Many people dream of stepping into the world of acting but it’s hard to make it come true. Just like any job, there is the possibility of rejection. It can take countless auditions, acting classes, and considerable efforts to make it to the top. Acting is indeed one of the most difficult professions to get into and not many people end up becoming A-list stars
.However, there have been some
celebrities that rose to stardom even without auditioning. For example,
Mel Gibson drove one of his friends to audition for "Mad Max"
. Director George Miler spotted Gibson in the background and found him suitable for the role of a villainous. However, he cast him in the lead role, police officer Max Rockatansky in the movie
. Since then, Mel Gibson become one of the hunkiest actors in Hollywood.
Below are 12 celebs who got their big break by being in the right place at the right time.
#1 Channing Tatum
Source: East News
Channing Tatum had no plans of being a professional actor. He had a passion for football and earned a football scholarship to a school in West Virginia, but dropped out of it. Tatum was spotted by a talent scout for a modeling agency while walking around Miami. After that, we saw the actor in a bunch of films like “She's The Man”, “Coach Carter” or “Step Up”.
#2 Jennifer Lawrence
Source: Gregg DeGuire
Jennifer Lawrence was only 12 years old when an agent spotted her strolling around New York City's Union Square. Her mother did not want her to pursue an acting career. With no intentions of acting, Lawrence starts as a model. In 2002, she made her acting debut on the television series Monk. Since then, Lawrence is recognized as one of Hollywood's biggest actors with many prestigious awards.
#3 Natalie Portman
Source: Shutterstock
Natalie started her career early. She was approached by a Revlon representative while eating pizza with her parents. She picked up modeling but later decided to become an actress. She came to the limelight owing to her role in “The Professional”, where she was cast as an assassin.
#4 Sarah Michelle Gellar
Source: Shutterstock
Sarah Michelle Gellar started acting at a young age. When an agent spotted her, she was a normal four-year-old girl enjoying her meal at a restaurant in New York City. She landed her first role within a week. Gellar acted in “An Invasion of Privacy” and later had roles in several
TV Shows.
#5 Matthew McConaughey
Source: East News
Matthew McConaughey had no interest in following in his father’s footsteps and going into the oil business. Eventually, he discovered that he wanted to be an actor. He made appearances in a few student film commercials before meeting a producer in a hotel bar in Austin. The producer then introduced Matthew to the famous director, Richard Linklater in the process of casting “Dazed and Confused”.
#6 Marilyn Monroe
Source: East News
Marilyn Monroe was spotted by a photographer while working in a factory. The photographer took pictures of her and posted them in the brand’s magazine and Marilyn blew up. Her debut film was “Dangerous Years”, which acted in 1947. In the following years, we saw her appearing in several shows such as “Some Like It Hot” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”.
#7 Ashton Kutcher
Source: East News
Michael Kelso was considered the breakout character on “That ‘70s Show” and that role seemingly kicked off Ashton Kutcher’s acting career. He originally had aspirations to major in biochemical engineering. While attending the University of Iowa, Kutcher caught the eye of a model scout at a bar. He left school and visited the International Modeling and Talent Association Competition in New York. After that, Kutcher successfully transitioned from modeling to acting.
#8 Mel Gibson
Source: East News
When being young, Mel Gibson had no intentions of being a big actor. He shared that he was giving a friend a ride to audition for “Mad Max” and director George Miller saw something in Mel. Maybe it was all of the bruises on his face since he got in a bar fight the night before, making him look like a bad boy. The director believed Mel would make a good fit for a “villainous’ role in the film, but then he cast him as the lead role.
#9 Eva Mendes
Source: East News
Eva Mendes began her acting career after a talent manager saw her photo in a friend’s portfolio. Her first role was that of one in a group of young people who become lost in middle America in the horror film ‘Children of The Corn V: Fields of Terror”. After that, she landed many roles and received many awards and nominations.
#10 Rosario Dawson
Source: East News
Unlike other actors in this category, Rosario Dawson wasn’t spotted outside. While she was hanging out on her porch one day, she had the good fortune of crossing paths with director Larry Clark and screenwriter Harmony Korine. They encouraged her to audition for a movie they were making and Dawson got the role of Ruby in “Kids”. The first film brought her to the limelight. She didn’t wait for long before landing a role in “He Got Game”.
#11 Vin Diesel
Source: East News
Vin Diesel’s acting career started by chance as he and his friend decided to break into a theater and tried to vandalize it. A lady stopped them and offered them $20 with a script, on the condition that they would attend rehearsals every day after school. That was a start of a successful career.
#12 Jason Statham
Source: East News
The talented actor was formerly a street driver who sold fake jewelry on London streets. He was spotted by an agent when working out. He was asked to cast as Bacon, an illegal street vendor in "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. He has featured in several films in his career, both the lead roles and side roles.