What Our Favorite Celebrities Looked Like As Teenagers Vs. Today
Believe it or not, the celebrities we know and love didn’t always look as flawless or as iconic as they currently do. In fact, their high school photos prove that they too went through strange, awkward, or unattractive phases, just like the rest of us. Here, then, are some of the very best – or most embarrassing – photos of famous folks when they were teens.
45. David Schwimmer
In this mortifying portrait, David Schwimmer looks just like we’d expect Ross Geller to have looked in his high school picture – down to the fluffy ’80s hair and try-hard earring. At the time, Schwimmer was just discovering his passion for acting and perfecting his craft in drama classes.
44. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks has described himself as both a “Bible-toting evangelical” and “a geek” during his time in high school. But once he got out of there and lost the very ’70s hair-don’t, the sky, it seems, was the limit.
43. Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt’s awkward teenage photos prove that there’s hope for absolutely everyone. After all, who knew that this slightly dorky kid would grow up to reach number two on People’s 2014 “Sexiest Man Alive” list?
42. Tina Fey
Tina Fey didn’t have that great a time in high school, describing herself as “kind of a dork” with “unplucked eyebrows.” But that teen pain may have been the inspiration for some of the nastier bits in Mean Girls, so it wasn’t a total bust.
41. Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt looks adorable as a teenager attending Springfield, Missouri’s Kickapoo High School, but he’s still a long way from the sex symbol he grew up to be. And he likely had no inkling of the fame and fortune that would one day come his way…
40. Chris Pine
Even Hollywood heartthrobs were prone to image missteps when young, as proven by this shot of Star Trek star Chris Pine rocking a rather unsavory-looking goatee back in the day. Fortunately, he’s progressed to more appealing and rugged facial hair since then!
39. Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana must have a cursed portrait in the attic, because she looks years younger now than in her days at Newtown High School in Elmhurst, New York. Acquiring a more modern haircut may have helped with that, though.
38. Eminem
Teenage Eminem had a tough life, as his semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile implies. But if this old snapshot shows us anything, it's that he smiled through it all – at least, when the camera was pointed at him. It's weird to see him without his bleach-blond hair, though.
37. Jennifer Hudson
Fame and acclaim came beckoning for Jennifer Hudson just five years out of high school, as she launched her now Oscar- and Grammy-winning career off her time on the 2004 season of American Idol. The EGOT winner has certainly come a long, long way!
36. Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth has said that he felt like “an outsider” in high school. Weird, maybe, because the Hunger Games star is now definitely handsome and popular enough to rival any prom king on the planet.
35. Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi’s ’70s style didn’t help him look anything other than slightly awkward in this shot. Away from the camera, though, the future Boardwalk Empire star was already honing his considerable talent in drama class – and wrestled on the side to boot.
34. Russell Brand
Few people have undergone a transformation as dramatic as Russell Brand’s. That’s right – the comedian and activist’s trademark louche, disheveled look developed long after his days as a troubled, self-described “chubby” teen who battled body image issues.
33. Jennifer Lopez
Turns out that Jennifer Lopez was always beautiful – even with a spectacularly '80s haircut. J-Lo was still a teenager when she decided she wanted to act, and she began auditioning for roles despite the disapproval of her parents.
32. Snoop Dogg
Back when he was Calvin Broadus, Jr., Snoop Dogg was a clean-cut student. Or he looked like one, anyway – the future hip-hop star actually found himself on the wrong side of the law while still in high school. Obviously, he's rapped and worked his way to success since then.
31. Amy Poehler
When asked by Seventeen magazine to describe the worst style fad of her teen years, Amy Poehler said, “Where do I begin? Shoulder pads, parachute pants, acid-wash jean jackets, stirrup pants, big hair. All of it was awful.” The Parks and Recreation star probably doesn’t look back at this high school photo fondly, then.
30. Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel has described the time around which this photo was taken as “the worst year of [her] life.” She also added that she was trying to grow out her bangs back then – now, of course, she’s famous for them, so obviously there was a fateful change of heart somewhere along the line.
29. Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger’s ’80s bouffant may have made way for sleeker and more polished locks, but there’s no doubt that the Hollywood star hasn’t changed much since her high-achieving teenage years. She embodied that unique Bridget Jones' Diary spirit as a teenager, and she still does today.
28. George Clooney
No, this isn’t a nerdy young teen with George Clooney’s face photoshopped onto him – it’s really the actor and director, back in the days when he sported a terrible bowl haircut, unflattering glasses and a white turtleneck that wouldn’t look good on anyone. Let’s face it – ageing has suited him better.
27. Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie looks like she was almost shying away from the camera in this teenage-era snap, but we’re willing to bet that she has no such trouble dealing with it now. And even then, her nascent beauty was undeniable.
26. Jamie Foxx
Back when Jamie Foxx was just plain old Eric Bishop, he was a slightly gawky teen with a noticeable gap in his teeth. The Academy Award-winning actor has certainly grown into his looks since, though.
25. Halle Berry
Who’s the girl with the big ’80s hair and the actually rather adorable pencil-patterned shirt? It’s future Academy Award winner Halle Berry, back when she was a student at Bedford High School in Ohio. Yes, really – did she have a face transplant at some point without anybody knowing about it?
24. Megan Fox
Megan Fox may be a sex symbol now, but as a young teen, she looked just as gawky as everyone else. What’s more, the actress has revealed that “everyone hated [her]” in high school and that she was “a total outcast” – safe to say, though, that she’s turned it all around since then.
