Six Hollywood celebrities who found luck by chance
What's the story
Legendary Hollywood actor Sir Michael Caine recently revealed how a chance encounter with a bunch of pretty girls in a drama class in the 1960s prompted him to be an actor. The lure of these ladies made him quit his Billingsgate Fish Market job, and take up acting. The rest is history. However, he isn't the only one to have found fame by accident.
The change
Noted comedian Bill Cosby, now disgraced, was once a bartender
Before facing prison last year, Bill Cosby had a six-decade-long career. However, it was absolutely by chance that he could build his fortune. It so happened that in the late 1950s, Cosby was bartending at a nightclub. One day, the stand-up comic couldn't come, and he filled in. Eventually, he landed with a record deal, TV roles, and Cosby only went north from thereon.
The start
A bar is where Ashton Kutcher found his calling
Born into a typical working-class family, Hollywood was nowhere near Ashton Kutcher. His father struggled to feed the five mouths of the family, and Ashton lived a careless life. He faced teenage addictions, jail-time to empty wallets, but a chance meeting with a talent-scout at a bar in Iowa City changed his fate. He won a modeling competition, and travelled to New York.
Information
'That '70s Show' established Kutcher as a teenage heartthrob
He participated in an International Modelling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention, simultaneously building the right connections. Eventually, he became the face for brands like Calvin Klein, Versace. In late 1990s, he started playing Michael Kelso in That '70s Show, and a teenage heartthrob was born.
Vacation
'Hunger Games' Jennifer Lawrence's luck changed on a family vacation
Noted for playing Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series, Jennifer Lawrence, however, wasn't growing up to be an actor or even a model. It was when the then 14-year-old was walking in Union Square, Manhattan, while on a family vacation, and was spotted by an agent, that things started rolling. Auditions followed, and Lawrence grew up to be a top Hollywood star.
Jack Sparrow
Wanted to be musician, Johnny Depp became an actor instead
Johnny Depp wanted to be a musician. When he was 20, he married his band's bassist-singer's sister, Anne Allison. While she worked as a makeup artist, Depp did odd jobs, including as a pen company's telemarketer. Eventually, Allison introduced Depp to Nicolas Cage, who advised him to pursue acting. In 1984, Depp got his first film role, a year before he divorced Allison.
Turnaround
Natalie Portman was academically-inclined, but a pizza changed her fate
She had co-authored two research-papers that were published in scientific journals. But when a Revlon agent approached a 10-year-old Natalie Portman, happily-eating-pizza, her track changed from academics to showbiz. He asked her to become a model, which she refused. She instead auditioned for off-Broadway show Ruthless!, and was selected. Her movie career jump-started when she was chosen for Léon: The Professional a year later.
Playmate
Pamela Anderson's showbiz fame started due to wearing a T-shirt
Only person to hold the record to appear on maximum Playboy covers, Pamela Anderson's entertainment industry fame started with something as simple as a T-shirt. Yes, that's right! In 1989, she had attended a football game in Vancouver wearing a Labatt's Beer T-shirt. Cameras panned at her, and the massive exposure and attention she received eventually paved the way to her glittering modeling career.