Check Out Big Stars Who Got Their Break in Sundance Breakout Roles

Where Are They Now?

Vanessa Hudgens as Noel in Thirteen (2003)

Vanessa Hudgens as Noel in Thirteen (2003)

Long before her huge Disney fame, Vanessa Hudgens played the small role of Noel in Thirteen and was a fresh face at Sundance when it was screened back in 2003 (and nominated for the Grand Jury prize and also won Best Directing award). Noel is the straight-laced friend of Tracy, pre-Evie, who appears a number of times in the film as a marker of how the taste of popularity has changed her out-of-control friend.

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Vanessa Hudgens—Now

After Thirteen, Hudgens started landing guest spots in teen TV shows like The Brothers Garcia and Drake & Josh. But it was her role as Gabriella Montez (across from ex-boyfriend Zac Efron) in Disney’s High School Musical trilogy that shot her to superstardom. You can see her in the 2012 film Spring Breakers as Candy. She's next hitting Broadway in Gigi this spring.

Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy Freeland in Thirteen (2003)

Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy Freeland in Thirteen (2003)

Evan Rachel Wood is Tracy Freeland in the Sundance hit Thirteen. An innocent straight-A student, Tracy’s transformation into drug abusing, lying, self-destructive thirteen-year-old is made all the more dark. Wood’s outstanding performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama.

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Evan Rachel Wood—Now

Since proving herself to be an actress with a dark side (she counts Marilyn Manson as an ex, after all), Wood has continued to pursue a wide range of roles such as Across the Universe (2007), The Wrestler (2008), Mildred Pierce, (2011) The Ides of March (2011) and the upcoming Into the Forest. While the talented Wood has yet to win an Emmy, Golden Globe or Academy Award, we doubt she’ll have to wait too much longer.

Nikki Reed as Evie Zamora in Thirteen (2003)

Nikki Reed as Evie Zamora in Thirteen (2003)

Nikki Reed co-wrote Thirteen with the film’s director, Catherine Hardwicke. Reed played the racy Evie Zamora, a popular girl at school who shows Tracy the ins and outs of life in the fast line. Evie proves fast friends can be faster frenemies.

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Nikki Reed—Now

Reed went on to star in another indie film, Lords of Dogtown (2005), before she broke into mainstream fame as Sadie Campbell in The O.C. series. Nikki Reed’s partnership with Catherine Hardwicke proved more than successful when they collaborated again on a little movie called Twilight in 2008. Reed may have a tough time shaking free of her role as Rosalie Hale, but it doesn’t make her less marketable, that’s for sure!

Where Are They Now?

Andie MacDowell as Ann Bishop Mullany in Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

Andie MacDowell as Ann Bishop Mullany in Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

Playing a sexually repressed woman who's husband is having affair with her sister, southerner Andie McDowell's vulnerability was captivating to watch on film in one of Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh's earliest films. Her character, Ann, has never had an orgasm and her husband John is sleeping with her sister on the sly. We discover revenge, involving sex and a video camera, can be sweet. This was Andie's break out role after a successful career as a model and before she reached super fame by starring in 1990's Green Card the next year, and also Groundhog Day in 1993. The Steven Soderbergh film also won the Sundance Audience Award in 1989.

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Andie Macdowell—Now

Since her role in the film (which went on to be nominated for an Oscar), the ever gorgeous McDowell doesn't do much on the big screen now, but is still the face of L'Oreal (she has been spokeperson for the brand for over 27 years!). Andie was cast as in the short-lived TV show Jane By Design—a TV teen take of the fashion film The Devil Wear Prada. She's tackling TV again with the series Cedar Cove. McDowell will be making an appearance in Magic Mike XXL.

Peter Gallagher as John Mullany in Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

Peter Gallagher as John Mullany in Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

A young and sexy Peter Gallagher starred in Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies, And Videotape as the triple-timing John Mullany. The guy knew how to get around and get down, hooking up with his wife’s sister Cynthia and his friend Graham’s old flame. While he wasn’t committing a crime in the legal sense, it still doesn’t pay.

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Peter Gallagher—Now

Gallagher and his eyebrows have since become a household name after he starred as Sandy Cohen in the wildly popular TV series, The O.C. The talented actor and Tony-nominated Broadway performer can be seen recently on the series Covert Affairs.

Laura San Giacomo as Cynthia Patrice Bishop in Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

Laura San Giacomo as Cynthia Patrice Bishop in Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

The plot most definitely thickens when the husky-voiced Laura San Giacomo is thrown into the mix. As Cynthia, Ann’s sister, in Sex, Lies, And Videotape, Giacomo is the ying to Ann’s sexually repressed yang. Sleeping with her sister’s husband? A definite no, no. Getting mixed up in Graham’s (supposedly secret) videotapes about sexual fantasies and experiences? You be the judge of that.

