Everybody knows that, in most cases, it takes a lot of effort to accomplish the things we want to achieve. Whether it’s fulfilling a dream, traveling to a place you’ve always wanted to go to, or graduating from a career, it all takes planning, effort, and patience. The same goes for the entertainment industry, where actors, singers, and all sorts of artists must work hard for a long time in order to become a household name. In some cases, they succeed through perseverance and find success later in life, like Samuel L. Jackson, who played minor roles for more than 25 years before landing his breakthrough role of Jules Winnfield in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction.

Many actors pursue stardom from an early age, while others discover their passion for acting as adults, such as Nicole Kidman, who had a completely different career as a masseuse before she became an actress, or Danny DeVito, who worked in his sister’s hairdresser’s salon. For those with connections in the industry, or who come from a family of famous actors and follow in their parents’ footsteps, there is certainly an initial boost that often helps them on their way to the top. Yet, there is a small group of artists whose beginnings were entirely different, as they were discovered by chance, in completely serendipitous and unforeseen ways. Whether it was through a fight, intercepted on the streets, or in the midst of a discussion with a bank representative, many actors got their first break because they were in the right place at the right time. This may have been luck, or the work of fate, but there’s no doubt that these actors have some interesting stories to share about their beginnings. Let’s review eight of them.

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8 Ellen Pompeo

     Shondaland

For nearly two decades, Ellen Pompeo has been recognized worldwide for her role as Dr. Meredith Grey in the medical drama television series Grey’s Anatomy. However, this may never have happened. By the mid-90s, Pompeo was working as a bartender at a New York bar when a client, who happened to be a casting agent, persuaded her to attend an audition. At first, Pompeo thought he was just flirting with her, but that wasn’t the case: soon after, she started working in commercials and went on to land some minor roles in TV series, such as Friends and Law & Order.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 Mel Gibson

     Icon Productions

When cast auditions for George Miller’s Mad Max began, Mel Gibson had no intention of auditioning, but his friend Steve Bisley did, and he asked him for a lift. The night before auditions, Gibson got into a bar fight, which left him completely bruised in the face. Unexpectedly, his battered look at the audition drew the director’s attention, as Miller thought he might be a good fit as an extra, so he asked him to go back in a few weeks. By the time they met again, Gibson had already recovered, and instead of being hired as an extra, he was offered to lead the film.

6 Charlize Theron

     Warner Bros

Charlize Theron used to be a model and dancer before turning to acting. In fact, she would have never dabbled in this discipline had it not been for a knee injury that put her off dancing. Living in Los Angeles, Theron struggled to make ends meet and lived off her mother’s money while trying to make a name for herself in the film industry. One day, per Vogue, she went to cash one of her checks at the bank, and when it bounced, she got into an argument with the teller. Little did she know that John Crosby, a talent agent who would later become her manager, was there and offered to help her start her career. He also managed to get her her first role in Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest.

5 Danny Trejo

     Disney+

Danny Trejo has worked in a number of productions, from the Spy Kids franchise to dramas such as Blood In Blood Out and Heat. However, Trejo’s start in acting was almost serendipitous. In the mid-80s, after his release from prison and his recovery from a drug addiction, Trejo started working as a counselor for young people with drug problems, and one of his clients, a young actor, asked him to join him on the set of Runaway Train for support. Little did Trejo know that there he would end up landing his first job in the industry as an extra, launching him on a new career path.

4 Jennifer Lawrence

     Columbia Pictures

Jennifer Lawrence is one of the highest paid actresses of recent times. However, like every actor on this list, her break into the industry happened purely by chance. At the age of 14, per MTV, Lawrence traveled to New York with her parents and, as they were walking around the city, a talent scout came up to them and asked for permission to take a picture of her and to save her mother’s phone number. Shortly after, the teen landed her first roles, initially in commercials and subsequently in movies and TV shows such as Monk and Garden Party.

3 Harrison Ford

     Lucasfilm

The story behind Harrison Ford’s rise to prominence as Han Solo is truly impressive. Back then, Ford was still struggling to make it in the industry, and supported his family by working as a carpenter. After repairing a few things at George Lucas’ house, he was offered a minor role in the director’s film American Graffiti. A few years later, Lucas hired him again, this time to read lines for actors auditioning for Star Wars. Of course, it was Harrison himself who eventually caught the director’s attention, landing him the most important role of his career: Han Solo.

2 Johnny Depp

     Walt Disney Pictures

Johnny Depp was planning to devote himself to music, were it not for the fact that his band ended up splitting in the 80s. By 1984, he made a momentous decision that would end up turning his life around: he accompanied a friend to audition for Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street and, instead of his friend, it was Depp who caught the director’s eye. That is how Depp got his first role as Glen Lantz, and six years later, he would land one of the biggest roles of his career: Edward Scissorhands.

1 Natalie Portman

     Fox Searchlight Pictures

The star of productions such as Black Swan and V for Vendetta did not plan to pursue acting either. However, when she was still a child, and while she was having pizza at a New York restaurant, a Revlon representative approached her and offered her a gig as a model. Natalie Portman accepted the offer, and for some time she worked as a model, before eventually getting bored and deciding to devote herself to acting. Soon after, she would make her film debut big time, co-starring in Léon: The Professional alongside Jean Reno and Gary Oldman.