Then & Now: From Red-Carpet Debuts to Reinvention in Film, TV, Music—and Beyond

The evolution continues with performers who parlayed early buzz into adult careers—some spotlight-bright, others purposefully low-key.

Dev Patel greeted fame at 18 in a plum sweater promoting “Slumdog Millionaire.” By 2025, the “Lion” and “The Green Knight” star—now the director of “Monkey Man”—cut a confident figure in a tailored slate-gray suit, signaling full leading-man stature.

Zendaya shifted from Disney’s “Shake It Up” tween style—pink dress and denim jacket—to commanding fashion-and-film force. In 2024, she turned heads at