Every actor in Hollywood has a story of working tirelessly to get their big break. But sometimes, fame doesn’t come in an audition or casting call. Some of the biggest celebrities around were discovered in the strangest ways. That’s destiny calling them in a pizza parlor or a public meltdown in the bank. Here are the 10 actors who were discovered in the strangest ways.
10. Natalie Portman
Back then, nine-year-old Natalie Portman was grabbing a slice of pizza with her mom after dance class. A representative from Revlon spotted them and approached the young Portman to be a child model. She eventually turned down the modeling offer since she has a passion for acting. With the connections she made, she honed her talent in theater productions until she landed her breakout role in the 1994 film, Léon: The Professional.
9. Vin Diesel
At the age of seven, the young Vin Diesel was caught breaking into a New York City theater together with his friends to vandalize. But instead of calling the police, the theater’s artistic director, Crystal Field, offered them a deal for roles in her upcoming play called Dinosaur Door for $20 a week. Diesel took the offer, where he continued acting until his teenage years, until he became one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars.
8. Pamela Anderson
The then 22-year-old Pamela Anderson was a fitness instructor in British Columbia, Canada. She attended the BC Lions Canadian Football League game while wearing a Labatt shirt when a camera operator pointed his lens at her and broadcast her image on the big screen. The company hired her as their spokesmodel until she landed an international career where she became the cover of a magazine. After, she landed the role of Lisa on the ABC hit comedy series Home Improvement, but eventually left to take the iconic role of C.J. Parker on Baywatch.
7. Chris Pratt
Then, 19-year-old Chris Pratt was a homeless man living in a van and a tent on the beach in Maui, Hawaii. While working in the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, he served actress and director Rae Dawn Chong, where Pratt told her that he always wanted to be in the movies. Chong was impressed with his charm and confidence that she cast him in her directorial debut of Cursed Part 3. It was never released, but it convinced Pratt to move to Los Angeles and pursue acting, where he landed his first major role as Bright Abbott on The WB drama Everwood.
6. Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson, who wasn’t an actor yet, accompanied his friend to an audition for the film Mad Max. He got into a fight in the bar the night before, which left him with a bruised face. When the casting directors saw his rugged and post-apocalyptic look, they took interest and asked him to come back and audition. He returned a few weeks later when he was all healed and handsome, and he eventually landed the lead role as Max Rockatansky.
5. Danny Trejo
Trejo spent most of his early life in and out of prison. In 1996, he found faith after a prison riot and became a member of the 12-step program. After his release in 1969, he worked with the Western Pacific Med Corp as a counselor and met a young man struggling on the set of the Runway Train film. Trejo met up with the man and was recognized by screenwriter and actor Edward Bunker, a fellow ex-convict who had done time with Trejo. He offered him a job as an extra in a prison scene in which he became the boxing trainer for actor Eric Roberts. The rest is history.
4. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp was a struggling musician when he moved to Los Angeles with his band, The Kids. He tagged along with his friend Jackie Earle Haley to audition for a horror film. While waiting, he caught the attention of Nicolas Cage, who was also auditioning. Cage convinced Depp to try acting and helped him get his first agent. He eventually landed a role in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street as Glen Lantz, the boyfriend of the film’s heroine. The role happened to be one of the most famous death scenes in horror movies, which launched Depp’s career.
3. Charlize Theron
At 18, the penniless Charlize Theron is cashing a check on Hollywood Boulevard from a modeling gig. However, the teller refused as she was not an American citizen. This led to a public meltdown, which caught the attention of a talent agent behind her named John Crosby. Crosby stepped in to cash the check for her and gave her a business card. He eventually became her manager as she was introduced to acting school until she landed her first film role in Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest in 1995. It launched her career until she became an Oscar-winning actress.
2. Jason Statham
Jason Statham used to be a competitive diver as he represented Britain at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. After his diving career ended, Statham sold knockoff goods to make ends meet. Guy Ritchie spotted him as he was looking for an authentic character for his film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. With that, he was cast to play a streetwise con man and black market jewelry hawker. The film became a massive success, and he became a go-to actor for action films.
1. Harrison Ford
Ford was a struggling actor who took up carpentry to support his family. While installing a door at Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope studios, Director George Lucas asked him to read lines with actors auditioning for roles of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker for a Star Wars casting. His sarcastic reading of Han Solo’s lines landed him the role. His performance became memorable, which launched his career.