From The Curb To The Club

Sure, you’ve heard stories of rags to riches, but sometimes, all it takes is a dash of good luck to turn a life around. Here are famous actors who stumbled onto their big break by chance.

Anya Taylor-Joy

The Queen’s Gambit actor has a rather intriguing story of her comedic entrance into the world of Hollywood. Although Anya Taylor-Joy had followed her passion for the stage from an early age, she was discovered at a moment when she least expected it.

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Suspicious Stranger

Taylor-Joy was sixteen and walking her dog in London when a car began following her. She picked up pace and began running, prompting a man to stick his head out of the window and yell, “If you stop, you won’t regret it.”

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From Modeling To The Witch

Turns out that the driver was a talent agent who wanted to offer Taylor-Joy a modeling gig, which opened the doors to a career in acting. This eventually led her to find her breakthrough in the horror movie The Witch.

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Charlize Theron

When it comes to careers in Hollywood, curious, funny, and pure lucky starts are not all that uncommon. One of the cases in question would be that of Charlize Theron. Originally aspiring to be a dancer, she was attending classes at the Joffrey Ballet School, New York, when…

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Strapped For Cash

A knee injury stopped her short, and Theron decided to chase a career in film. However, she was on a tight budget of $300 that her mother had given her, and she even resorted to stealing bread from restaurants to get by.

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A Chance Encounter

Theron was pleading with a bank teller when talent agent John Crosby took notice, giving her his business card. She went on to act in Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest and 2 Days in the Valley, the latter of which propelled her into fame.

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Jennifer Lawrence

Now one of the highest-paid female actors in Hollywood, Jennifer Lawrence was recruited by a talent scout while on vacation with her family in New York. A photographer asked to take her picture while at a restaurant, and Lawrence’s mother gave him her number.

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A Girl Who Knows What She Wants

The next day, he called back to say that some modeling agencies wanted to meet her. The young Lawrence was self-aware and wished to seek a career in acting instead, as it was much more suited to her personality and skills.

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The Beginning Of A Journey

While her mother pushed her to modeling, Lawrence decided to take the gig only if it allowed her acting opportunities as well. After her script reading with some agents, Lawrence’s talent landed her a minor role in the TV show Monk.

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Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson was pursuing her career as a singer when the golden opportunity to star in the movie Dreamgirls came her way. It all began when her contract with Disney (where she performed as Calliope on cruise ships) ended.

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Living The Dream

With her newfound freedom of creative expression, she auditioned for the third season of American Idol. Although she did not win the title, the exposure got her the debut role in the film Dreamgirls alongside Eddie Murphy and Beyoncé.

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Acclaimed Actress

Hudson delivered a spectacular performance on set, which was very well-received. She bagged an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in the movie, thus establishing her talents in both film and music.

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Danny Trejo

A former convict and addict, Danny Trejo was unexpectedly thrust into the glamorous world of Hollywood. After a childhood steeped in drugs and crime, Trejo decided to turn his life around while serving a sentence in prison.

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Fateful Favor

He soon became a sponsor and counselor to struggling addicts. One of Trejo’s clients, a film extra, requested his presence on the set of Runaway Train. While there, his rugged looks won him the chance to be an extra himself.

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Old Friends

In a twist of fate, Trejo’s former fellow inmate-turned-screenplay-writer Edward Bunker recognized him on set and convinced the director to give him a role in the film because his experience would make the movie more realistic.

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Vin Diesel

The multi-faceted Vin Diesel had quite an unconventional start to his acting career. When he and his brother were breaking into New York’s Theatre for the New City, something unusual happened. They apparently broke in to vandalize the location but were caught red-handed. 

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Breaking And Entering

Mark Sinclaire, or Vin Diesel as he is popularly known, was just seven years old when this happened. Surprisingly, the theater’s former Artistic Director, Crystal Field, offered both the boys a role in the upcoming children’s show Dinosaur Door rather than calling the police.

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Indie Stint

Later, disillusionment from the tough landscape of the film industry led Vin Diesel to produce two of his own films, Multi-Facial and Strays, the former of which caught the attention of director Steven Spielberg, who gave him a role in Saving Private Ryan. 

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Cameron Diaz

The iconic Cameron Diaz had humble beginnings in Hollywood. She started working as a model at the age of 16, appearing on the cover of magazines like Seventeen and Mademoiselle and featuring in advertisements. 

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Heaven-Sent Angel

At 21, she auditioned for a small role in The Mask. The director, Russell Chuck, was desperately looking for a female lead when he was recommended to take a look at Diaz for the part.

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The Perfect Match

On hearing her script reading and seeing the chemistry between her and Jim Carrey, the protagonist, Chuck picked up on her caliber and cast her in the female lead role of Tina Carlyle. Thus launching her into the acting industry.

