Few actors make it big with their first Hollywood gigs. As with any career, lots of work, dedication and crummy beginner jobs are involved before making it big. This can clearly be seen with the cast of Mad Men, who have had some interesting (and perhaps even unsavory) past roles that you can watch here!

While we have a gallery of stars in their budding roles, some performances are too good not to watch. Especially Elisabeth Moss‘ Excedrin commercial, which feels like Peggy took time out of her hectic schedule to rationally calm down a friend with a migraine:


Or Jon Hamm‘s sideburns, plaid scarf and concerned demeanor on Charmed (skip to 2:00):


And let’s not forget about Christina Hendricks and her fling with a rapper she met while riding a Greyhound bus on MTV’s Undressed:


While these are funny, it’s heartening to see examples of stars before they were successful. Even if you’re underemployed, unemployed or just plain unhappy, look to these actors and get a confidence boost! Check out more in the gallery. You can also head on over to the source to see more Mad Men before they were famous. [via Huffington Post]

What do you think of these actors’ early roles? Which one is most surprising?

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