Author Archives: robin
Before They Were Stars: Marlon Brando Does a Screen Test in 1947
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2lRdkNGDcY This rare piece of history is included as an extra on the DVD for A Streetcar Named Desire and features an unknown 23-year old Marlon Brando doing a screen test for Warner Bros. by reading excepts from the script … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Chris Hemsworth on “Neighbours”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvno0VbWSTg Even if you only have a limited knowledge of Australian pop culture, there’s a good chance you’ve probably heard of their most popular soap opera, Neighbours, which has been on the air down there for 30 years and produced … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Plays in the 1995 Orange Bowl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA1cSySfvig Before he became one of the world’s biggest movie stars, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was one of the world’s biggest pro wrestling stars, which became his inevitable career path after an attempt at a pro football career went nowhere. … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: David Duchovny in a California Lottery Commercial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zibmjMqPUwc Throughout this ad, you get to see a bunch of random citizens comment about how fun it is to play the California Lottery. About 17 seconds in, you’ll notice that one of them just happens to be a young, … Continue reading
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Robin’s Underrated Gems: Canada Russia ’72 (2006)
Last week, we recorded a Shouts from the Back Row podcast on our favourite miniseries and made-for-TV movies and I took the opportunity to analyze a homegrown Canadian production called Canada Russia ’72. If you’re a hockey fan who grew … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Jennifer Hudson Performs on a Disney Cruise
Two years before her Academy Award-winning performance in Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson first garnered attention by becoming a finalist on American Idol. Before that, her experience consisted of performing in shows on the cruise ship, the Disney Wonder. So of course, … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Aaron Paul Does a Voice in “Help! I’m a Fish”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hnAtWzSIvg In 2000, a Danish animated film was produced called Help! I’m a Fish, the story of three kids who are forced to swim the ocean after taking a potion which turns them into fish. Help! I’m a Fish never got a … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Evangeline Lilly as an Extra in “The Lizzie McGuire Movie”
During the early portion of her career, Evangeline Lilly seemed to alternate between doing phone sex ads and playing uncredited extras in Hollywood films shot in Vancouver, including Freddy vs. Jason. Here’s Evangeline popping up in The Lizzie McGuire Movie in … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Jon Voight in “Fearless Frank”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19CIj1QasPo Here’s a real curiosity: in 1967, Jon Voight made his film debut in a low-budget superhero spoof called Fearless Frank. Voight played the title character, a clueless drifter who is murdered by mobsters before a scientist reanimates him and … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Gael Garcia Bernal in a Videovision Commercial
Yesterday, I mentioned how Gael Garcia Bernal made his acting debut at age 10 on a Mexican soap opera alongside Salma Hayek. Around this same time period, young Gael also appeared in this Mexican commercial for something called Videovision in … Continue reading
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