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It’s crazy to think that there was a time when the celebrities we love today were just unknown people with dreams of stardom. While some of them made their way to the top through years and years of auditioning and hustling, for others it all came down to the hands of fate. Some stars were just going about their ordinary lives when they were discovered and called to the limelight.
Reading about how celebrities were discovered is pretty inspirational. It makes you realize that you should never say never because anything could happen! Check out these 10 insane celebrity discovery stories.
Charlize Theron: Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard isn’t as glamorous as most people think it is. Some tourists are disappointed when they see the famous street for the first time since it doesn’t represent the Hollywood that most people imagine. But a trip to Hollywood Boulevard changed Charlize Theron’s life.
According to Fandango, she was arguing with a bank manager on the strip when she was spotted by a casting agent. Fast forward eight months and Theron had her first acting job. We all know what happened next! She now has one of the most successful careers of the age!
Jennifer Lawrence: On A New York City Vacation
Another star who has enough appeal to catch the attention of a scout on the street is Jennifer Lawrence. The Kentucky-born actress was just 14 years old when she was visiting New York for a family vacation. It was there that a talent scout saw her and asked her to audition for talent agents.
Even though Lawrence’s mom, Karen, did not want her daughter to become an actress, she moved the family to New York for a while so Lawrence could read for a few roles. She impressed the agents she read for and pursued her acting career, despite her mom’s wishes for her to become a model.
Pamela Anderson: A BC Lion’s Game
You never know when you might be spotted! For Pamela Anderson, her big break came in the most unlikely of places: a BC Lion’s game in Vancouver, Canada. As NY Daily News reports, she was wearing a Labatt beer T-shirt and attracted the attention of the cameras, who showed her on the big screen. She was a huge hit with the crowd and then eventually the brewing company.
Labatt hired her for their commercials, which was the perfect platform to help Anderson get her name out there. It wasn’t long after she started appearing on their commercials that she landed on the cover of Playboy.
Gisele Bündchen: McDonald’s
If there’s one place you don’t expect to run into a future star, it’s McDonald’s. But that’s exactly where supermodel Gisele Bündchen was when she was discovered for the first time. She was only 14 years old and was on a school trip in Porto Alegre in Brazil. A scout noticed her among the crowd and decided to take a chance on her.
As it turns out, that was a wise decision. Bündchen is one of the most well-known models in the industry and has even become a household name.
Daniel Radcliffe: At The Theatre
The story of how Daniel Radcliffe won the role of Harry Potter is almost as famous as the wizarding story itself! At the time, the young actor had already appeared in the TV miniseries David Copperfield, where he played the young titular character. The story goes that he happened to be sat behind the Harry Potter producer one night at the theatre in London, who spotted him and asked him to play the part.
The truth is a little less exciting than that, though. In reality, Radcliffe had already been asked to audition before he went to the theatre and ran into the producer. But running into the producer did result in his parents being convinced to let him audition for the role.
Sofia Vergara: The Beach
Not everybody looks their best on the beach, but Sofia Vergara is one of those lucky people who has enough natural charisma in a bikini to attract the attention of a talent scout. According to People, the star was only 17 when she was discovered during a relaxing day at the beach with her parents.
“I was 17. I was at the beach with my parents and some scout asked to take a Polaroid of me,” she said in an interview with E! in 2013. Although some people would be cautious of random people asking to take photos of them at the beach, this one turned out to be legit! Vergara did her first commercial that year.
Chris Pratt: Working At Bubba Gump
Chris Pratt has one of the most amazing rags-to-riches discovery stories in the industry. Pratt was a struggling actor living in Maui and working at Bubba Gump to pay the bills. But a chance meeting with a Hollywood director changed his life.
The director happened to be in Maui and went into Bubba Gump, where he got chatting to Pratt. He was initially charmed by Pratt and asked if he acted. After that, it only took Pratt four days to move to Los Angeles and start reading for the roles that would turn him into a star.
Ellen Pompeo: Working As A Bartender
It’s a pretty good day at work when a casting agent approaches you and offers you some free advice on how to become a star! That’s what happened to Ellen Pompeo, who was working as a bartender in New York City in the 1990s.
When the casting agent came in and started chatting to Pompeo, she mistook it as flirting and dismissed it, according to Ranker. But something made her listen in the end because she soon ended up acting in commercials and even landing television roles in major shows such as Friends.
Haley Joel Osment: Ikea
Just when you thought you had enough reasons to go to Ikea. Haley Joel Osment, who was launched to international fame after portraying Cole in The Sixth Sense, went to the Ikea in Burbank where there were two casting agents taking photos of all the kids in the store. After having his photo taken, Osment was called to do a few commercials.
Once his commercials circulated, Osment started getting calls from important people, including the casting director for Forrest Gump. Osment ended up landing a part in the iconic film alongside Tom Hanks.
Ashton Kutcher: In A Bar
As it turns out, Ashton Kutcher isn’t just a pretty face. Before he became an actor, he was studying engineering at the University of Iowa. The stars aligned during one night when Kutcher took some time off studying to chill out in a bar. He was spotted by a talent agent who recommended that he enter a modeling competition.
After winning first place in said modeling competition, Kutcher signed with a modeling agency in New York. He was soon appearing in ads for brands such as Calvin Klein and Abercrombie & Fitch.