23. Christina Hendricks
Esquire’s sexiest woman in the world was bullied in high school? No way! But apparently, she was. At around the same time that Christina Hendricks was having her yearbook photo taken, she was apparently being spit on in corridors. The Mad Men star has definitely had the last laugh since, though.
22. Jeremy Renner
These days, Jeremy Renner is a cool, stylish star of blockbuster movie franchises like The Avengers and Mission: Impossible. But back when he was a student at Beyer High School in Modesto, he bore a mullet and no fashion sense whatsoever – although practically everyone had a mullet and no fashion sense in 1989, let’s face it.
21. Vanessa L. Williams
In 2012 Vanessa L. Williams tweeted this 1975 pic of herself at Chappaqua, New York’s Robert E. Bell Middle School – and captioned it “Yikes!” That’s probably more a reflection on her look at that time rather than the school itself, as she’s since sent some of her children to the very same institution.
20. Kesha
Poor Kesha had to put up with this terribly unflattering yearbook photo from ninth grade and for the rest of her school days. But then she left it all behind by putting a dollar sign in her name, dyeing her hair, and becoming a chart-topping star. What a transformation!
19. Alice Cooper
Back when Alice Cooper was Vincent Damon Furnier, he was a perfectly ordinary, perhaps even slightly geeky-looking guy. But a lifetime of fake blood, real drugs, and a persistent urban legend about a chicken has seen him age disgracefully.
18. Kate Moss
Kate Moss almost certainly wasn’t as used to being photographed back when this ’80s school shot was taken as she is now. And like many snaps of the supermodel taken nowadays, this one also ended up in a magazine – on the cover of the September 2015 edition of L’Officiel Spain, in fact. That could only happen to Kate…
17. Kris Jenner
Years before she was the glamorous “momager” of the Kardashian clan, Kris Jenner was a cheerleader at Clairemont High in San Diego. With her hair grown out, she also bears a strong resemblance to her future daughter Kim – which makes us wonder if Mrs. Kanye West has been flicking through mom’s old snaps for styling tips.
16. Jon Bon Jovi
Teenage Jon Bon Jovi is perhaps the cutest thing you’ll ever lay your eyes on. And luckily, this rocker quit doing drugs while he still had that cuteness intact. The heavy workload that comes with the rock star life still aged him – but at least he avoided the fate that befell many of his fellow rockers.
15. Diane Keaton
“Me circa 1961. Things got better,” veteran actress Diane Keaton captioned this pic in 2012. But, to be fair, although she didn’t exactly look stylish – that shirt is so bad it’s almost awesome – she was actually kinda cute then.
14. Courteney Cox
The bushy-haired, blue-eyed star that would eventually grace the screens of every household in America as the iconic Monica Geller started out as a young, unknown girl in Birmingham, Alabama.
13. Steven Tyler
The Demon of Screamin’ wasn’t always so flamboyant. Back when Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was a music-loving teenager growing up in New York, he wore a boring tie and a strange smirk rather than the flashy costumes for which he would later become known.
12. Jennifer Lawrence
This A-List actress is sometimes accused of trying too hard to be "relatable," but back in high school, at least, she truly was. Check out the early 2000s up-do and those snazzy earrings.
11. Madonna
This legendary Queen of Pop would go on to do great things, but not before graduating from Rochester Adams High School in Michigan. Fun fact: her daughter attended the same performing arts school as Jennifer Aniston.
10. John Lennon
John Lennon started life as an adorable schoolboy, but he’ll forever be remembered as the iconic beard-sporting, glasses-wearing Beatles star. Unfortunately, behind the scenes Lennon led a darker life than most people knew, and perhaps those experiences took a toll on him before he was murdered in 1980.
9. Amy Adams
Although this cutie looks fresh-faced and au natural in this pic, apparently she used to steal her sister's pink and green mascara before school. Scandalous! Hopefully Amy has paid her back since then.
8. Meryl Streep
This woman truly is an icon, and clearly, judging by this yearbook photo, she always has been. Beauty and grace like Streep's just can't be taught.
7. Julia Roberts
That iconic pearly white grin was always destined for the screen. However, Roberts wasn't always sure she wanted to act. As a child, she had dreams of becoming a veterinarian.
6. Hilary Swank
An entire episode of The Office was dedicated to debating whether or not Hilary Swank was attractive or not, but we don't think that's fair considering this yearbook photo clearly shows she's always been as cute as a button.
5. Bruno Mars
This singer came from a musical family and began performing as a child. During high school, he made side money doing impersonations of Michael Jackson at shows.
4. Sandra Bullock
Sandy's looking very cute here in pigtails and bangs. This snapshot is a relic of her time spent at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington Virginia, after living out twelve of her earlier years in Germany.
3. Mariah Carey
This incredibly talented diva never had time for things that didn't interest her — and school was no exception. Apparently she skipped class so often that she earned herself the nickname "Mirage."
2. Jennifer Garner
Rumor has it that Garner used to sneak eye shadow into school in order to apply it in homeroom against her parents' wishes. Her favorite shade to use? Out of the four available to her, she always chose blue.
1. Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwynny has had a long and storied acting career, and these days spends her time working on her wellness organization, Goop. However many years ago she was just a young teen attending high school on Manhattan's Upper East Side.