9 Actors Who Took Rocky Roads Before Finding Fame

Hardships are always present in our lives to teach us valuable lessons. Just like us, celebrities had to overcome difficult obstacles before becoming famous. But after overcoming them, feeling and achieving success was as sweet as can be.

1. Sylvester Stallone

Before he became famous, Sylvester Stallone had to sell his dog for $40 just to eat. But then he wrote a script for his movie concept, which became the film, Rocky. After hearing about his story, a producer expressed interest in purchasing the script, but he didn’t want Stallone to appear in the movie.

He disagreed and refused the $360,000 pay to have an acting opportunity. The producer had no choice but to make him the star of the film. After its release, the movie was so successful that Stallone got instant recognition, and the rest is history.

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger desired to play a hero in the film, The Terminator, despite the fact that the role only had 27 lines. It could have gone differently, and this iconic role would not exist today. He was initially opposed to playing the Terminator, but he was eventually persuaded to do so, and his performance has remained unforgettable to this day.

3. Chazz Palminteri

Chazz Palminteri was 38 years old when he ran out of money despite appearing in several films, as he just wasn’t breaking through. Recalling this time, he said, “I had to do something. I said, if they won’t give me a great part, I’ll write one myself. This whole idea of doing a play or a movie on stage by myself.”

Then he made A Bronx Tale. After that, though he made millions in the next years, there were still challenges for him. Nevertheless, the idea he came up with served as his big break.

4. Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt worked as a chicken mascot for El Pollo Loco, a restaurant chain that serves Mexican-style grilled chicken, before becoming famous. He couldn’t remember how much he used to make when asked, but he worked at that restaurant just to have something to eat.

5. Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman was a physical education teacher. In an interview, he recognized the reporter and said, “Rollo, I’m sorry mate, but we go way back, I used to teach you at a high school in P.E., and I want to know how your physical education is progressing. It’s very important to me.” At that time, he was pretty famous and had gotten his major breakthrough.

6. Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams worked at McDonald’s before becoming an iconic actress. She said, “I worked at McDonald’s for about 3 years. I wasn’t a great employee. I broke the orange juice machine one day,” adding that she wouldn’t mind running a restaurant if she wasn’t an actress, as long as she had the right recipes to cook properly.

7. George Clooney

George Clooney used to work as a door-to-door insurance salesman. He said, “I sold insurance door-to-door, but it didn’t work out well.” He even sold shoes before becoming an iconic figure. However, his adversity taught him some valuable lessons that he has applied even now that he is a celebrity.

8. Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston experienced some rough times before making it big. She said, “I had moved away from home. I had been on 6 failed television shows. I waitressed for years in New York before I got anything. And I was a telemarketer selling time-shares in the Poconos. I didn’t make one sale. I was terrible at it.”

But despite these hardships, she moved on and kept going until she found the perfect opportunity.

9. Sofía Vergara

Sofía Vergara studied dentistry before becoming an actress. She said, “I wanted to be a doctor, but being a doctor takes so much time, years of studying. It’s difficult. So the next best thing for me at that time was to be a dentist. So I went to dental school, but I didn’t finish.”

Which of these celebrities inspired you the most? Do you have any similar stories like these? Tell us in the comments.