Bottom: Cage, fresh off the critical and commercial success of Leaving Las Vegas (1995).
Then fame comes, and with fame, recognition.
And with that recognition, suddenly the presence of that creator in one of those earlier works becomes distinctly noticeable. Now, where they were overlooked, their presence is striking—indeed, surprising. An audience-member may find themselves saying: "Wait, is that...?"
This is Retroactive Recognition: The sudden discovery of a creator's presence in an earlier work, made noticeable by their later fame.
The most prominent manifestation of the trope is perhaps when you watch an older work and suddenly realize that a small role is played by an actor who became big well after the performance. You had previously seen them, but only now recognize them.
This can sometimes occur across media, when a celebrity in one medium had a brief and less-celebrated career in another.
When you just can't shake the image of the other roles, that's Role Association. If the older work is repackaged to accentuate the actor's later successes, it falls into Billing Displacement. Somewhat similar to Vindicated by History: in both cases, something or someone becomes more notable due to later fame.
Examples (sorted by last name):