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Ashton Kutcher

If you asked a young Ashton Kutcher whether he saw himself becoming a famous actor in the future, chances are he’d probably say no. In fact, he started out studying biochemical engineering, hoping to contribute to medical advancements that would help his twin brother, Michael.

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Modeling At The Mall

It was during his time at university that he went on to win a modeling contest at a mall. This garnered the attention of Mary Clarke, a talent scout, who talked Kutcher into becoming a model. He was then encouraged to further his career through acting.

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That 70s Show

Kutcher moved to Los Angeles to audition for acting roles, and in an impressive feat, got cast as Michael Kelso in That 70s Show within a week. This marked the onset of his successful career in Hollywood.

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Johnny Depp

The controversial actor Johnny Depp wanted to be a musician from his youth. However, the break up of his band in the 1980s capsized his dream. Following the split, Depp’s then-wife, Lori Allison, convinced him to pursue acting.

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A Friendly Request

She roped in her friend and actor Nicholas Cage, who talked Depp into auditioning for A Nightmare On Elm Street. Despite having no acting experience, Depp caught director Wes Craven’s eye and was subsequently cast as the boyfriend of the protagonist in the movie.

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The Snowball Effect

Although he had no further desire to act, he continued to be offered multiple roles, which solidified his claim to fame. Some of these include parts in 21 Jump Street, Edward Scissorhands, and Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

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Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford’s journey to become the legendary actor starring in franchises like Indiana Jones and Star Wars was definitely an uphill climb. Despite following his passion for acting straight out of college, he was only given minor uncredited acting roles for Universal and Columbia Studios.

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A Twist Of Fate

This created some severe financial constraints, which forced him to take up carpentry to support his family. Coincidentally, after doing some repair work in George Lucas’s home, he was offered a role in the director’s upcoming film American Graffiti. This did not prove to be his breakthrough.

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Starring In Star Wars

Ford’s success began with his role as Han Solo in Star Wars, which he bagged by reading lines with the auditioning actors. Although the director, Lucas, was not very keen on recasting from American Graffiti, Ford managed to win him over with his performance, making history.

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Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson, who started acting at a young age, got his break with his role in Mad Max by George Miller. This memorable role kick-started his career in Hollywood, and here is how it all began.

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Black And Blue

Miller sent out a call for graduates of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) to audition for the lead actor in his new movie. Gibson, who fell into this category, decided against auditioning as he had a bruised face from an earlier fight.

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Cut Out For The Part

He drove his friend down to audition, however, and caught Miller’s eye because of his roughed-up face. Miller thought Gibson would be the perfect fit, as he needed someone to effectively portray the violence and chaos of the character. 

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Ellen Pompeo

When asked about her beginnings in television, Ellen Pompeo often states that “acting came to her.” While she always wanted to be an actor, not knowing how to go about it resulted in it fading into the background while she worked as a bartender.

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Raising The Bar

One night, while serving clients at a bar in New York, Pompeo happened upon a talent agent who offered her an audition. At first, she thought he was merely flirting with her, but the opportunity was genuine indeed, and she soon started acting in commercials.

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Law & Order

Not long after, she auditioned for and secured a role in Law & Order, which solidified her career in the film industry. Going on to star in many popular TV shows, Pompeo has had one of the most stable journeys in Hollywood. 

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Jason Statham

Brace yourselves because, surprisingly, Jason Statham has a remarkable athletic past. He was a diver who represented England in the Commonwealth Games in 1990 and narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in 1988.

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The French Connection

In order to fund his pursuits, he sold cheap watches and jewelry on the street, also taking up gigs as a model for the French Connection. The clothing brand was a prominent investor in the film industry, eventually leading to Statham’s introduction to director Guy Ritchie.

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Born For This

Ritchie was looking for an actor to play a street-smart con artist in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and was struck by the conviction with which Statham played the part. Statham found the character to be the perfect fit for his personality and accepted the role.

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Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt is a college dropout who has gone on to achieve some major roles in Jurassic World and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The story of how he got to where he is today is an interesting one.

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A Chance Encounter

Pratt worked odd jobs in Hawaii, including serving at Bubba Shrimp Company. Here, he met actor Rae Dawn Chong and secured a part in her directorial debut, Cursed Part 3. After his big break as Andy Dwyer in Parks & Recreation, Pratt shifted to film.

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Henry Golding

Before becoming one of the most prominent Asian actors of our day, Henry Golding was actually a television presenter living in Surrey, England. He was hosting shows for media outlets like BBC, ESPN, and Discovery Channel when he was unexpectedly called to audition.

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Globally Glamorous 

It started when director Jon M Chu made a global casting call for the lead actor in his new film. He was frustrated with the results obtained, with most characters played by already-established actors and no new talent discovered.

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Charisma & Charm

That’s when his accountant mentioned an attractive travel host with a charming personality who she thought would be a great fit. Despite initially brushing it off, Chu was instantly impressed by Golding’s mannerisms and cast him in the role of Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians.

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