5 Iconic '90s Movies That Launched Artists Into A-List Superstardom

The '90s was a glorious moment in time for music, fashion, and film. People who were born or enjoyed their youth in this era bore witness to the most colorful celebrities the world has ever seen. While you may love your smartphone and the technology of today, it always feels great to look back and reminisce about a time when everything was simpler.

To truly create that sense of nostalgia, a film needs more than just to have been made in the right decade. It needs to have that incomparable ‘90s flair. For this reason, we’ve pulled together the most iconic films of the era, each of which skyrocketed an actor’s burgeoning career into Hollywood Superstardom!

City Slickers Starring 11-Year-Old Jake Gyllenhaal in 1991

CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 24: Jake Gyllenhaal attends the 75th Anniversary celebration screening of — Samir Hussein/GettyImages

Yes, Jake Gyllenhaal, the actor you recognize from Brokeback Mountain, Bubble Boy, Nightcrawler, and many more! This A-lister started young, and that may well be the reason he's now considered one of the most versatile actors of his generation. His career kicked up a gear after the release of what is arguably the funniest film of the '90s: City Slickers.

Six Degrees of Separation Starring Will Smith in 1993

WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 13: Will Smith arrives at the Premiere Of Netflix — Frazer Harrison/GettyImages

The '90s saw the sweet transition of Will Smith's career from music and television to the big screen. He was a star in his own right, but his role in Six Degrees of Separation is what cemented his name into the Hollywood elite.

North Starring Young Scarlett Johansson in 1994

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Scarlett Johansson attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) — Amy Sussman/GettyImages

Before being everyone's favorite superhero, Scarlet Johansson debuted in a Rob Reiner family comedy entitled North. Here, she makes a brief appearance as the daughter of a family interested in adopting North, as played by Elijah Wood. Even superheroes were babies once!

That Thing You Do Starring Charlize Theron in 1996

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Charlize Theron attends Caruso — Phillip Faraone/GettyImages

That Thing You Do was a 1996 film that introduced us to the directorial stylings of Tom Hanks. It was about a one-hit-wonder Pennsylvanian rock band of the '60s and their struggle to ride the waves of fame. Charlize played the demanding girlfriend of the central character, Skitch, who was played by Tom Everett Scott.

Trainspotting Starring Ewan McGregor in 1996

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 29: Ewan McGregor attends the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures — Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyImages

Everyone's beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi was once a little-known young actor who played a heroin addict for the movie, Trainspotting. The film portrays the struggles of Renton (Ewan McGregor) as he makes his way through the insanity of addiction towards the possibility of sobriety. While the storyline is extreme, the lively and endearing movie led to a legendary career for McGregor.