Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

See Also

The secrets behind some of the world's most popular songs

The secrets behind some of the world's most popular songs

Did celebrities misuse COVID-19 grants? An in-depth analysis

Did celebrities misuse COVID-19 grants? An in-depth analysis

A short history of Danny DeVito

A short history of Danny DeVito

Cases of fan violence against celebrities

Cases of fan violence against celebrities

Musicians who were in cults

Musicians who were in cults

Movie stars of the ‘80s: then and now

Movie stars of the ‘80s: then and now

See Again

© NL Beeld

0 / 31 Fotos

Joe Pesci -

Although Joe Pesci was on the stage from a young age, sources suggest he was set on a career in the restaurant business when he got Martin Scorsese's call about 'Raging Bulls.'

© Getty Images

1 / 31 Fotos

Joe Pesci -

It was the 1980 biographical sports drama that put Pesci firmly on the map. He even bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The rest is history, of course.

© NL Beeld

2 / 31 Fotos

Bradley Cooper -

Hollywood heartthrob Bradley Cooper is a big deal now, but that wasn't always the case. According to GQ Magazine there was a time that he thought about throwing in the towel.

© Getty Images

3 / 31 Fotos

Bradley Cooper -

It was while he was working on the series 'Alias' and his part was dwindling. Luckily for us he soon landed his breakout role in the comedy, 'Wedding Crashers' (2004).

© NL Beeld

4 / 31 Fotos

Melissa McCarthy -

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Melissa McCarthy said: "I always said if I don't get anything substantial by the time I'm 30, I'm done." And that deadline was fast approaching when she got the call.

© Getty Images

5 / 31 Fotos

Melissa McCarthy -

A week before her 30th birthday McCarthy was cast in the 'Gilmore Girls' role that would jumpstart her career. Prior to that she could barely land an audition.

© Getty Images

6 / 31 Fotos

Henry Cavill -

The actor everyone knows as Superman also nearly gave up just before he landed his break, and in his case it wasn't even a role that saved him but merely an audition.

© Getty Images

7 / 31 Fotos

Henry Cavill -

He had been struggling to land a major role and was allegedly thinking of other options. But then he did a screen test for 'Casino Royale' and this reportedly put him on the Hollywood map.

© NL Beeld

8 / 31 Fotos

Jon Hamm -

According to an interview given by Jon Hamm's then-partner Jennifer Westfeldt, he was frustrated and ready to pack in the acting career shortly before he landed his role in 'Mad Men.'

© Getty Images

9 / 31 Fotos

Jon Hamm -

In 2012 she told Huff Post: "He had a really long, hard slog in the dark, lean times. He would just say, 'I’m going to hang it up, it’s not going to work out.'"

© NL Beeld

10 / 31 Fotos

Michael B. Jordan -

Sources suggest that Michael B. Jordan went through a period of feeling pretty defeated before he got the call to appear as starting quarterback on Season 4 of 'Friday Night Lights.'

© Getty Images

11 / 31 Fotos

Michael B. Jordan -

Prior to this the 'Black Panther' actor had apparently fielded so many rejections that he was thinking about giving up his dream of becoming the next Will Smith.

© NL Beeld

12 / 31 Fotos

Jane Lynch -

For Jane Lynch it was not a major film role that persuaded her to stick around, but rather a Frosted Flakes commercial that caught the attention of screenwriter Christopher Guest.

© Getty Images

13 / 31 Fotos

Jane Lynch -

Before she appeared in the commercial Lynch had been ready to call it quits, but it's lucky she didn't. She caught Guest's eye and he cast her in his next three films.

© Getty Images

14 / 31 Fotos

Gal Gadot -

In a 2017 interview with Sunday Today, Gal Gadot explained how she came very close to quitting right before she was cast in her career-defining role as Wonder Woman.

© Getty Images

15 / 31 Fotos

Gal Gadot -

In her own words: "There's so much rejection in this world that I thought, 'Maybe it's not for me ... Maybe I should go back to law school instead of dragging my family with me.'"

© NL Beeld

16 / 31 Fotos

Uzo Aduba -

In 2016 Uza Aduba spoke to Essence magazine about how she almost gave up on her dream just before she landed her breakout role as Crazy Eyes on 'Orange Is the New Black.'

© Getty Images

17 / 31 Fotos

Uzo Aduba -

She talked about the large number of rejections she had received and how it was the first time that she felt her heart give out on her. Luckily it wasn't long before she got the call.

© NL Beeld

18 / 31 Fotos

Max Greenfield -

Right before landing a main role on the network sitcom 'New Girl,' Max Greenfield was apparently considering accepting a job offer as a writing assistant.

© Getty Images

19 / 31 Fotos

Max Greenfield -

He had had a few television roles, including guest appearances on 'Gilmore Girls' and 'The O.C.' but it just wasn't enough, it would seem.

