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15 Actors Who Stumbled Butt-First Into Legendary Careers

Sometimes the best way to break into the business is to mind your own.

15 Actors Who Stumbled Butt-First Into Legendary Careers

April 12, 2021

Lots of megastars were just average, work-a-day Joes like you and me, working their humble little jobs -- waiting tables, packing parachutes for our boys overseas, or sweeping up dust at a cereal factory. Then they caught the eye of the right horny sleezeball, and EVERYTHING changed.

15

Hulk Hogan was slappin' da bass. CRAGKEDCOM Before he became a beloved pasta mogul, he was trying to make it in the Florida rock scene as a bass guitarist. Some pro wrestlers saw him at a gig, and put him in touch with legendary trainer Hiro Matsuda. — Source: The 5 Most Accidentally Famous Movie Stars

14

Bill Cosby needed to appease a bar full of crusty Philadelphians. A comic scheduled to perform at the bar he was tending cancelled at the last minute. Rather than leave his patrons hanging, he decided to hop on stage and riff on his childhood and family, which immediately resonated — Source: MentalFloss

13

Steven Seagal was the subject of a bet. Legendary Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz reportedly caught a glimpse of this ponytailed beefcake at an aikido class, and bet his friends that he could turn even the most uncharismatic person into a celebrity. — Source: The 5 Most Accidentally Famous Movie Stars

12

Sharlto Copley let some kid borrow his computer. CRACKED CON As an entrepreneur and up-and-coming TV producer, Copley let some kid named Neill Blomkamp use his computer for some graphic design sh*t. Later, that kid cast Copley in District 9, and then every subsequent film he made. — Source: YouTube

11

Burt Reynolds was trying to skate through community college. After an injury put an end to his football career, he started taking classes at a junior college to figure out his next move. A professor was so impressed with his reading of Shakespeare that he encouraged him to go — Source: The 5 Most Accidentally Famous Movie Stars

10

David Boreanaz was walking his dog. A neighbor saw this beautiful, brooding man walking his dog one day, and decided to hook him up with his pal - - Buffy writer Marti Noxon. — Source: GQ

9

Jason Statham was training for the Olympics. Statham was actually an accomplished diver, competing on Britain's National Diving Squad in 1992. He had his sights on the Olympics, however, and was spotted at the gym by a talent agent while (presumably) working on those crazy faces they always make — Source: The 5 Most Accidentally Famous Movie Stars

8

Natalie Portman was eating pizza with her mom. CRACKED 11-year-old Portman was chilling at a pizza joint on Long Island when a Revlon rep came over and told her she should be a model. Instead of immediately calling the cops, young Natalie says kept my cool. I told him — Source: Bio

7

Pamela Anderson was caught on a jumbotron. EX CRACKED CO A very horny camera operator became fixated on a babe wearing a Labatt's shirt at a Canadian Football League game one day. The crowd loved her so much, she was brought down onto the field for a more public oggling. She — Source: 7 Celebrity Careers That Launched by Accident

6

Charlize Theron screamed at a bank teller. CRACKED.COM When a bank teller refused to cash her out-of-state check, Theron started absolutely melting down (she was broke at the time, SO... understandable). A talent agent in line her saw a performance, not a freak-out, and gave her his card. — Source: Oprah

5

Rosario Dawson was exercising squatters rights on a stoop. 4638 The home she grew up in was an abandoned apartment that her mother had broken into. While she was sitting on the stoop one day, some random screenwriter told her she'd be perfect for his film about underage kids — Source: 7 Celebrity Careers That Launched by Accident

4

Danny Trejo met the right guy at an AA meeting. CRACKED CON Before he got into acting, he'd already lived several different lives: drug addiction, jail time, and ultimately boxing notoriety and sobriety. Someone heard him speak at a meeting, and asked him to come be an extra on the film — Source: USA Today

3

Marilyn Monroe was just trying to do her job. CRACKEDCO While working at a munitions plant, a photographer for an army magazine called YANK (seriously) informed her that she was incredibly hot. This kindly, generous, totally not horny scuzzball inspired her to take acting classes, go blonde, and publicly seduce — Source: 7 Celebrity Careers That Launched by Accident

2

Chris Pratt took the right shift at Bubba Gump Shrimp. While waiting tables at a Hawaii Bubba GumP one day, a 19-year-old Pratt charmed the pants off of actress director Rae Dawn Chong, who cast him in his first film. — Source: CNBC

1

Mel Gibson drove a buddy to work. GRACKEDCOM He agreed to take a friend to an audition for a little dystopian film called Mad Max. But the night before, he got jacked right up in a bar fight. Director George Miller saw him, and told him to come back and — Source: 7 Celebrity Careers That Launched by Accident

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