Meryl Streep
The Deer Hunter (1978) Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep had an astounding debut on the R-rated arena, with the film The Deer Hunter, in 1978. It was an epic American war and drama film about a trio of Russian American steelworkers whose lives were forever changed after fighting in the Vietnam War. The three soldiers were played by famous actors Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Savage.
Streep was already 28 at the time, which saw her transition into film late after being a successful stage actress. This film marked Streep’s first Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress. She is known to be the most nominated actress in film history.
Michelle Pfeiffer
The Hollywood Knights (1980) Pfeiffer was only 21 when she was chosen to star as a high schooler in the 1980 frat house comedy, The Hollywood Knights. It was her first feature film that also had an R-rating. She played a small role as Tony Danza’s girl named Suzie Q.
The story of the film takes place on Halloween night when members of a drag racing club known as the Hollywood Knights learn that their favorite Beverly Hills hangout, Tubby’s Diner, is being demolished to give way for the construction of an office building. The club’s leader vows to fight for the diner while the police try to do their job and shut the diner down. The film is known to be a rip-off of American Graffiti but is also noted for the debut performances of many famous actors.
Daniel Day-Lewis
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Some critics consider him the greatest living actor in the history of cinema. He started off in television and had his first major supporting role in The Bounty (1984), which was followed by an independent film and his first R-rated film for Lewis, My Beautiful Laundrette. The latter has now become a landmark film for gay cinema. A British comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and released by Working Title Films.
My Beautiful Laundrette opened in New York City, and it showed his astounding acting skills to audiences and critics alike, which established him as a major talent in the business. The New York Film Critics cited him as Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
Jodie Foster
Taxi Driver (1976) This American thriller directed by Martin Scorsese was Jodie Foster's first debut in an R-rated movie. Foster, who was only 12 years old during the shoot, plays an underage night girl who had famous actor Harvey Keitel as her pimp. There were instances where Foster’s sister, Connie, who was 19 at the time, had to be used as her body double for explicit scenes.
The film became a critical and commercial success upon release and was nominated for Academy Awards, including Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actress for Jodie Foster. It also generated a lot of controversies, mostly due to its depiction of violence and the casting of the 12-year-old Foster as a night girl.
Leonardo DiCaprio
This Boy's Life (1993) We can argue that DiCaprio’s first R-rated role was in the film Poison Ivy, the problem is he only appeared in it for about a second, so this brings us to This Boy’s Life as his first role in an adult rated film. He plays a writer in the film Tobias Wolff, which tells a story about the author’s childhood.
The film also stars award-winning actor Robert De Niro, who stars as Wolff’s violent stepfather. The plot revolves around the relationship between a rebellious teenager and an abusive stepfather. When things start to get too violent for the young author, he plots to make his escape. Both De Niro and DiCaprio turn in remarkable performances that showcased the hatred conveyed by both of their characters bordering on being downright scary.