“From Innocence to Edginess: Discover the Surprising Debuts of Hollywood Icons in Their First R-Rated Roles!”
Blunt would later go on to act in other movies, both R-rated and PG. Recently, she starred opposite her husband, John Krasinski, in The Quiet Place.
Kevin Bacon Animal House (1978)
Kevin Bacon didn’t even give PG movies a chance before he starred in his first R-rated movie, which was also his first ever movie.
In 1978, the year it came out, Animal House, starring the late great John Belushi, was considered one of the greatest comedies ever made. I’m not sure it’s politically correct enough to ever be made today, even for a raunchy comedy, but at the time, people absolutely loved it.
Daniel Day-Lewis My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
Name the greatest actor of all time. Go ahead, I dare you. If you didn’t say Daniel Day-Lewis, you probably didn’t see this photo of Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis is a lot of things, but overrated is not one of them. This man is very appropriately rated.
Daniel Day-Lewis started his acting career with PG films like Gandhi and The Bounty. His first R-Rated movie was also his first independent film. My Beautiful Laundrette became a cult classic.
Sean Penn Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Sean Penn is now a huge and immediately recognizable star. That wasn’t always the case, though. He had to start somewhere, just like everyone else in Hollywood. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is an ’80s classic. In this R-rated film, Penn plays Jeff Spicoli, a surfer type character with big dreams and few prospects.
Penn would go on to win an Oscar (not for this film, though). He wasn’t the only star to get his big breakthrough in this movie though…
Nicolas Cage Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Nicolas Cage has become something more than an actor. He’s an icon, he’s a meme, he’s a role model, and we simply can’t get enough of him, Cage has never been one to shy away from an R-rated movie.
He doesn’t have a huge role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but he still manages to bring some of his essential Nic Cage-ness to the film. Cage somehow manages to stand out in this teen classic.
Eric Stoltz Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
We aren’t done with Fast Times at Ridgemont High just yet. If you haven’t seen the movie in a while, let me just remind you that the one and only Eric Stoltz plays a shirtless surfer dude (and friend of Jeff Spicoli) in the film. Stoltz wasn’t in the film for very long, but he was able to use this opportunity to launch his own successful acting career.
Well, somewhat successful. Stoltz was chosen to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future. Then he got fired and Michael J. Fox took over.
Michelle Pfeiffer The Hollywood Knights (1980)
Michelle Pfeiffer was just 21 years old when she appeared in the 1980 comedy The Hollywood Knights. 21 might seem pretty young to be featured in an R-rated movie, but Pfieffer actually played a high school student in the film.
The Hollywood Knight was Pfieffer’s first feature film and her character in the movie, Suzie Q, was Tony Danza’s character’s girlfriend. She would go on to star in bigger films such as Grease 2 and Batman Returns.
Ryan Gosling The Believer (2001)
Ryan Gosling has been in this industry for quite some time. If you search YouTube hard enough, you can find videos of a very young Ryan Gosling strutting his stuff onstage and appearing in The Mickey Mouse Club alongside a very young Justin Timberlake.
He starred in his first R-rated film in 2001. He played a morally conflicted Jewish Nazi in The Believer. The movie was extremely violent and Gosling’s character had to endure several beatings.
Jeff Goldblum Death Wish (1974)
Jeff Goldblum was made for R-rated movies. Yes, he can do more family-friendly films quite well, and he was iconic in Jurassic Park, but come on, The Fly is one of the best horror movies of all time.
Before The Fly, Jeff Goldblum played a thug in Death Wish, a 1974 film by Charles Bronson. The movie went on to receive great commercial and critical success. Jeff Goldblum went on to become Jeff Goldblum.
Kristen Stewart The Safety of Objects (2001)
Kristen Stewart was a child actress, but she didn’t waste any time getting into hardcore R-rated productions. Yeah, she appeared in The Twilight Saga, but before that, she was in a bunch of R-rated films like Panic Room, Cold Creek Manor, and Undertow.
Her first credited movie role was in 2001. She smoked a fake cigarette when she was just 11 years old in the movie The Safety of Objects.
