Halle Berry
Jungle Fever (1991) Berry’s first R-rated role came in Spike Lee’s classic hit Jungle Fever in 1991. She plays the role of Vivian, the love of crackhead Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Gator. Gator gets killed by his father while ransacking their home for dirty money.
Berry would go on to win an Academy Award in 2002 for Best Actress for her portrayal in the romantic film Monster’s Ball in 2001. As of the year 2018, she is the only African American who has won the award. She is one of the highest-paid actresses during the 2000s and is also a Revlon spokesmodel. She started out as a model and even entered a beauty contest where she finished 1st runner up in a Miss USA Pageant. She is also popular for her role as Storm in the X-Men string of movies.
Julia Roberts
Mystic Pizza (1988) Who can forget megastar Julia Roberts of the Pretty Woman and My Best Friend’s Wedding fame? The queen of romantic comedy movies also has Runaway Bride and Notting Hill as part of her blockbuster hits. Roberts is now also a producer and not just an actress.
The Pretty Woman sweetheart had her first R-rated appearance in the coming-of-age drama movie Mystic Pizza in 1998. Upon showing, film critic Roger Ebert said that the movie ”may someday become known for the movie stars it showcased back before they became stars.” This statement did come to pass as another cast member is also featured in our list of famous stars who made their first R-rated movies…
Matt Damon
Mystic Pizza (1988) Damon is known for his collaboration with Ben Affleck in writing the blockbuster movie Good Will Hunting. The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Damon and Affleck, opening the door for the duo to become bankable stars in the industry. The late comedy great Robin Williams also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film made over $225 million from a measly $10 million budget during its run. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards.
Matt made his film debut in an R-rated film Mystic Pizza along with another of our famous stars Julia Roberts. He appears as Robert’s rich new boyfriend’s younger brother. He was only 17 years old during the filming. The movie charts the lives and loves of three amazing waitresses in a small town called Mystic.
Reese Witherspoon
S.F.W. (1994) Reese appeared in her first R-rated film back in 1994 in the comedy-drama film S.F.W. This forgettable film has a current score of 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes it something the famous actress would want to forget. She stars with Stephen Dorff, whom she falls for in the film while they were being held hostage. The hostage crisis ends in violence, and this is where the characters of Dorff and Witherspoon bond together as they navigate through the path of having celebrity status after the hostage crisis was caught on camera.
Reese has won an Academy Award and is now a producer and an entrepreneur as well. She began her film career in 1991 as a teenager with her film debut in the movie The Man in the Moon, which got her a nomination for Young Artist Award. She eventually got her break when she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the black comedy Election in 1999.
Anne Hathaway
Havoc (2005) Anne started out with an image of being wholesome with her roles in Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted. This image was quickly discarded when she appeared in the critically acclaimed film Havoc in 2005. Anne plays the role of Allison, who has several nude scenes and talks using profanity as her character ventures deeper into the crime world with gang members and dealers as their sphere of influence.
Anne was one of the world’s highest-paid actresses in 2015 and has garnered multiple awards, which include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Primetime Emmy, and a British Academy Film Award.