© Getty Images

20 / 31 Fotos

Brie Larson -

It was Brie Larson's role on the series 'United States of Tara' that apparently saved her career. And according to the Sydney Morning Herald, she very nearly didn't get it.

© Getty Images

21 / 31 Fotos

Brie Larson -

She was initially rejected after the audition and even decided to apply to colleges instead of pursuing an acting career. But then she got the call: the role had been re-cast and the part was hers.

© NL Beeld

22 / 31 Fotos

Claire Danes -

Despite keeping very busy during the early years of her career, there was a period right before 'Homeland,' during which Claire Danes thought about other options.

© Getty Images

23 / 31 Fotos

Claire Danes -

In 2013 she spoke to Vogue about how just before she landed the leading role in 'Homeland' she had been out of work for two years and was thinking about a career in interior design.

© NL Beeld

24 / 31 Fotos

Millie Bobby Brown -

Despite being only a teenager when she got her big break on 'Stranger Things,' Millie Bobby Brown had apparently already thought about giving up.

© Getty Images

25 / 31 Fotos

Millie Bobby Brown -

And a good thing she didn't: she shot to fame thanks to her role as Eleven on 'Stranger Things' and she has a very promising career lying ahead of her.

© NL Beeld

26 / 31 Fotos

Kristen Stewart -

Actress Kristen Stewart, whom everyone knows for her role as Bella in the 'Twilight' saga, almost gave up on the dream after a stream of rejections from commercial auditions.

© Getty Images

27 / 31 Fotos

Kristen Stewart -

Right before she was about to quit, she told ET in 2012, she landed a role in 'The Safety of Objects,' and that was what ultimately kept her in the business.

© NL Beeld

28 / 31 Fotos

Robert Pattinson -

Just like his 'Twilight' co-star, Robert Pattinson also had thoughts of quitting, and in his case it was right before he landed the role that would make him a household name.

© Getty Images

29 / 31 Fotos

Robert Pattinson -

Sources suggest that the day before he landed a 'Twilight' audition he did another audition that went so horribly wrong he called his parents to say he was quitting.

Sources: (Ranker) (The Guardian)

See also: 30 celebrities and their childhood dreams

© NL Beeld

30 / 31 Fotos

© NL Beeld

0 / 31 Fotos

Joe Pesci -

Although Joe Pesci was on the stage from a young age, sources suggest he was set on a career in the restaurant business when he got Martin Scorsese's call about 'Raging Bulls.'

©

Getty Images

1 / 31 Fotos

Joe Pesci -

It was the 1980 biographical sports drama that put Pesci firmly on the map. He even bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The rest is history, of course.

©

NL Beeld

2 / 31 Fotos

Bradley Cooper -

Hollywood heartthrob Bradley Cooper is a big deal now, but that wasn't always the case. According to GQ Magazine there was a time that he thought about throwing in the towel.

©

Getty Images

3 / 31 Fotos

Bradley Cooper -

It was while he was working on the series 'Alias' and his part was dwindling. Luckily for us he soon landed his breakout role in the comedy, 'Wedding Crashers' (2004).

©

NL Beeld

4 / 31 Fotos

Melissa McCarthy -

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Melissa McCarthy said: "I always said if I don't get anything substantial by the time I'm 30, I'm done." And that deadline was fast approaching when she got the call.

©

Getty Images

5 / 31 Fotos

Melissa McCarthy -

A week before her 30th birthday McCarthy was cast in the 'Gilmore Girls' role that would jumpstart her career. Prior to that she could barely land an audition.

©

Getty Images

6 / 31 Fotos

Henry Cavill -

The actor everyone knows as Superman also nearly gave up just before he landed his break, and in his case it wasn't even a role that saved him but merely an audition.

©

Getty Images

7 / 31 Fotos

Henry Cavill -

He had been struggling to land a major role and was allegedly thinking of other options. But then he did a screen test for 'Casino Royale' and this reportedly put him on the Hollywood map.

©

NL Beeld

8 / 31 Fotos

Jon Hamm -

According to an interview given by Jon Hamm's then-partner Jennifer Westfeldt, he was frustrated and ready to pack in the acting career shortly before he landed his role in 'Mad Men.'

©

Getty Images

9 / 31 Fotos

Jon Hamm -

In 2012 she told Huff Post: "He had a really long, hard slog in the dark, lean times. He would just say, 'I’m going to hang it up, it’s not going to work out.'"

©

NL Beeld

10 / 31 Fotos

Michael B. Jordan -

Sources suggest that Michael B. Jordan went through a period of feeling pretty defeated before he got the call to appear as starting quarterback on Season 4 of 'Friday Night Lights.'

©

Getty Images

11 / 31 Fotos

Michael B. Jordan -

Prior to this the 'Black Panther' actor had apparently fielded so many rejections that he was thinking about giving up his dream of becoming the next Will Smith.

