The surprising earliest TV gigs of 18 Oscar-worthy actors

But that hasn't always been the case.

For most of Hollywood's history, there has been a pretty deep divide between television actors and movie stars. There was no shame in getting one's start in TV. But once one made the leap to movies, most never looked back.

As Oscar-winner and star of FX'sCuba Gooding Jr. told Business Insider,

Here's a look at the small screen roles that started their Hollywood journey:

Ruth Negga first made waves on the Irish drama, "Love Is the Drug," in 2004.

"Loving" actress Ruth Negga has been mistaken for British. Actually, her mother is Irish and her father is Ethiopian. Negga was raised in Ireland and later moved to Britain. Her first big role was on the celebrated Irish drama, "Love Is the Drug." In 2005, the series about finding and losing love won Ireland's top TV award for drama.

Casey Affleck was in the 1990 miniseries "The Kennedys of Massachusetts."

Before the "Manchester by the Sea" actor was known for being part of the Hollywood Affleck dynasty, Casey Affleck played the role of young Robert Kennedy in the ABC miniseries about the family that's closest to American royalty, "The Kennedys of Massachusetts."

Watch Affleck as Bobby Kennedy in the clip below:

Saoirse Ronan was on a few episodes of "The Clinic" in 2003.

Although

Watch her in a scene from "The Clinic" below:

Even before joining "Growing Pains" in 1991, Leonardo DiCaprio belonged to another TV family.

Even we thought that "The Revenant" star Leonardo DiCaprio's earliest TV role was on ABC's "Growing Pains," but we were wrong. He actually starred in a 1990 series called "Parenthood," with David Arquette and Ed Begley, Jr. before that. This was NBC's first stab at a sequel to the 1989 Ron Howard movie. It only lasted a season. NBC tried "Parenthood" again with a totally different cast in 2010 and got six seasons out of it.

Alicia Vikander was on a TV movie in Sweden called "Min Balsamerade Mor."

Before she was Hollywood's "it girl" for films like "The Danish Girl" and "Ex Machina," Alicia Vikander starred in her first acting role at about 13 years old in her native Sweden on a TV movie called "Min Balsamerade Mor," which means "My Embalmed Mother." Playing one of the grieving daughters, the period film was shot partially in black and white.

See the young Vikander in "Min Balsamerade Mor" below:

Matt Damon was in a 1990 TV movie, "Rising Son."

Before "The Martian," the "Bourne" franchise, and even "Good Will Hunting," Matt Damon's first lead role was in the 1990 TV movie, "Rising Son." Damon played the son to Brian Dennehy's character, an automobile factory foreman whose company is closing down due to Japanese competition.

Watch the "Rising Son" trailer below:

Jennifer Lawrence played a mascot in an episode of USA Network's "Monk."

In a matter of a few years, Jennifer Lawrence went from wearing a gold bear uniform to winning golden statues. In 2006, the Oscar nominee for "Joy" appeared on an episode of USA Network's "Monk." For an early career gig, her character, simply named "mascot," got a lot of screen time. Too bad, she wore a plush bear head most of the time.

Watch Lawrence on "Monk" below:

Andrew Garfield played the geeky neighbor on the 2005 British teen drama, "Sugar Rush."

Andrew Garfield may be the object of teen affection today, but the "Hacksaw Ridge" actor played the "stalker" neighborhood kid on UK's Channel 4 teen drama, "Sugar Rush."

Watch a mashup of his scenes from "Sugar Rush" below:

Christian Bale starred in an NBC miniseries, "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna" when he was 12.

Long before Christian Bale donned the Batman cape and lured women to their death in "American Psycho," he was a precocious 12-year-old in his first on-screen role in the NBC miniseries, "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna." In fact, that gig is how he caught the eye of Steven Spielberg and went on to star in Bale's first feature film, "Empire of the Sun," the very next year.

Watch Bale in a scene from "Anastasia" below:

Emma Stone first had audiences' hearts racing on the 2007 TV series, "Drive."

Before dancing around Hollywood in "La La Land," Emma Stone raced cross-country on the Fox series, "Drive." She didn't get very far as Fox canceled the show after airing just four episodes.

Watch Stone leave the competition in the dust on "Drive" below:

Ryan Gosling was a teen soap star on 90s Canadian show, "Breaker High."

While Ryan Gosling is being celebrated for "La La Land," his big break was playing one of the students attending school at sea on Canadian (and later on UPN here in the US) teen soap, "Breaker High" in 1998.

Watch Gosling on "Breaker High" below:

Rooney Mara, like many actors, was on an episode of "Law & Order."

Before playing an edgy hacker in "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and taking on a love interest played by Cate Blanchett in "Carol," Rooney Mara's first TV appearance was on a 2006 episode of "Law & Order: SVU." She would later get into trouble after calling her storyline "awful" and "stupid." She would later say her quote was taken out of context.

You can watch the episode on Hulu.

Eddie Redmayne was on a British series called "Animal Ark" in 1998.

You know him now in coveted roles such as Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," which won him the Academy award and his Oscar-nominated turn in gender-bending "The Danish Girl." But in 1998, he was just a curious schoolboy on an episode of the British series, "Animal Ark."

Watch Redmayne on "Animal Ark" here.

Michael Fassbender starred alongside "Homeland's" Damian Lewis on HBO's "Band of Brothers" in 2001.

A young Michael Fassbender appeared in the award-winning war drama, "Band of Brothers" for HBO in 2001. Aside from being produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the miniseries also starred "Homeland" and "Billions" actor Damian Lewis, "Office Space's" Ron Livingston, and New Kids on the Block singer-turned-actor Donnie Wahlberg.

Tom Hardy also starred on "Band of Brothers."

"Band of Brothers" was clearly a breeding ground for future stars. Like Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy got his acting start on the 2001 HBO miniseries. At 24, Hardy brandished his guns way before doing so in "The Revenant."

Watch Hardy in a scene from "Band of Brothers" below:

Before "Dawson's Creek," Michelle Williams hit the beach on "Baywatch" in 1993.

In her first on-screen role, "Manchester by the Sea" star Michelle Williams was keeping the guys at bay on "Baywatch." She played a cool beach chick who caught the eye of none other than David Hasselhoff's TV son, Hobie (Jeremy Jackson), on two episodes.

Watch Williams make Hobie's day in the "Baywatch" scene below:

Denzel Washington was the original Doctor McDreamy on the groundbreaking 80s medical drama "St. Elsewhere."

Move over Patrick Dempsey, Denzel Washington was giving viewers heart palpitations way before "Grey's Anatomy." He starred on the groundbreaking urban medical drama, "St. Elsewhere," on NBC from 1982 to 1988.

Cate Blanchett was on an Australian cop drama in the early 90s.

Before she was Queen Elizabeth or starring in "Carol," Cate Blanchett was Mrs. Haines on the Australian cop drama, "Police Rescue." But this bit part in that TV series could've helped get her a role in the 1994 "Police Rescue" movie based on the series.