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Laura San Giacomo—Now

After her memorable film debut in Sex, Lies, And Videotape, San Giacomo went on to play the smart-mouthed friend to Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (1990). She then starred as Maya Gallo in the long-running TV series Just Shoot Me. She supports a number of disability-related charities and continues to act in TV and film.

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Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Abigail Breslin played the sweet, young Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine, the directorial debut of husband-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. On the road trip to Olive’s “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty pageant, the entire Hoover family falls apart and comes together, discovering they’re all a bit of a “Super Freak.”

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Abigail Breslin—Now

It can be hard to grow up both onscreen and off, but Abigail Breslin has taken everything in stride. She was just ten years old when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Olive, and she’s been unstoppable ever since. With No Reservations (2007), Definitely, Maybe (2008), and My Sister’s Keeper (2009). She played Valentine Wiggin in Ender’s Game,joined the powerhouse cast of August:Osage County and will next be seen in Fox's Scream Queens.

Toni Collette as Sheryl Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Toni Collette as Sheryl Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The talented Australian import, Toni Collette, played the high-strung, well-meaning Sheryl Hoover. She takes in her gay, suicidal brother which keeps family tensions at an all-time high, what with her husband’s fail-start life coach career and her son’s dreams of flying dashed into a million pieces… Sheryl does her best to keep herself and everyone together.

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Toni Collette—Now

After Little Miss Sunshine, Toni Collette landed the role of Tara Gregson in the TV series United States of Tara, which won her a 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress and 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and another Golden Globe nomination in 2011. After all her past nominations and award wins for films like About A Boy and Little Miss Sunshine, Collette can probably fill a room with all the well-deserved gold she’s collected. She's starred in the canceled CBS series Hostages and recently had roles in Enough Said and Tammy.

Paul Dano as Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Paul Dano as Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Paul Dano plays angsty teen Dwayne, to a T. Dwayne, Sheryl’s sixteen-year-old son from a previous marriage, is combative, brooding and appropriately raven-haired (albeit dyed). But he adores Olive. When his dreams of becoming a test pilot are dashed, Dwayne puts his mourning on pause so that Olive can make it to “Little Miss Sunshine” in time for the strict check-in. He’ll get back to that later.

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Paul Dano—Now

After the success of Little Miss Sunshine, Dano landed the pivotal role as Paul and Eli Sunday in the Academy Award-winning There Will Be Blood (2007) alongside talented actor Daniel Day-Lewis. Since then he’s been in a string of major films, including 2012 hits Looper and Ruby Sparks, which starred his girlfriend and the film’s writer, Zoe Kazan. Dano recently hit screens in Prisoners and 12 Years a Slave. He'll next be seen playing Beach Boy Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy.

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Paula Patton as Ms. Blu Rain in Precious (2009)

Paula Patton as Ms. Blu Rain in Precious (2009)

The fresh-faced Paula Patton plays Ms. Blu Rain, Precious’ teacher at school. In an especially emotive scene, Precious breaks down into tears about being raped by her father and Ms. Rain insists that there are things to live for, like Precious’ child.

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Paula Patton—Now

After Precious, Patton landed the role of Jane Carter in the major film Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol (2011). Talk about a breakout role! You can see her most recent onscreen performance in Baggage Claim (2013).

Mo’Nique as Mary in Precious (2009)

Mo’Nique is Clairence “Precious” Jones’ abusive mother. Mary is unemployed and lives off of welfare, going so far as to lie about how many of her children are under her “care.” Mary makes you believe Precious might actually be better off without a mother.

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Mo’Nique—Now

Mo’Nique had a number of guest appearances in TV and film before her Academy Award-winning role in Precious. She won an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a slew of other awards for Best Supporting Actress. Since then, she’s hosted her own talk show aptly named The Mo’Nique Show. Outside of acting and hosting, she stays busy with her husband and three sons.

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Glen Hansard as Guy in Once (2006)

Glen Hansard plays Guy in the Irish musical Once. Guy plays guitar and sings on the street for money but (unsurprisingly) finds it isn’t a lucrative income. The “guy” of course falls for a girl in the romantic drama complete with duets and love ballads.

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Glen Hansard—Now

Glen Hansard won an Academy Award in 2008 for his original song “Falling Slowly” featured in Once. While the singer-songwriter had a slew of recorded albums before his onscreen role, Once brought him into the mainstream limelight. He continues to write and compose music for TV and film (he wrote the song “The Moon” for Dear John), preferring to work behind the scenes. Hansard did a guest role on NBC's Parenthood.