©

NL Beeld

12 / 31 Fotos

Jane Lynch -

For Jane Lynch it was not a major film role that persuaded her to stick around, but rather a Frosted Flakes commercial that caught the attention of screenwriter Christopher Guest.

©

Getty Images

13 / 31 Fotos

Jane Lynch -

Before she appeared in the commercial Lynch had been ready to call it quits, but it's lucky she didn't. She caught Guest's eye and he cast her in his next three films.

©

Getty Images

14 / 31 Fotos

Gal Gadot -

In a 2017 interview with Sunday Today, Gal Gadot explained how she came very close to quitting right before she was cast in her career-defining role as Wonder Woman.

©

Getty Images

15 / 31 Fotos

Gal Gadot -

In her own words: "There's so much rejection in this world that I thought, 'Maybe it's not for me ... Maybe I should go back to law school instead of dragging my family with me.'"

©

NL Beeld

16 / 31 Fotos

Uzo Aduba -

In 2016 Uza Aduba spoke to Essence magazine about how she almost gave up on her dream just before she landed her breakout role as Crazy Eyes on 'Orange Is the New Black.'

©

Getty Images

17 / 31 Fotos

Uzo Aduba -

She talked about the large number of rejections she had received and how it was the first time that she felt her heart give out on her. Luckily it wasn't long before she got the call.

©

NL Beeld

18 / 31 Fotos

Max Greenfield -

Right before landing a main role on the network sitcom 'New Girl,' Max Greenfield was apparently considering accepting a job offer as a writing assistant.

©

Getty Images

19 / 31 Fotos

Max Greenfield -

He had had a few television roles, including guest appearances on 'Gilmore Girls' and 'The O.C.' but it just wasn't enough, it would seem.

©

Getty Images

20 / 31 Fotos

Brie Larson -

It was Brie Larson's role on the series 'United States of Tara' that apparently saved her career. And according to the Sydney Morning Herald, she very nearly didn't get it.

©

Getty Images

21 / 31 Fotos

Brie Larson -

She was initially rejected after the audition and even decided to apply to colleges instead of pursuing an acting career. But then she got the call: the role had been re-cast and the part was hers.

©

NL Beeld

22 / 31 Fotos

Claire Danes -

Despite keeping very busy during the early years of her career, there was a period right before 'Homeland,' during which Claire Danes thought about other options.

©

Getty Images

23 / 31 Fotos

Claire Danes -

In 2013 she spoke to Vogue about how just before she landed the leading role in 'Homeland' she had been out of work for two years and was thinking about a career in interior design.

©

NL Beeld

24 / 31 Fotos

Millie Bobby Brown -

Despite being only a teenager when she got her big break on 'Stranger Things,' Millie Bobby Brown had apparently already thought about giving up.

©

Getty Images

25 / 31 Fotos

Millie Bobby Brown -

And a good thing she didn't: she shot to fame thanks to her role as Eleven on 'Stranger Things' and she has a very promising career lying ahead of her.

©

NL Beeld

26 / 31 Fotos

Kristen Stewart -

Actress Kristen Stewart, whom everyone knows for her role as Bella in the 'Twilight' saga, almost gave up on the dream after a stream of rejections from commercial auditions.

©

Getty Images

27 / 31 Fotos

Kristen Stewart -

Right before she was about to quit, she told ET in 2012, she landed a role in 'The Safety of Objects,' and that was what ultimately kept her in the business.

©

NL Beeld

28 / 31 Fotos

Robert Pattinson -

Just like his 'Twilight' co-star, Robert Pattinson also had thoughts of quitting, and in his case it was right before he landed the role that would make him a household name.

©

Getty Images

29 / 31 Fotos

Robert Pattinson -

Sources suggest that the day before he landed a 'Twilight' audition he did another audition that went so horribly wrong he called his parents to say he was quitting.

Sources: (Ranker) (The Guardian)

See also: 30 celebrities and their childhood dreams

©

NL Beeld

30 / 31 Fotos

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

The stars who almost weren't

Actors who almost quit right before their big break

© NL Beeld

21/11/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Movie stars

Rejection is a part of life, and dealing with it is something everyone has to learn from a very young age. And yet the feeling of rejection after rejection can be enough to make someone give up on a dream, no matter how big that dream may be.

Nowhere is this more true than in Hollywood, which we all know is a pretty difficult place to try and forge a career. There are even some big names who almost gave up completely before making it big.

Check out this gallery to see which actors almost quit right before their big break.

MENU

Don’t miss out...

on the latest TV shows, movies, music, and exclusive content from the entertainment industry!

I accept terms & conditions and privacy policy.

I want to receive Exclusive Offers from partners (advertising)

You can easily unsubscribe at any time

Thank you for subscribing