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When sci-fi phenomena: The X-Files, first arrived on television in 1993, it was not merely about UFOs, government conspiracies, and haunting monsters. The show also turned into a silent school of future stars. Lots of completely unsung actors appeared in minor roles as athletes, nurses, pranksters, villains, and many more, and then went on to star in blockbuster movies, TV hits, and popular comedies.
To some degree, the series resembles a spooky Hollywood yearbook, with unexpected early cameos. Here’s a snap preview of some of the greatest actors before they became famous.
Seth Green in The X-Files (Episode: Deep Throat” 1993)
In Season 1, episode 2 of The X-Files, Seth Green walks in as a stoner teenager who has been seeing a very weird light. It is one of the first cameos of the series, and from there, Green’s career only went upwards.
Jack Black in The X-Files (Episode: D.P.O. 1995)
Black appeared as a lazy pal in a lightning-laden teen horror tale long before starring in School of Rock or voicing in Kung Fu Panda. His brief but powerful performance in The X-Files was a clear hint of his comic-dramatic potential.
Giovanni Ribisi in The X-Files (Episode: D.P.O. 1995)
In the same episode where Jack Black made his cameo, Ribisi appeared as the twitchy kid who can call down thunder. It is a spotlight role that preceded his breakthrough in movies such as Boiler Room, Lost in Translation, and television series such as Sneaky Pete.
Dean Norris in The X-Files (Episode: F. Emasculata 1995)
Several years before his eminence as a Breaking Bad peak-time character, Hank Schrader, Dean Norris, appeared in a scummy contagion thriller episode of The X-Files as Marshal Tapia. It had been one of the grubbiest, most realistic hours of the show.
Ryan Reynolds in The X-Files (Episode: Syzygy 1996)
Blink and you will find Ryan Reynolds in the role of high-school hotshot Jay “Boom” DeBoom. A very early, pre-Deadpool cameo that, regrettably, does not end well. He is credited right there in the episode among the guest cast.
Lucy Liu in The X-Files (Episode: Hell Money” 1996)
Before Ally McBeal and Charlie's Angels, Lucy Liu was featured in a mystery set in Chinatown, blending superstitions and scams. An early and finely timed dramatic credit on her road to stardom.
Bryan Cranston in The X-Files (Episode: Drive 1998)
Before starring in Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston played the role of an ill-fated, desperate man who had no choice but to keep moving or suffer death in The X-Files. His acting was so eye-catching that it eventually persuaded Vince Gilligan to cast him in the Emmy-winning role of Walter White.
Shia LaBeouf in The X-Files (Episode: The Goldberg Variation 1999)
Shia LaBeouf was 13-year-old Richie Lupone, a child with a rare disease, in a strange tale of a man with freakishly good luck. Many years before the Disney Channel and feature-film lead characters, LaBeouf gave just the right degree of sincerity to this episode of the X-Files so that you could like Richie without sliding into a corny portrayal.
Jane Lynch in The X-Files (Episode: Lord of the Flies 2001)
Episode five of the ninth season of The X-Files, entitled appropriately Lord of the Flies, has Jane Lynch as the strictly speaking high school principal Anne Lokensgard, mother of the mutant outcast Dylan. This is before she mastered her ice-cold stare as Sue Sylvester in the dramedy Glee.
Aaron Paul in The X-Files (Episode: Lord of the Flies 2001)
Also in the same episode with Lynch, Aaron Paul steals scenes as the not-so-innocent ringleader of a Jackass-style teen stunt crew named Dumbass. His character, David, or more precisely, Sky Commander Winky, was as reckless as his outrageous nickname. When he later auditioned for Breaking Bad and got the part of Jessie Pinkman, creator Vince Gilligan recognised him, since Sky Commander Winky was, appropriately, Gilligan’s college nickname.
What The X-Files did is genius; more than spawning modern genre television, they scouted real talent. Casting directors continued to come across young actors who could nail creepy, off-key roles within a constrained time frame and a tight budget. That was the training ground that produced future leads who are able to shift between comedy and dread, sincerity and snark.
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