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Andrew Garfield -

With a huge Marvel superhero role, a steady stream of work, a current movie musical hit, and numerous accolades to his name, it's hard to imagine Andrew Garfield getting rejected from a role he "desperately" wanted. But long before his present fame, that's exactly what happened.

The actor admitted to Entertainment Tonight that he was actually in the running to play the role of Prince Caspian in the 'Narnia' film series back in the 2000s, though the part ultimately went to Ben Barnes.

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Andrew Garfield -

When he didn't get the role, he called his agent to ask why. "She eventually just broke under my incessant nagging and she was like, ‘It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew,'” Garfield recalled.

Garfield also revealed before then he'd experienced a “big spell of unemployment," waiting tables and working at Starbucks, before he landed his big break. 

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Elvis Presley - In 1954 the King of Rock was fired by Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, after just one show.

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Elvis Presley - The singer's boss told him to give up on his career and go back to driving trucks. Ironically, Elvis became one of the best-selling artists of all time.

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Hugh Jackman - Every cloud has a silver lining and this actor can vouch for that. Before becoming the legendary Wolverine, one of the X-Men, and a Broadway star, the actor was fired from his job as a clerk in 7-Eleven.

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Hugh Jackman - The actor told US Weekly that he was fired after six weeks. According to his boss he was talking to customers too much. Just as well!

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Steven Spielberg - The award-winning director was rejected no less than three times by the University of Southern California's School of Theater, Cinema and Television.

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Steven Spielberg - The rejection wasn't enough to deter him. His first hit was the blockbuster 'Jaws,' followed by 'Indiana Jones,' 'E.T.' and 'Jurassic Park.' On his resume he can list Oscars, Emmys, and the fact that his films have made $9 billion. Not bad, eh?

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Jerry Seinfeld - The American comedian was booed off stage as a stand-up. Little by little he gained confidence and conquered audiences.

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Jerry Seinfeld - He got his big break on 'Seinfeld,' which followed the daily lives of four friends: Elaine Benes, Cosmo Kramer, George Costanza and Jerry Seinfeld (a fictionalized version of the comedian). It was chosen by TV Guide as the best TV show in recent times.

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Walt Disney - Before building an entertainment empire, Disney was fired from his job as a newspaper cartoonist because he 'didn't have good ideas.' Together with his brother Roy and friend Ub Iwerks he founded Laugh-O-Gram Studios where they animated fairy tales.

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Walt Disney - The company faced difficulties to the point that they couldn't pay the rent and Disney even had to eat dog food to survive. After creating an animation about dental hygiene for a local dentist, Disney had enough money to bring his talents to Hollywood in 1923.

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Walt Disney - The Walt Disney company signed a contract with Universal Studios who bought the team's animations. That's when he created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which became quite popular. The problem was that Disney didn't trademark his character and Universal took possession of it. Despite the setback he went on to launch a much better and lucrative character: Mickey Mouse.

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Harrison Ford - The actor's first film appearance was as a bellhop in 'Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round' in 1966. His debut didn't attract many further offers and Harrison, who already had a wife and two kids, became a carpenter in the 70s to support his family.

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Harrison Ford - Ford was building sets for 'American Graffiti' by director George Lucas in 1973 when he got a role in the film. This partnership with George Lucas would eventually launch him to stardom as Han Solo in the original 'Star Wars' (Episode IV: A New Hope).

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Oprah Winfrey - When she was 22, the presenter and mainstay of American TV was fired from her job for being unsuitable for TV. She was the co-anchor for a Baltimore news show.

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Oprah Winfrey - The presenter moved to Chicago and started her own talk show where she was a hit with American TV audiences. Always the entrepreneur, she didn't stop there and even started her own network, OWN.

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J.K. Rowling - J.K Rowling was a single mother, divorced, unemployed and suffering from depression when she started writing the saga of the wizard Harry Potter.

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J.K. Rowling - The writer released 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' the first in the Harry Potter saga, in 1997. The series became a phenomenon and led to the film franchise.

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Steve Jobs - The executive was fired from the very company he helped create. When he was president of Apple he earned a reputation for being difficult to work with. Due to his temperament, the board headed by John Sculley opted for a re-structure which took all control away from Jobs but left him his title as President of the Board. He did not accept, and left Apple.

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Steve Jobs - One year later in 1986 Jobs bought the computer graphics studio Lucasfilm. Renamed Pixar, the company had a successful partnership with Disney. Jobs later returned to Apple where he helped create the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

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Michael Jordan - Who would have thought that the basketball superstar suffered setbacks that could have cost him his career. When he was cut from the school basketball team he went home crying.

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Michael Jordan - But the former player didn't give up. He confesses to having messed up many times after, but if he hadn't had these experiences he wouldn't have got to where he did. A great example of overcoming the odds!

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Stephen King - One of the best-selling authors of all time, King has had several failures. In 1973, he was working as an English teacher and selling stories to help pay the bills. In the same year he accepted an advance of $2,500 for his first novel 'Carrie,' which inspired the hit film of the same name in 1973 as well as the 2013 remake.

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Stephen King - His book 'Carrie' was rejected more than 30 times. The writer almost gave up and only persisted due to his wife's support. He has since written many other hits, and inspired many films, such as 'The Shining,' 'It,' 'Stand By Me,' 'Cycle of the Werewolf,' 'Pet Sematary,' 'The Green Mile' and 'Dreamcatcher.'

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The Beatles - One of the greatest rock groups of all time was rejected by a record label at the start of their career.

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The Beatles - The representative of Decca Studios, who recorded 15 songs with the Liverpool quartet, said he didn't like their sound, that guitar music was on its way out and that they had no future.

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Andrea Bocelli - The tenor was born with congenital glaucoma, which left him partially blind. At 12 years of age he was hit in the head during a soccer match, which left him totally blind. Despite his visual impairment, the artist always fought for his dreams. Before becoming a tenor he performed in bars in Pisa, Italy. The money he earned at night not only helped him pay for singing lessons, but also for Law school.

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Andrea Bocelli - After his studies, while working as a lawyer in 1987, Bocelli went all in on his music career. He started taking lessons with Luciano Bettarini and decided to dedicate himself to his craft.

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Andrea Bocelli - Four years after beginning his lessons with Bettarini, the singer was heard by Luciano Pavarotti. The opera star was impressed by his talent and took him under his wing.

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Lucille Ball - The artist was considered a failure and even became known as the 'Queen of the B's' in 1940. But she was a fighter and went on to star in 'I Love Lucy,' the hit American TV series.

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Lucille Ball - In 1962 she became the first female executive of a television studio, Desilu, which launched several hit series. Throughout her career, she won four Emmys and the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award. Inspiring!

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Tim Allen - Few people know about it, but the actor spent two years in prison for cocaine possession. His jail term came shortly after beginning his career in comedy.

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Tim Allen - The comedy star did his time at the Sandstone Federal Prison where he was known for winning over difficult guards and prisoners with his sense of humor. Impressive!

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Fred Astaire - The story of this star is the irony of fate. In his first audition, the director of MGM said that Astaire couldn't sing, couldn't dance and was balding.

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Fred Astaire -

Despite his 'big ears and horrible jawline,' David O. Selznick, who signed Astaire to RKO, had to admit that he had an undeniable charm and charisma. A good choice!

See also: Celebrity wedding menus: here are the foods they served

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