10 People Who Didn’t Expect to Become Top-Notch Hollywood Celebrities

People
year ago

Some celebrities work hard and had always dreamt of standing in front of thousands of spotlights, rolling cameras and millions of devoted fans. Others have become famous thanks to a chance meeting that turned their lives upside down. It doesn’t mean they weren’t aware of their own talents but due to a lucky turn of events, they realized what they really wanted to do in life.

Bright Side gathered several such stories about celebs that found fame by accident. You’ll agree that each of these stories sounds like a fairytale.

Jennifer Lawrence

Very few young people love to spend summer holidays with their parents. But Jennifer Lawrence surely had the time of her life during a family vacation when she was 14. While her family was walking in New York, a casting agent noticed the young actress. He approached the family, asked if he could take Jennifer’s photo and wrote down her telephone number. He called her the next day and invited the future Academy Award winner to her first ever acting audition.

Johnny Depp

In his youth, Depp was a real rebel of a guy. He truly believed that he’d become a real rock star. He performed in bars with his band, The Kids, and even dropped out of school to devote more time to his music. However, Lori Anne Allison, Johnny’s first wife, introduced him to Nicolas Cage. Cage thought of Depp as of a promising actor. Cage encouraged the young rebel to meet an agent.

Alexis Bledel

Alexis was a very shy, closed off child. To cope with her insecurities she joined a local theatre group. During a performance in a small shopping center, a modeling agent noticed the young actress. He invited her to move to New York and begin a career in fashion. The future star of Gilmore Girls said yes.

Justin Bieber

Justin’s childhood was pretty ordinary but the things that followed could truly be defined as magical. The boy’s mother raised him by herself — she had to hold more than one full-time job to get enough money. She was really proud when her 12-year-old son participated in the local talent show. The mother filmed his performance and uploaded the video to YouTube. Producer Scooter Braun saw the video and didn’t have a single doubt that pretty soon the boy would become what everyone was talking about.

Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum used to work as a stripper and many people love to recall this fun fact. However, it wasn’t the only daring job he tried to do when he was young. He also worked as a builder, an assistant in a vet clinic, and a shop salesman. A chance meeting put an end to his changing from one job to another. While Tatum was walking on Miami Beach, a modeling agent approached him and invited him to take part in show business.

Ellen Pompeo

Ellen Pompeo is widely known for her role as Meredith Grey from the TV series Grey’s Anatomy. In the ’90s, she used to work as a waitress in a cafe. There, she was noticed by a fashion photographer. Soon they started dating and moved to New York to conquer the world of show business. First, she took part in commercials and then went to an audition for Law & Order.

Mel Gibson

If it wasn’t for his sister who secretly sent Mel’s resume to an acting studio, he would most likely be a famous journalist and not an Academy Award nominee. However, fate favored Gibson and the casting director invited him to an audition. Gibson decided to trust his sister’s intuition and entered the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.

Pamela Anderson

Who knew that one could become famous while supporting their favorite sports team? But that’s exactly how the 21-year-old Pamela Anderson started her career. Back then she was just an ordinary girl from Vancouver where she worked as a fitness trainer. During the sports game, her emotional reaction was captured on camera. Pamela got onto the broadcast of the game on local TV which was accidentally seen by a PR agent from the Labatt company. It was them that offered her the first modeling contract.

Charlize Theron

Who would think anything positive of a woman yelling at a bank clerk? Turns out, the agent who witnessed such a scene was impressed by Charlize’s temper. Yes, that yelling woman was, in fact, Charlize Theron, who was having issues with her bank card at the time. She moved to New York from South Africa to become a famous ballet dancer, but she had to give up on her dream due to a leg injury. She was broke when she met that movie agent, which is why she agreed to give acting a try.

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s career started much earlier than the other celebs featured in this article. The baby girl was just 4 years old when a chance meeting determined her fate. She was having lunch with her mother in a Burger King when a manager approached her mother and asked if they wanted to take part in a commercial. Unlike many other young stars, Sarah managed to stay in show business and even became one of the top teen idols of the 2000s.

What story did you like the most? Did your life ever change after a lucky turn of events? Share your stories with us in the comments!

Please note: This article was updated in May 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.

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