returns with her New York magazine cover story.
Watch the episode at HBO or catch the clip on YouTube.
Kerry Washington
Washington earned her SAG card after starring in "Magical Make-Over," an "ABC Afterschool Special." She told E! that she was a cheerleader in the episode, though she was only 80% sure.
Her next role was in the PBS educational series, "Standard Deviants." You can spot her in the following clip at 5:45.
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