Commercials are a great way to break into the film and TV industry. They allow performers to gain experience and exposure, develop relationships in the biz and take home a paycheck.
Countless thespians have launched their acting careers with commercial work. Here are four famous actors who built momentum in their acting careers by promoting products on television.
Steve Carell / Brown’s Chicken
In the late 1980s, a 27-year-old Steve Carell starred in a regional commercial for the Brown’s Chicken restaurant chain in Chicago. Before The Office star made it big, he struggled to make ends meet, whether it be working in the supermarket produce section, selling wine over the phone or carrying mail for the USPS in Massachusetts.
Little did Carell know his early interest in improv and theater would lead to a prolific and versatile acting career, winning a Golden Globe Award for his work as bumbling boss Michael Scott on The Office in 2006.
Kurt Russell / Mattel’s Agent Zero-M Sonic Blaster
In the 1960s, a young Kurt Russell can be seen lurking in the bushes, shooting his powerful air gun in a black-and-white commercial for Mattel’s Agent Zero-M Sonic Blaster. Although Russell’s professional career began at the age of 12 as a series regular in the western The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963-1964), he first appeared in uncredited roles in the shows of the day like Dennis the Menace as a kicking boy and appearing in the Elvis flick It Happened at the World’s Fair.
In this vintage Agent Zero-M Sonic Blaster commercial, young Russell plays with a toy that fires compressed air, creating an outrageously loud sound measuring 157 decibels which is capable of causing permanent damage to an adult’s hearing. The blaster would go on to be recalled.
Jodie Foster / Coppertone
At the age of three, Jodie Foster not only learned how to read, but she made her television debut in a Coppertone suntan lotion commercial—back when the sun’s rays were not yet deemed “harmful.” The gifted youngster’s acting debut would occur three years later in the sitcom Mayberry R.F.D., followed up with her film debut in Disney’s Napoleon & Samantha in 1972.
However, it would be her portrayal of a teenage prostitute in 1976’s Taxi Driver that would be Foster’s career breakthrough. Years later, Foster would star in The Silence of the Lambs, where she’d win an Academy Awards for her masterful work as Clarice Starling.
Bryan Cranston / Preparation H
Before he was famous, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston was the face of Preparation H, touting its healing “oxygen action.” He was also cast in countless other commercial roles that include rock climbing for Mars Bars, playing the then-high-tech game of Mega Force, washing away body odor with Shield soap, taste-testing Coffee-mate and relieving his headaches with Excedrin. Cranston was featured in so many commercials of the time, it would have been hard not to catch a glimpse of him here and there while watching TV.
After earning a Police Science degree in college, Cranston found himself drawn to acting in theater which led to him being cast in small television roles. Early on, Cranston was determined to never pass on any acting jobs. This mentality has helped him sustain a successful acting career, as a wide range of character roles in the 90s would lead to his career breakthrough as goofy dad Hal in six seasons of Malcolm in the Middle as well as playing Walter White in five seasons of Breaking Bad. Cranston has taken home six Emmys, two Golden Globes and two Tonys for his impressive performances.
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