Known for having a profound effect on the cinema all around the world, Hollywood is the biggest film industry in the world. The industry has seen countless stars who have graced the silver screen over the decades and emerging talents who created a legacy with their art. However, the journey to make it among the top stars is undeniably challenging. It takes unwavering dedication and relentless effort.
At times, things get so hard that they consider leaving it all for good until they get what they have been waiting for. Following is the list of the actors who decided to walk away from the glam world, before they had there big break.
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Hollywood Stars Who Nearly Walked Away
John Krasinski
John Krasinski is known for starring in the NBC sitcom The Office. Over the years, he has also transitioned into a successful filmmaker with movies like A Quiet Place. However, it wasn’t always the same for the actor, as he worked in several commercials after moving to New York to pursue an acting career.
During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the actor shared that his mother advised him to put himself out of the acting if he did not make it in two and a half or three years. However, the situation seemed to have reversed two and a half years later.
Krasinski shared that he was ready to wrap it up and head back home, but his mother suggested to wait a bit longer. “It’s so scary. This is the worst. Waiting tables, not as fun as they say,” he said. His mother’s intuition was right, as the actor landed the role of Jim Halpert in The Office three weeks later, which ultimately became a career-defining project for the actor.
Gal Gadot
Life has a way of transforming dramatically in a matter of days, and the Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot had a similar experience before she almost left Hollywood for good. Gadot, who made her Hollywood debut with Fast & Furious (2009), starred in several movies later on.
Her next big on-screen appearance came in the fifth installment of the Fast & Furious. During an interview with Access Hollywood, the actress shared that she never thought of becoming an actress. But she loved it when she had the opportunity to do so. However, going through several rejections was not easy for her.
“There’s so much rejection in this profession,” she said. It all came to a point when she started questioning everything. The actress shared that she was planning to leave the industry during an LA trip with her husband. It was also around the time she had the auditions for Wonder Woman, the role that turned her into one of the biggest actors in the industry.
Melissa McCarthy
The two-time Oscar nominee, Melissa McCarthy, shared that she had plans to quit show business if she did not make it in the industry by her 30th birthday. She made her on-screen debut on the BC comedy series Jenny. During a conversation with Howard Stern, the actress shared that she worked as a Production Assistant, Production Coordinator, and Production Manager during her initial years, and she learned a lot from all that.
And seems like the stars were on her side, as the actress got the call that she landed the role of Sookie St. James in the comedy-drama Gilmore Girls just a day before her 30th birthday. “It was the first time I felt like I could say I was an actress,” she said during her interview. The show landed her significant recognition and ran for seven years.
Brie Larson
In recent years, Brie Larson has gained recognition as the Marvel superhero Captain Marvel. She has transitioned into a leading actress in Hollywood over the years and also has several accolades under her name, including an Academy Award for her 2016 film Room.
However, her first decade in the industry was not very pleasant, and after losing the audition for the 2009 comedy series United States of Tara, she was considering other options. “I was toying with the idea of either studying interior design or marine biology,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
But she was once again approached by the makers of United States of Tara for the role of Kate Gregson in the show. After starring in the series, she landed the lead role in the 2013 independent drama Short Term 12, a highly acclaimed movie that changed the course of her career.
Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown had her big break with the role of Eleven in Netflix’s Stranger Things. While she landed small roles in some of the most popular TV series, the actress also struggled with several rejections in Hollywood before her big break in the Netflix sci-fi horror drama.
During a 2020 interview with Jimmy Fallon, the Enola Holmes actress said, “This industry is…just full of rejection 24/7.” She shared that she constantly auditioned for several things, from commercials to TV shows. However, the breaking point came when she failed her audition for Game of Thrones.
“I got a no for that. And then, that’s kind of when I was kind of like, oh, this is really difficult, and I guess I really wanted that role,” she recalled. In a final attempt to make her mark in Hollywood, she auditioned for a Netflix series called Montauk, which was later renamed Stranger Things.
Chris Hemsworth
Actor Chris Hemsworth was not new to acting when he came to Hollywood. He has been a soap opera star in Australia. However, things were not that great after he moved to the US. He has shared that he had to stay at his manager’s guest house and was unable to achieve the goal he wanted.
Things turned so bad that he wanted to quit acting and move back to Australia. “I got more and more anxious to the point where I couldn’t harness or use that energy. It was all to my detriment,” he said during an interview with Australian Men’s Health.
And things took the right path for the Marvel star after he landed the role of the God of Thunder in the MCU. He has since grown to become one of the most successful and highly paid actors in the industry, alongside several MCU stars.
Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson has come a long way from portraying the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to enacting one of the most popular DC superheroes in The Batman. The actor made his acting debut in the popular magical franchise Harry Potter.
He was immensely praised for his work in the movie. His follow-up projects did receive favorable reviews, and he continued auditioning for more. However, he was not so sure about landing the role that made him a Hollywood heartthrob. During a conversation with Metro, the British actor shared that his audition for Twilight was so bad he did not expect to hear back.
“They were like, “You just brought a guitar into just to hold it? Why did you bring a guitar in?” he recalled. Pattinson claimed that the audition was “one of the worst auditions” of his life. He also recalled calling his parents and telling them that he was done torturing himself. However, he changed his mind after getting a call for a Twilight audition.
Indeed, the world of Hollywood is filled with aspiring talents who dream of doing something great. These Hollywood stars, who have gained recognition all around the world, were once in that very position. Their stories serve as a testament to resilience and determination, signifying that sometimes success is just a step away.
