We’ve all quit something and wondered afterward, what if? Most of the time, the answer is probably nothing. But we’ll never know. Well, in the wonderful world of Hollywood, these questions of what if are everywhere. Acting is an incredibly difficult profession to make it in. Even the most talented actors in the world struggle at various points in their careers. And you might as well just forget about making it long-term. Only the lucky and the elite ever sustain a high level of fame and success over a long period of time. Transitioning from a child actor to an adult or from an adult into a senior? Don’t even think about it. Obviously, it can and does happen, but those are the exceptions not the rules.
But actors do “make it.” They land a role in a film that leads to them becoming A-listers. The stars aligning for them might not even come down to their performance. It could be any number of factors that does it. When it happens, it happens very quickly. But not all of these overnight successes had it easy. Many of them struggled mightily before making it. Some, like the actors on this list, were very serious about leaving the career behind. Lucky for them, they held out just long enough. Now, they’re so rich they couldn’t spend all their money even if they wanted to. And success breeds success, at least for a little while, so there’s a good chance that they get even richer and more successful. Well, we thought we would look at some of the superstars who were at their wit’s end right before they landed the role that changed their lives forever. Here are 15 Stars Who Almost QUIT Before Their Big Break (And Why).
15. Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot wasn’t a total unknown when she landed the role of Diana Prince in Wonder Woman, but she was feeling a bit defeated. She got her first big film role in 2009 with Fast & Furious playing Gisele. She would go on to do several more of the Fast and Furious franchise films. But between those films and after them, Gadot lamented the fact that “there’s so much no” in the industry. She said that she thought to herself, “Maybe it’s not for me. Maybe I should go back to law school instead of dragging my family with me.” But then she got the Wonder Woman call. “Honestly, the thing is, everything that’s happening right now is so overwhelming,” she said. “I mean, all the way from Russia and Israel to here, red carpets, talking to you, wearing [great gowns]. It’s been such an amazing, crazy ride that I think I’m gonna get what’s happening only in two years from now or something.”
14. Jon Hamm
For Jon Hamm, it was his turn as Don Draper in Mad Men that made him a household name, but before that, it was a role in the Mel Gibson film We Were Soldiers that kept him going in the industry when he was getting close to quitting. “I had given myself five years to be self-sufficient as an actor,” he said. “I was already self-sufficient as a waiter. But I knew a lot of 40-year-old waiters and I didn’t want to be one of those. I had taught [at] school and I knew that I could always go back to teaching.” He then gave acting a time limit. “I gave myself to my 30th birthday,” he said. “And my 30th birthday actually happened on the set of We Were Soldiers, which was my first big Hollywood movie.” That film role led to a main part on The Division and a number of spots on massive TV shows, all paving the way for Mad Men.
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