Can celebrities really manifest their dream roles through style choices?
When Field wanted to leave TV, her agent told her that she'd never get into film because she's not pretty enough or talented enough. She responded with: “You’re fired.”
After being fired as a news anchor for being "too emotionally invested" in her stories, Winfrey was called "unfit for TV" by her boss. She later made a fortune and a legacy on a very emotional TV show.
Ryder was once mid-sentence with a casting director when he stopped her and told her that she shouldn't be an actress, that she wasn't nearly pretty enough, and that she should go back to where she came from.
The prolific actress was asked to audition for 'King Kong' with producer Dino de Laurentis by his son. Upon meeting, Laurentis asked his son in Italian, "Why do you bring me this ugly thing?” Streep responded in Italian, "I’m sorry I’m not beautiful enough to be in 'King Kong!'"
The singer was constantly told when she was starting out that she wasn’t pretty enough to be in the entertainment business, but she drew on that experience to become a symbol for female empowerment and write some great songs criticizing superficiality.
Due to poor grades, Steven Spielberg was rejected from the University of Southern California three times. Later in his career, he was awarded an honorary degree and became a trustee of the university.
Lawrence was initially told that she wasn't skinny enough for Hollywood, with some claiming her body was "too womanly," whatever that means. She went on to receive her first Academy Award nomination when she was only 20 years old, winning her first Oscar at 22.
In an article in New York Daily News, Gaga said she was constantly put down for her appearance, particularly her nose, and her first label dropped her just months after being signed.
In 1966's 'Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round,' Ford played a bell boy with just two lines. A studio boss told him he'd never make it in the business because when Tony Curtis was in his first movie as a delivery boy, people instantly knew he would be a movie star. We'd like to direct that boss to Ford's extensive filmography.
See also: Action stars: where are they now?
The actress added, "I want other women to realize that, because even in your 30s you feel the pressure, in your 40s you feel the pressure—and late blooming, it’s a beautiful thing,” she said, explaining that there is no age where you are "over."
Anyone looking at Salma Hayek's filmography now might find it hard to believe, but she was once told that she would never have a successful career as an actress due to her age and nationality.
“They told me my career would die mid-30s. First of all, they told me a Mexican is never going to make it, because at the time, the new generations, it was impossible for a Mexican to have a leading role in Hollywood,” Hayek told the PA news agency during press for her film 'Bliss.' “And I think it’s great, I’m proud of it, I want to shout it to the world, because I was told so many times it couldn’t happen and I almost believed them but I fought it and I won,” she added.
Shakira's music teacher once told her she sounded "like a goat." Her unique voice is now one of the things that set her apart from her competition.
In the '60s, Reynolds and Eastwood were fired on the same day, the former because they said he couldn't act, and the latter because his Adam's apple stuck out too far, he spoke too slow, and he had a chipped tooth.
Sydney Sweeney is young, gorgeous, and stars in series including 'Euphoria,' 'The White Lotus,' and 'The Handmaid's Tale,' but even she was told she'd never make it. Speaking to GQ, the actress recalled a moment when she felt underestimated: "A casting director told me once that I will never be on a TV show,” she revealed, adding that they believed she didn’t have the "right look." Thankfully she didn't give up. “Now, I'm on some of the biggest TV shows in the world," she reportedly said with a smirk.
An agent told the actress that she wasn't fat enough to be a character actress, but not pretty enough to be a leading lady, in addition to claiming that there were no roles for Greek-American actresses. Vardalos then wrote and starred in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.'
When Stefani Germanotta was in the early days of her journey to become Lady Gaga, she had to block out the scorn of those who could never imagine the star she would become. She was bullied in college by classmates who made a Facebook group called 'Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous.' Photos of the now-deleted social media page still exist and have been circulated on the internet for many years as Gaga's list of accolades continued to grow. In 2018, she became the first woman in history to win an Academy Award, Grammy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award in a single year. Now one of the biggest stars on the planet, she decided to speak out about the Facebook group for the first time. She commented on a TikTok about it saying, "Some people I went to college [with] made this way back when. This is why you can’t give up when people doubt you or put you down — gotta keep going.”
Actors, singers, dancers, models—they’re all difficult professions to enter, but so many of those people who were told they would never make it are now household names around the world. They didn’t crumble under the tasteless words of higher-ups or jealous peers, but instead used that rejection to push them forward, to become better, to reach higher. Plus, now they’re filthy rich. Check out this gallery to see who we’re talking about, and try not to gasp too loud.
Amazing journeys of stars who were doubted
Famous people who were told they'd never find success
CELEBRITY Success stories
When Stefani Germanotta was in the early days of her journey to become Lady Gaga, she had to block out the scorn of those who could never imagine the star she would become. She was bullied in college by classmates who made a Facebook group called 'Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous.' Photos of the now-deleted social media page still exist and have been circulated on the internet for many years as Gaga's list of accolades continued to grow. In 2018, she became the first woman in history to win an Academy Award, Grammy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award in a single year. Now one of the biggest stars on the planet, she decided to speak out about the Facebook group for the first time. She commented on a TikTok about it saying, "Some people I went to college [with] made this way back when. This is why you can’t give up when people doubt you or put you down — gotta keep going.”
Actors, singers, dancers, models—they’re all difficult professions to enter, but so many of those people who were told they would never make it are now household names around the world. They didn’t crumble under the tasteless words of higher-ups or jealous peers, but instead used that rejection to push them forward, to become better, to reach higher. Plus, now they’re filthy rich. Check out this gallery to see who we’re talking about, and try not to gasp too loud.