With Spider-Man: No Way Home swinging into theaters this weekend, fans can be excited to see their favorite actors both new (Tom Holland, Zendaya) and old (Alfred Molina) share the screen playing the iconic characters audiences have come to love. These actors put fans into seats, but people forget that before they were Spider-Man, Mary-Jane and Doc Ock, they were just a group of unknown actors dreaming for their big break.
Every actor has to start somewhere. While a select few jump out the gate with Oscar nominations, the majority have to slowly build up their resumes. It can be strange looking back and seeing today's stars in small, bit roles. The Spider-Man cast is no different. Some debuts are more glamorous than others, but at the end of the day, they all ended up sharing the screen in what looks to be one of the year's highest-grossing films.
10 Marisa Tomei - Oscar (6.5)
Before she was Aunt May, Tomei got her big break as Sylvester Stallone's daughter in the 1991 comedy Oscar. The PG comedy follows a gangster attempting to keep the promise he made to his dying father of giving up his life of crime and going straight. This screwball farce fared better with audiences than it did critics, with a favorable 63% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tomei takes on the role of Stallone's daughter Lisa Provolone. Wanting to escape the house, she pretends to be pregnant which sets off the story. After some bit parts, the actress got her break on the TV show A Different World, but Oscar officially introduced her to audiences on the big screen. Directed by John Landis, Tomei would be nominated at the Razzies for Worst Supporting Actress. Things came full circle a year later when Tomei won Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny rocketing to the A-List.
9 Benedict Cumberbatch - Starter For 10 (6.7)
In addition to the normal cast of characters, one Dr. Steven Strange is set to have a major role in No Way Home. Before he was Strange or the erstwhile Sherlock Holmes, Cumberbatch was quiz team captain Patrick Watts in Starter for 10. Set in 1985, the film followed working-class student Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) navigating his first year at Bristol University.
In addition to McAvoy and Cumberbatch, the coming-of-age story also stars Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, and Catherine Tate. Cumberbatch plays a stuck-up know-it-all quiz captain in the movie, which certainly isn't too far off his performance as Strange. While some early roles may take actors away from what they will become, Cumberbatch had his signature style from the jump.
8 Tony Revolori - The Perfect Game (6.9)
Revolori is best known to Spider-Man fans as Peter Parker's nemesis, Flash Thompson, but he got his big break on the baseball diamond. Based on a true story, The Perfect Game follows a group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who became the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series. Viewers got behind the underdog tale with a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the story may be predictable, it's hard not getting caught up in the excitement and determination of the kids as they strive for greatness despite the deck stacked against them. The cast includes Cheech Marin, Moises Arias, David Koechner, and Clifton Collins Jr. Not the biggest of roles, but Revolori displays the confident charm he would later perfect with Thompson.
7 J.K. Simmons - The Ref (6.9)
Everyone's favorite Daily Bugle Editor is set to make Spider-Man's life miserable once again in No Way Home. J. Jonah Jameson was a standout character in the original Spider-Man trilogy, and J.K. Simmons got his big break in The Ref, a crime-comedy starring Denis Leary. The movie follows a cat burglar who is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.
Both critics and audiences were fans of the Christmas set Ref. Also starring Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, the film is 72% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience score of 73%. Making his film debut, Simmons was right at home and in his wheelhouse. His gruff and authoritative persona was on full display as a military school commander who is blackmailed by a cat burglar holding a family hostage.
6 Angourie Rice - The Nice Guys (7.4)
Angourie Rice was a stand-out in Spider-Man Far From Home as school news reporter Betty Brant. Rice added some comedy to the proceedings thanks to her relationship with Jacob Batalon's Ned. Audiences will have to wait and see what she gets up to in No Way Home, but the scene-stealer got her big break a few years earlier in The Nice Guys. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the movie followed a mismatched pair of private eyes investigating a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.
The Nice Guys can be considered one of the most rewatchable movies of the last decade. In her first major Hollywood production, Rice was able to hold her own with heavyweights such as Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Rice played Gosling's daughter Holly March in the film, and Holly stood out for her maturity and often being the smartest one in the room. The performance certainly made her a name to watch moving forward.
5 Jacob Batalon - Spider-Man: Homecoming (7.4)
Batalon has been one of the main breakout favorites in the new trilogy as Peter Parker's guy in the chair and best friend Ned Leeds. Returning once more to lend Spider-Man a hand in No Way Home, Batalon got his first real break in Hollywood with Spider-Man: Homecoming. His great performance is made all the more impressive considering it is his first real role.
Throughout the three movies, Batalon has grown right alongside stars Tom Holland and Zendaya as the supportive every-man. Ned not only supports Peter's secret from the moment he finds out, he does whatever he can to help Spider-Man. Always the supportive friend, Batalon gets a larger role in Far From Home. Audiences will have to wait and see what No Way Home has in store for Batalon, but he figures to play a key role in whatever happens.
4 Jon Favreau - Rudy (7.5)
Jon Favreau joined the MCU as Tony Stark's close friend and chauffeur Happy Hogan. With Stark's death, Hogan has befriended Peter Parker and his Aunt May, acting as a mentor and ally for the young Spider-Man. Before he was friends with Tony Stark, Favreau was friends with a college student who just wanted to play football for Notre Dame in 1993's Rudy.
The underdog story stars Sean Astin as an undersized college student determined to join the Notre Dame football team. The movie is considered one of the most inspirational sports movies and is generally beloved by audiences and critics alike. Favreau stands out as a fun-loving schlub who befriends Astin and offers to tutor him for help getting a girlfriend. Favreau's fun-loving and loyal nature shines through and can be seen in Hogan.
3 Zendaya - The Greatest Showman (7.6)
Zendaya stars as the smart and snarky MJ and love of Peter Parker's life in the Spider-Man franchise, and is certainly set to play a large role in No Way Home. Starting out as a Disney kid, Zendaya got her big break in 2017. While Homecoming was her first major role, The Greatest Showman would release in theaters just a few short months later.
Featuring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, The Greatest Showman focused on P.T. Barnum and the birth of show business. The musical enthralled viewers with an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Zendaya is one of the most likable characters in the movie. She portrays a confident and good-natured trapeze artist not unlike MJ.
2 Tom Holland - The Impossible (7.6)
Tom Holland has made a career out of being a generally nice guy that everyone can't help but root for. All of these are qualities that work perfectly for a role like Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Parker is brave in the face of danger and has shown that he won't quit no matter how dire the circumstances may become. Before he was Spider-Man, he had to survive the elements in The Impossible.
The Impossible is the true story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Holland instantly landed on Hollywood's radar as he held his own in his debut film alongside the more established duo of Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. Despite all the devastation going on around him, Holland had to put on a brave face and look after his mother doing all they could to survive and reunite with the rest of their family.
1 Alfred Molina - Raiders Of The Last Ark (8.4)
Part of the fun with No Way Home will be seeing favorite characters from both the new trilogy and the Raimi trilogy share the big screen in an epic battle. One of those villains set to make an appearance is Alfred Molina's Dr. Otto Octavius from Spider-Man 2. Best known as Doctor Octopus, Octavius was a smart and accomplished Scientist who becomes the villain due to an experiment gone wrong.
Molina is no stranger to playing villains. The established actor got his big break playing an antagonist to none other than Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Molina played Satipo in his first major Hollywood role. In the movie, Molina once again uses his intelligence and deception skills. The thief put his talent to use, leading Indiana Jones to the Temple of the Chachapoyan Warriors, and the movie can be considered one of Molina's best. After a long and successful career that kicked off in 1978, Molina can once again be seen as a villain.
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