The Role That Changed My Life Season 1

Keanu Reeves set the screen (and bus) alight with Speed; Will Smith first got the tar kicked out of him in Bad Boys; and Bruce Willis defined his action status in Die Hard.

Kevin Costner worked magic on both sides of the camera with Dances With Wolves; Robert Redford established his directorial career with Ordinary People; and Mil Gibson double-timed it on Braveheart.

Russell Crowe jumped the A-list queue as Maximus in Gladiator; Gwyneth Paltrow won hearts and awards in Shakespeare In Love; and Heath Ledger rose from poverty to hot property playing Mel Gibson’s son in The Patriot.

We look at three adults who survived the challenges of being a child star: Jodie Foster with The Accused, Elijah Woods with Lord of the Rings and Drew Barrymore with Ever After.

Although Michael J Fox was the first choice of actor for Back To The Future’s Marty McFly, he initially declined; Eddie Murphy was a second choice for Alex Foley in Beverly Hills Cop after Sylvester Stallone walked away; and Kate Winslet became a mega star when she replaced Gwyneth Paltrow as Rose in Titanic.

Virginia Madsen had made a career of smaller supporting roles until hitting a major billing in her 40’s as waitress Maya in hit flick Sideways. Also in this episode we look at two hallowed British actors who became giants in the consciousness of Hollywood later in their careers: Michael Caine with Cider House Rules and Sean Connery with The Untouchables.

Many actors struggle to establish themselves as serious performers, capable of handling challenging dramatic roles. Michelle Pfieffer scored an Academy Awards Best Actress nomination in 'Fabulous Baker Boys' while Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon each scooped the prize for 'Monster's Ball' and 'Walk the Line'.

Leslie Nielsen launched a career of comedy capers with Airplane; Robert De Niro introduced laughter therapy with Analyze This; and we started to laugh with (not at) Arnold Schwarzenegger in Twins.

The Mask launched leggy Cameron Diaz's hot career; you can't possibly have forgotten Sharon Stone heating up the screen in Basic Instinct; and the Zorro films turned Catherine Zeta-Jones into a sultry sex symbol.

John Travolta was struggling under a series of flops until Pulp Fiction; Lost in Translation proved that Bill Murray could hold dramatic roles; and thesbian Anthony Hopkins made a sharp career turn with Silence of the Lambs.

Comedian Michael Keaton seemed a most unlikely Batman; Tom Cruise was a controversial yet successful choice for Interview With A Vampire's Lestat; and Daniel Craig became labelled the Blonde Bond.

Christopher Reeve became a superhero on and off the screen after donning Superman's tights; Tobey Maguire became an unlikely superhero as Spiderman; and Christian Bale bulked up to reinvent Batman.

The role of Trinity in The Matrix launched Carrie Anne-Moss' action career, Daredevil let Jennifer Garner kick some serious butt as Elektra and Sigourney Weaver became the original action woman in Aliens.

It was a role on ER which landed George Clooney his breakout role in Out of Sight; Woody Harrelson started out in Cheers before scoring Natural Born Killers; and Denzel Washington jumped from St Elsewhere to star in Glory.

Desperado turned the smouldering Antonio Banderas into an exotic A Lister; Penelope Cruz seduced Hollywood with The Insider; and The Ring changed the career of Naomi Watts.

Robin Williams proved he was more than a funny man with Dead Poets Society; Jim Carrey suprised all with his dramatic turn in The Truman Show; and Jamie Foxx grabbed the Best Actor gong for his extraordinary role in Ray.

We look at how Old School, Austin Powers and Happy Gilmore bouyed Will Ferrell, Mike Myers and Adam Sandler from careers on Saturday Night Live to film stardom.