Celebrities and Those Lucky Breaks

If you announced that you were setting out on a path to Hollywood stardom at the dinner table tonight, the reactions would likely range from loud horse laughs to dire warnings of exploitation and paying your dues. And the dues part, in a lot of cases, is true. Not everyone gets discovered at the soda fountain, like Lana Turner back in 1937. Some stars, even those with a Hollywood pedigree, worked their way up before getting a role that would get them noticed by Hollywood bigwigs and movie-goers.

Take Angelina Jolie as an example. Not counting an appearance in "Looking to Get Out" (1982), starring her father, where she played Ann-Margret's daughter, she began her film career in the early 1990s making shorts and other unmemorable roles. In1997, Jolie played Cornelia Wallace, the second wife of Governor George Wallace of Alabama in a made-for-TV movie called "Wallace." Few folks had any idea who she was and no clue that she was Jon Voight's daughter. By then, some folks had no clue who Jon Voight was. (1979s Best Actor for "Coming Home"). Just a year later, Jolie got a lot of notice in Hollywood for her portrayal of supermodel Gia Carangi in HBOs original movie "Gia." Some folks had no idea who Gia Carangi was but were intrigued with the story. Jolie definitely made an impression on the public in 1999 in "Girl Interrupted." Then came the Lara Croft roles and superstardom. Other stars have had it a lot easier than that.

Heather Locklear once reportedly said it was "ridiculously easy" for her to get into show business. Just a few years after snagging a role in "Tales of the Unexpected" (1979), she was cast as vixen Sammy Jo Carrington in the popular night-time soap, "Dynasty." The following year, she was cast in "T.J. Hooker," starring William Shatner. She appeared in both shows from 1982 to 1986. It was the "Dynasty" role that made her a natural for "Melrose Place."

Ashton Kutcher caught a lucky break very soon after his arrival in Tinsel Town. He was offered a part in a pilot called "Wind on Water" by NBC. He didn't say no and he didn't say yes, but he did ask his agent to find him something more to his taste than a cowboy surfer role. On an audition for that 70s Show (then called 'Teenage Wasteland'). He told ABC he had to know if they wanted him by 3:45 pm, because he had to give NBC an answer by 4:00pm. He was cast as Michael Kelso in that '70s Show', which made its TV debut in 1998. Hollywood took notice of his popularity in the series.

Cameron Diaz was a model before turning to acting. Her agent got her an audition for the Jim Carrey movie "The Mask" (1994). Despite her total lack of acting experience, Diaz got the role. Pretty soon, she was in "She's the One" (1995) billed right after Jennifer Aniston. In 1996, she co-starred with Keanu Reeves in Feeling Minnesota. Can you say second billing? A few years later her star status was cemented with the cult movie "There's Something About Mary" (1998).

Jake Gyllenhaal started out as Billy Crystal's son 1991's hilarious comedy, "City Slicker." Jake did a few more movies and TV spots while still a minor. By the time he was an adult, he knew his stuff and it doesn't hurt if you're a bona fide hunk. His role as Donnie Darko, in the 2001 film of the same name, established him as a bankable adult actor, and it was all uphill from there.

Sources: Embedded