10 Movie Stars Who Refused To Let Their Dark Past Ruin Them

Not all Hollywood stars are born famous. In fact, some of the biggest names in Hollywood started with a rough life. Some grew up in poverty and others have to deal with dysfunctional families. But these movie stars who refused to give up fight hard for their dreams. They didn’t give up and got rewarded with the sweetest prizes ever.
Here are 10 movie stars who refused to give up their dreams and let their dark past take a hold of them. Scroll down and check out their inspiring stories below!

1. Sydney Sweeney

Source: © Getty Images

When she was 12, Sydney Sweeney convinced her parents to let her with a five-year business plan because she wanted to audition for a small movie production. Her parents sold their house in Washington and moved to LA the following year. They couldn’t afford a big house so they had to live all in one room. Sydney and her mom shared the bed while her dad and brother shared the couch.
Their financial situation only got worse from that point on. This and the heavy judgments from their acquaintances took a toll on them. Sydney tried hard to make as much money as possible, thinking it would help her to buy her parents' house back and fix her family. She recalled that time, saying: "I had no idea getting into this industry how many people have connections. I started from ground zero, and I know how fucking hard it is.”

2. Viola Davis

Source: © Getty Images

Viola Davis’s childhood is not happy. She lived in "rat-infested and condemned" apartments with her poor and dysfunctional family. Her mother was a civil rights activist who got arrested during a protest. Davis was 2 at that time and she was taken to jail with her mother. When she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, Davis only got small roles in TV shows and movies.
Nowadays, she is one of the EGOT winners. Davis is the 18th person in history to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

3. Selena Gomez

Source: © Getty Images

Selena Gomez's mom, Mandy Teefy, was only 16 when she gave birth to Selena. The young mom gave up everything for her daughter. She worked three jobs and saved every penny to take care of Selena. The two of them lived in poverty to the point that they had to dig through the car to find quarters for gas. Selena’s passion and inspiration for acting came after she accompanied Mandy to her play rehearsals.

4. Sarah Jessica Parker

Source: © Getty Images

Sarah Jessica Parker also grew up in a poor family with seven siblings. They didn't always have money for electricity, phone service, Christmas presents, or birthday celebrations. Sarah got her first breakthrough role as the lead in Annie on Broadway at 14. She would later become an A-list actress in Hollywood, but the experience of living in poverty still haunted her.
In one of her interviews, Sarah told the New York Times, "My friends know me so well, and they know how terrified I am of being broke, and they think it is hilarious and humorous."

5. Annie Murphy

Source: © Getty Images

Annie Murphy started with a few minor TV roles here and there in Canada before moving to LA. She would be unemployed for the next two years. On top of that, Murphy’s house burned down leaving her homeless with only $400 to spend. The feeling of losing everything terrified her. Lucky for her, she was called in to audition for Schitt's Creek just two days later. Her performance of Alexis Rose won her an Emmy and a SAG Award.
The actress told Fashion Magazine, "I realized that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel; you just don’t quite know when you’ll be bathed in it."

6. Hilary Swank

Source: © Getty Images

Hilary Swank had to spend her childhood living in poverty. When she was 16, she and her mom relocated to LA and lived out of their car for a while. Swank’s schoolmates treated her like an outsider at school, and the teachers acted like they didn't want her there. The stress was too much and she had to drop out of high school. Acting brought her a sense of belonging, so she decided to pursue it.
Swank got her breakthrough role as the lead in Boys Don't Cry. Her performance won her an Oscar and started her rise to fame.

7. Halle Berry

Source: © Getty Images

Recalling her childhood, Halle Berry claimed that she felt like "a Black child being raised by a white woman." Her mother never support her dream of becoming an actress, and she refused to help her daughter when Berry ran out of money after three months in NYC. They didn't speak for a year after that.
However, Berry refused to give up her dream. She worked hard to prove her mother wrong, and succeed. The actress shared with The Jess Cagle Interview, “It was to prove to her and everybody else. And shelter life was part of figuring it out for a minute until I could get a waitressing job. Then I got a bartending job, and until I could p that out, that's what I did."

8. Jennifer Lopez

Source: © Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez also lived in poverty before she became a star. She and her two sisters all shared a room when they were kids. Her mom didn't approve of her dream, thinking she would do much better in college than pursuing a dance career. To prove her mother wrong, 18-year-old Lopez moved out and started sleeping in the office of her dance studio. Her success as a dancer later helped her break into acting and music.

9. Mila Kunis

Source: © Getty Images

Mila Kunis’s family moved from Ukraine to California when she was 7. They had nothing and lived in poverty for a long time. Her parents didn’t want her to become an actor because it was an "unstable and unpredictable profession." Kunis had to balance public school with acting from age 9.
After she got her role in That '70s Show, the actress was kicked out of her high school for missing too many days due to her filming schedule. Refusing to give up, she found a different school that was able to fit the show’s schedule.

10. Leighton Meester

Source: © Getty Images

And finally, Leighton Meester is one of the toughest movie stars who refused to let their dark past get a better hold of them. When she was born, both of her parents were in prison for involving in a drug smuggling ring. Leighton spent her childhood living with her grandma until her mom finished her sentence. Her parents split up when she was 6.
A few years later, Meester started acting at a local playhouse in Florida. Her mom got her an agent and moved the family to New York, but their lives didn’t get any better. When Leighton was in high school, they moved again to Los Angeles where they had to live in "the slums." She got her breakout role as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl after a few years.
Those are 10 movie stars who refused to let their dark past take them down. We hope that from their stories, you can find inspiration to pursue your dreams and achieve greatness. Speaking of which, these stars also had to fight tooth and nail for their goals. Find out their stories here!