If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming famous, then there’s no doubt you’ve imagined yourself getting
discovered by a big-deal Hollywood agent while you’re walking the streets, working
as a bartender, or even at a bank. Your friends will tell you that it’s too good to be true, but
that’s exactly what happened to these celebrities! So don’t give up on being accidentally discovered
just yet, because these stories will give you all the hope you need to carry on dreaming!
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Danny Trejo
This guy wouldn’t have thought that he’d make it big after getting out of the big house. Yep,
that’s right, Danny Trejo did some time in prison,
not once, not twice but a few times. He made friends with the wrong kind of guys
and landed up getting himself into some toxic habits during his younger years.
Thankfully, he was able to kick the bad-boy crew and get involved into a program that helped him
change his life for the better. He also took on boxing to help him through the really tough days.
One day, when Danny was speaking at a program, he was approached by a guy who needed his
help … in a movie. A screenwriter who had actually spent time with Danny in prison,
remembered how talented he was at boxing and saw him speaking at the program too!
He offered to pay Trejo to train some actors for a film, and the director
was so impressed by his look and talent as a boxer, that he cast him in the movie as well!
Danny has been a legend on screen ever since.
Ellen Pompeo
The future Meredith Grey did not have an easy breezy upbringing.
When she was just five years old, her mother died of an overdose. She and her siblings were
raised by their father and grandparents, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for everyone.
Ellen knew she wanted to be an actress star on TV, but just like many other
young aspiring artists trying to make it big, she battled to make ends meet financially.
She took up work as a bartender, in a local New York City bar to help pay her bills. One evening,
while she was working and serving up drinks to the regulars, she was approached by a casting
agent who tried to give her advice on how to become a successful actress in Hollywood.
Ellen initially took the agent’s advice as flirting, and wasn’t having any of it.
But after much convincing, she finally agreed and signed up as an actress.
Soon she was acting in commercials and landing minor television roles, including Law & Order
and Friends. Finally, the actress made her big break in Grey’s Anatomy and the rest is history.
Johnny Depp
Depp had always longed to be a musician. That’s right! He didn’t have the hopes for
Oscars and the movie star status. He wanted to play his guitar, make music and be a rockstar.
Funny how these things worked out, isn’t it? You want one thing,
but the universe can have a totally different plan out there for you.
After convincing his mom to buy him a guitar,
at the age of 13 he was already part of a garage band, playing for small parties
and even in nightclubs that he would have to be snuck into due to being underage.
He was so determined to live his dream,
that at 15 he dropped out of school to pursue his music career.
The path to fame wasn’t easy, and soon money became an issue for young Johnny and his band.
They even had to resort to taking the job of selling pens to people over the phone.
Sadly, the band broke up before ever getting to sign a record deal.
But one day, fate smiled upon Jonny, when none other than Nicolas Cage, saw him applying for a
position in a video store and thought young Depp should consider trying out some acting. He even
offered to get Depp in contact with his agent. It really doesn't get any luckier than that!
Depp took him up on the offer, and Cage's agent sent him to the
casting director for the upcoming film A Nightmare On Elm Street.
Johnny nailed the audition and landed his first role that launched his now legendary career.
Harrison Ford
After giving up everything he had to move to Hollywood to follow his dream of becoming an
actor, Harrison Ford was struggling to make things meet. Despite all his hard work, he still wasn’t
gaining any traction as an actor and he wasn’t getting noticed by any of the important people.
Running out of cash, Ford made a decision to teach himself carpentry and take a job
as a carpenter in order to pay the bills that were quickly starting to pile up.
One day, while doing the woodwork he was spotted by George Lucas who asked
the actor to audition for the part of Han Solo. With the success of Star Wars,
we’re pretty sure that Harrison never had to return to work as a carpenter ever again.
Natalie Portman
Before she was winning an Oscar for Black Swan
or stealing the heart of King Henry the 8th as The Other Boleyn Girl,
Nataie Portman was just your average 10-year-old eating pizza with her mom after a dance class.
While she was chowing down her pizza, an agent approached her and her mom and insisted that
the young Natalie come through to the agency and try out as a model.
Only Natalie could make eating a pizza look so cool it would grab an agent’s attention.
Portman, already wise beyond her years, knew then that she didn’t want to be involved in a business
where people would judge her based on her looks and said she would rather join as an actress.
"I was excited. As a 10-year-old girl, it was super-flattering."
Now a young actress, Portman spent a few summers honing her
acting skills by working in theater productions.
In 1993, she auditioned for the part in The Professional.
At first, young Natalie was turned down for the role because they thought she was too young.
But, after a few more callbacks, the actress got the part.
Rosario Dawson
Imagine: you are sitting on your stoop one day, just taking in a little fresh air and enjoying the
sound of the New York City buzz, when suddenly a movie director comes up to you and tells you
you’d be a great actress and offers you an audition to a big up and coming movie.
Yeah, well Rosario didn’t have to imagine that hard because that’s what happened to her. Yep,
seriously. She was just sitting outside, doing absolutely nothing,
but director Larry Clark saw something special about her and he was absolutely spot on about it!
The film Kidz shot the actress into stardom and what followed was more
than just a successful career in Hollywood, but several awards under her belt too. Not bad, eh?
Ashton Kutcher
Would you believe it if we told you that Ashton Kutcher wasn’t even interested in becoming an
actor? We know, it’s crazy right? What would the world be without That 70’s Show legend?
Well, if it wasn’t for the talent scout that spotted Kutcher at a bar while he was
out partying with his friends, we might not have known the Killers actor even existed.
And poor Mila Kunis would have never met her husband.
Kutcher was majoring in engineering at the University of Iowa when he was scouted
and encouraged to enter a modeling competition. Ashton landed up winning the entire contest and
quickly made up his mind … he dropped out of college to become a professional model, working
for brands like Calvin Klein and Versace before he landed a leading role on “That ’70s Show” in 1998.
Charlize Theron
The moment you lose your temper at whoever it is that’s riled you up to the point of an explosion
of anger, you know you’re making a scene, you know you’re catching the attention of onlookers.
You wouldn’t think that you’d be gaining any positive impressions,
screaming at the top of your lungs, red in the face and perhaps spitting just a little bit.
Well, that wasn’t the case for Oscar Winner Charlize Theron.
She was scouted at a bank by a talent agent after throwing a tantrum at a banking teller.
"If I didn't cash that check, I wouldn't have had a place to sleep that night,"
We think it must have been quite the theatrical performance to have gotten an
acting agent’s attention. After seeing what Charlize’s characters in her movies
look like when they get mad … we feel pretty sorry for that banking teller.
Thankfully, Charlize was able to get her check cashed, and she left
the bank with her money in her purse and the agent's business card in her pocket.
You see, living your dream is possible! Sometimes it might not be the dream you
planned for in the beginning, like our friend Ashton Kutcher who was studying
Engineering before he decided to take a chance and follow a different path.
Sometimes you have to be willing to take a risk in order to make your dreams come true, and if these
celebs’ discovery stories have taught us anything, is that the risk for a dream is always worth it!