Ugly Ducklings
Take heart, Susan Boyle. The frizzy hair and bushy brow may just be a phase. From Tina Fey to George Clooney to Julia Roberts, VIEW OUR GALLERY of beautiful people who weren’t always.
Time Life Pictures / Getty Images; Chris Pizzello / AP Photo
Goldie Hawn’s spawn, Kate Hudson, would eventually be blessed with sun-kissed Californian good looks, but things didn’t start off so hot for the starlet. Before the 30-year-old’s groupie antics in Almost Famous and rom-com hijinks in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Hudson was a very awkward red-carpet accessory for her mom.
Time Life Pictures / Getty Images; Chris Pizzello / AP Photo
As a child, Oscar-winning humanitarian George Clooney suffered from Bell’s palsy, a disease that results in a slight paralysis of the sufferer’s face. While there’s no forgiving those glasses, the ER star eventually made a full recovery and pioneered the renaissance of hot docs in scrubs.
Splash News; Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Although somehow she looks younger now than when her career first began, 46-year-old Twitter-obsessed Demi Moore once had a string of bad films and an even worse baggy pants phase.
Barry King, WireImage / Getty Images; Evan Agostini / AP Photo
Jerry O’Connell was famously a chubby, pre-pubescent kid when he starred in Stand by Me but he got the last laugh when he married former supermodel Rebecca Romijn. Child stars—they’re never just like us.
Columbia Pictures / Everett Collection; Dan Steinberg / AP Photo
30 Rock mastermind Tina Fey wasn’t always smokin’, which makes her ascension into pin-up status even more satisfying. During her early days on SNL, Fey joined Weight Watchers (truly) and dropped nearly 30 pounds, providing a boost of confidence that landed her in the Weekend Update anchor seat. And the rest is history.
Splash News; Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were supposed to be the cute comic relief on Full House, but in reality, their goofy hairstyles were more giggle-worthy. The two are still building their tween-to-teen empire and basking in their millions, so they seemed to get the last laugh. We only hope they avoid the daily reruns on ABC Family.
ABC / Retna; Chris Pizzello / AP Photo
Jeff Gordon ascended to NASCAR fame in the 1990s despite sporting one of the most unbecoming swaths of facial hair the world has even seen. After a clean shave and a few Daytona 500 wins, the much more chic speed demon married hot Belgian model Ingrid Vandebosch.
Peter Cosgrove / AP Photo; Chris Graythen / Getty Images
Before she became America’s Sweetheart, Julia Roberts had a wild mane of hair in Mystic Pizza, and a wardrobe any grandmother would envy.
No one could imagine Daniel Craig, the gangly boy with a bowl haircut seen here, would breathe new life into the James Bond franchise—or create such an iconic moment by emerging from the ocean in a turquoise pair of swim trunks.
Splash News; Dave Hogan / Getty Images
Granted, this isn’t technically an ugly duckling phase, but when future Sexiest Man Alive Sean Connery wanted to shed his dashing James Bond image after Diamonds Are Forever, he made this unfortunate career choice, 1974’s Zardoz. What Goldfinger and Blofeld couldn’t accomplish, this outfit surely did. Goodbye, Mr. Bond.
Everett Collection; Kevin Winter / Getty Images
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