It’s hard to believe PEOPLE’s pool of Sexiest Man Alive winners were once unknown, bright-eyed actors, trying their best to break into Hollywood. Most have gone on to win Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes but at one point, some were starring in your favorite Pepsi and Pringles commercials. Need proof? Feast your eyes on these long-forgotten but absolutely legendary clips of SMA A-listers showcasing their acting chops before they hit fame.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt may not be the first person who comes to mind when you think about Pringles — but he should be. The Ad Astra star was once the face of everyone’s favorite stackable chips and it’s easy to see why. No shirt, piercing blue eyes, silky blond hair? Hollywood’s most eligible hunk has always been such a babe.
Ryan Reynolds
Before Deadpool fame, the now-father of three was just an adorable ’90s kid who loved his push pops. Watch Reynolds stay Hip to the Pop in this treasure from the ’90s.
Patrick Swayze
The Dirty Dancing star put the moves on audiences worldwide as the star of this ’70s Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial.
Channing Tatum
Fun fact: Once Amanda Bynes saw a young Tatum thirsty for his Mountain Dew, she knew he was a star. “I totally fought for Channing [to get cast in] that movie because he wasn’t famous yet,” Bynes said in an interview in Paper Magazine’s Break the Internet issue about her 2006 She’s the Man costar. “He’d just done a Mountain Dew commercial and I was like, ‘This guy’s a star — every girl will love him!’ “ She was definitely not wrong.
