Are you a struggling actor who gets more discouragement than praises for all the efforts you devote in your craft? Forlorn not. Not a few popular Hollywood actors have pursued showbiz even after they were told to pack up.
What’s remarkable about them is that, despite not being initially “welcomed” in the industry, they remained passionate about acting and went their way to prove that they can make it.

Here are some of them:
1. Lea Michele
The Glee star is anything but unwanted these days. Despite her professional experience in Broadway, talent managers don’t have faith in her looks. “Managers told me you’re not pretty enough. Get a nosejob”, the stunning performer recalls.
2. Salma Hayek
An A-list actress, the Hispanic talent used to be belittled because of her accent. Had it not been for her determination to learn to speak American, she remained a stereotyped Latina maid on films. “People advised me to go back to Mexico, settle down and have kids.”
3. January Jones
It’s bad enough when people you don’t know discouraged you from pursuing your passion. But it’s worse when the words of discouragement came from your boyfriend’s mouth. When the Mad Men siren was just starting her career in Hollywood, her then boyfriend Ashton Kutcher told her “I don’t think you’re going to be good at this”.
4. Adam Pally
Aside from boyfriends, another epic discouragement that a struggling actor could receive may come from an established actor, someone who’s already “up there”. When the Happy Endings actor did an improv with Chevey Chase, the latter bluntly said, “If I were you, I’d quit. It’s not going to happen.”
5. Harrison Ford
The star of Star Wars and Indiana Jones was a part-time carpenter early in his career. Movie executives would tell him he did not have what it takes to be a star. He was helping George Lucas built his home and the latter discovered his acting potential. He landed in Lucas’ Star Wars movie as the iconic Han Solo.
6. Charlie Chaplin
Now a cultural icon, his act was initially rejected by Hollywood studio chiefs. They thought it was bullshit. They thought it would never sell. Fast forward to 2012 and the comedian became known as one of the most creative and influential personalities of the silent-film era.
7 & 8. Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood
These veteran actors were fired after co-starring in the Riverboat television series. “They said I had no talent and Clint’s Adam’s apple was too big,” Burt Reynolds recalls.
9. Lucy Ball
The late actress is best remembered for her starring role in I Love Lucy. But before the thirteen Emmy nominations and four wins and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors, Lucy Ball was but a B-list movie star. Even her drama teachers didn’t see her awesomeness. One month after attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, her mother received a letter from the school saying, “Don’t put any more money into this. This girl will never make it.”
10. Jeanne Moreau
At 21, the French acting legend was told by acting director that her head was too crooked and she wasn’t beautiful and photogenic enough to make it in films. Instead of giving up, she just said to herself “Alright then, I guess I will have to make it my own way.” In 1997, the legendary actress received the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, after making about 100 films… in her own way.
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