Stars who modeled undies before, and after, they were famous

The trend in Hollywood now is to get incredibly famous, then secure a lucrative contract modeling underwear to make yourself even more famous by appearing on building-sized billboards in your skivvies.

But in the past, many of today's A-list stars used skimpy shoots to break into Hollywood before starting their acting careers.

Our friends at Snakkle.com took a look at who has stripped down before, and after, they were famous.

PHOTOS: More Hot Stars in Their Skivvies.

Smart, 6' tall, and looking to become an actress, Geena Davis found her way into the business by modeling in New York City in the 1970s. Hot shots like the ones she took for Victoria's Secret (above) opened doors for Davis, including one of her first film roles, playing a soap actress in the blockbuster comedy “Tootsie.”

In 1997, while studying biochemical engineering at University of Iowa and working in a General Mills factory sweeping floors, Ashton Kutcher entered the Fresh Faces of Iowa modeling contest and won a trip to New York City to pursue a contract with model agencies. After just three days in New York City, Kutcher signed a modeling contract with the Next agency and started walking the runways in Paris and Milan, and appeared in Calvin Klein jean ads. The model stripped to his skivvies for Abercrombie & Fitch in 1998, before transitioning to TV for “That 70s Show” the same year.

Hilary Swank was almost unrecognizable in her 2006 Calvin Klein ads. After winning Oscars for tough roles in “Boys Don't Cry” (1999) and the boxing flick “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), the sexy ads were a departure for her, and werethe only modeling the actress had ever done. Swank must have enjoyed the experience since she also shot several print ads for Guerlains’ Insolence perfume line the following year in 2007, wearing … lingerie.

PHOTOS: More Hot Stars in Their Skivvies.

And finally, Megan Fox became a star after her turn in two "Transformers" movies, but was at least as well known for just being really, really hot. So it was no surprise when Fox became the face of Emporio Armani Underwear in 2011, shooting her underwear and lingerie campaign before she became pregnant with her first child. The ad campaign also stars the quite attractive Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.