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Some people go out and look for opportunities, and some have opportunities looking for them.
There have been celebrities who have been discovered out of the blue and have made it big on the tailcoats of these circumstances.
Let us take a look at the stars of today who made fortunes because of an “accident”.
1. Abraham Attah
We start with Ghana’s very own celebrity of the moment, Abraham Attah. Abraham Attah was playing hooky from school when he was approached by a member of the production staff of the Netflix movie Beasts of No Nation. He was brought in for an audition and won the lead role of Agu, an African boy forced into a team of mercenary fighters. He won the Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival and reportedly earned $1.2 million from his lead role.
2. Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawerence was on a vacation in New York when she was approached by an agent to pose for a photograph on the spot.
She subsequently got calls from a lot of agents and landed her signature role in “Winter’s Bone”.
3. Chris Patt
Chris Pratt worked on odd jobs here and there until he got a ticket to Hawaii from one of his friends. He didn’t even have a place to live and lived out of his car. One director noticed Pratt as he was bartending and offered him a role in a horrible movie.
But that got Pratt into Hollywood, and subsequently into stardom.
4. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp accompanied his friend to an audition for a horror movie. And as he looked really dashing even back then, the movie director spotted him and asked him to read a few lines from the script.
It is sufficient to say that he nailed it and got the role of the lead actor right then.
5. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was just 10 when she was approached by a model scout who wanted Portman to feature in a Revlon ad. She was eating a pizza in a pizza parlor at the time.
6. Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson got into a drunken brawl at a bar a night before he drove his friend to an audition for a movie. Looking all beaten up with bruises on his face, he was invited to do a piece of acting by the director on the spot.
The movie he landed the role for was Mad Max.
7. Evangeline Lily
Evangeline Lily was spotted by a modelling agent on the streets of Kelowna. She initially rejected the idea but was convinced after she saw the amount of money that could be made in the industry.
8. Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe worked in an ammunition factory when a military photographer clicked her photo for a military magazine.
The photographer pointed it out to her that she had the potential to be a big star, with her looks and all. And a star was born.
9. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron went in to cash a check in a bank in Hollywood and the cashier refused to cash the check. She lost her shit and started making a scene that impressed one of the Hollywood agents who was present there. He handed her his card and the rest is history.
10. Harrison Ford
Harrison ford was actually a carpenter, and quite a skilled one at that. One day he went and made cabinets for George Lucas who gave him his first movie role.
11. Ellen Pompeo
Ellen was a bartender and a talent scout noticed her and asked her to feature in a L’Oreal advertisement campaign.
12. Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum was roaming the streets of Miami when a model scout noticed him and asked him to pose for famous brands. He subsequently ended up modelling for brands like Pepsi and Vogue.
13. Will Smith
Will Smith was already a big shot rapper but did not debut with his acting skills. He asked for directions from a random man in the parking lot who turned out to the Vice President of Warner Bros. studio, who cast Will in the hit series “The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air”.
14. Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel was struggling after his college years and made a documentary film about a struggling actor, which impressed people and got screened in Cannes.
Steven Speilberg was impressed with him and offered him a role in Saving Private Ryan.
You never know when an opportunity might just approach you and give you its business card.
