Many actors nowadays have gotten such enviable careers and accolades for their efforts. It makes aspiring actors think to themselves, Just how do I get a career like them? The reality is, a success story differs per actor as there are many factors that can make or break a career.
Acting skills are what every aspiring talent needs; hence, many believe in the saying, “You are born an actor, and you become an actor”. But this doesn’t usually translate the same way for many people, as many aspiring actors in the industry have to resort to acting school just to hone their skills. For a few chosen ones, the road to success in the industry came after a niche leading to a breakout role and ultimately a continuous pursuit to try out for other films. So check out which famous actors has received a formidable amount of success without the need of formal training:
1. Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise is now one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. He is currently the lead star of the highly successful Mission Impossible franchise and has done other big budget movies like War of the Worlds with Steven Spielberg. But before all this, he was just a boy who loved movies.
Cruise moved to New York to try out acting even if he didn’t have any prior experience and got a few lines in the 1981 movie Endless Love. It wasn’t until he did Top Gun that he finally cemented his superstar status.
2. Drew Barrymore
It should be noted that Drew Barrymore does come from a family of actors, with both her mother and father with acting experience in their resume. But Drew herself had not undergone any formal training. She pursued acting during her childhood years, getting her breakout role in the highly successful Spielberg film E.T.
3. Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy went through many turbulent years during his childhood. He grew up in a housing project in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn. To top it off, his parents were divorced and money was always tight, so there was little chance that he could even get into a decent acting school.
Murphy’s story is a perfect example of how raw talent and determination will get you places. After getting into SNL, he went on to be one of the most iconic figures in comedy today.
4. Cameron Diaz
Standing tall at 5’9″, it didn’t take too long for Diaz to be noticed by a casting agent. Before becoming on of this generation’s most versatile actresses, she signed up for a modeling gig under Elite Modeling Agency. But she didn’t walk the runway or posed for photos for too long, as Diaz would later land a starring role alongside Jim Carrey in The Mask.
5. Jim Carrey
Cameron Diaz’s co-star in The Mask was a regular in the sitcom In Living Color and a slapstick comedy giant for his role in Ace Ventura. But Carrey was just inexperienced in acting when his career started. Growing up poor in Toronto, he describes the best jobs in his neighborhood was that of a factory worker and how this realization made him want to seek better things. Despite reaching super stardom, Carey has not taken any acting classes.
6. Johnny Depp
Before he got recognition for his versatile acting, Depp was a struggling musician. He worked a number of odd jobs to support his music career, and acting wasn’t one of them. But it seemed like the Hollywood star was aligned for Depp as his then wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who in return got him to try out acting. The rest, as they say, was history.
7. Brad Pitt
Pitt is undeniably Hollywood’s most coveted actors, with most of his films coming out to be box-office hits. But before his producing skills were honed on their own, before he was named America’s sexiest man alive, and before he married the equally talented Angelina Jolie, Pitt was just a regular guy looking to make a little cash through movies. His first movie role was as an extra. For the record, he did get a little help from acting coach Roy London but paid no money for any formal acting classes.
Acting can be a tricky thing and getting formal training is all on you. Take note that there are pros and cons when you get help from a professional. The number one pro would be you getting professional advice and the cons is the money you need to shell out if you want to be trained by the best out there. Either way, weigh down your options and find what is best for you.
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