Breaking into the movie industry is notoriously difficult, and there are many struggling actors who have to work for many years before they land their breakout roles. It might be surprising to consider, but some of the biggest names in film and television seriously considered giving up on acting and finding a new career. Though manysuccessful actors are best known for their breakout roles,these performers have only grown in name recognition and notorietysince earning parts in major projects that changed their lives forever.
Some of theseactors might return to their most famous roles one day, as they’ve been a part of major franchises with significant longevity. Whether they made a name for themselves in niche independent projects or major blockbusters, these performers have become vital parts of the film industry, and imagining movies and TV without them is almost impossible. Not only do they give amazing performances and have great chemistry with their costars, butthey work with unforgettable filmmakers who give them the opportunity to shine.
10Naomi Watts
Mulholland Drive (2001)
WhenNaomi Watts was cast inMulholland Drive, she established her career-long relationship with acclaimed director David Lynch and saved her career from obscurity. Like many actors, Watts had only landed a few small roles before being cast as Betty/Diane inMulholland Drive, one of Lynch’s surrealist masterpieces that is universally praised as one of his best films. In the role, Watts showcases her diverse talents, asthe split roles of Betty and Diane illustrate the different sides of a budding artist and Hollywood itself.
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The fact thatMulholland Driveis a story about a struggling actress and the pressures of Hollywood made it fitting that this was the project that catapulted Watts into an illustrious career.Not long afterMulholland Drive, Watts broke into the blockbuster scene with Peter Jackson’sKing Kongin 2005and has worked across a variety of genres since then. It’s hard to imagine whatMulholland Drivewould look like without Watts and how many films would’ve suffered without her contributions.
Mulholland Drive
Cast
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive is a neo-noir mystery about aspiring actress Betty, who becomes involved with a woman suffering from amnesia and a mysterious blue box. Starring Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, the 2001 surrealist film explores themes of identity, memory, and Hollywood’s dark side.
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9Melissa McCarthy
Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
The comedic genius Melissa McCarthy has been an instrumental part of some of the best comedy movies of the past decades. FromBridesmaidstoThe Heat, McCarthy never fails to steal the show, no matter what project she’s a part of. However, in an interview with Howard Stern,McCarthy opened up about how she came close to leaving the industry forever before nabbing a role inGilmore Girls.In the beloved series, McCarthy plays Sookie, the iconic best friend character who provides plenty of comic relief.
Running for seven seasons with a full order every year,Gilmore Girlswas a steady source of success that propelled McCarthy through her times of uncertainty and convinced her to stick with acting.Though Sookie was a supporting role, it still gave McCarthy plenty of material to work withand helped her get cast as the lead in the sitcomMike and Molly. While McCarthy is better known for her movie roles today, with these early TV series, she might’ve never taken on these projects.
Gilmore Girls
In the fictional town of Star’s Hollow, single mother Lorelai Gilmore raises her high-achieving teenage daughter Rory. Mother and daughter rely on each other throughout their own life changes, romantic entanglements, and friendships.
8Jacob Elordi
Euphoria (2019–Present)
Jacob Elordi’s major role inEuphoriacame on the heels of his breakout casting in Netflix’sThe Kissing Booth,but it’s thanks toEuphoriathat the actor stuck with acting. Unfortunately, the overnight heartthrob status that Elordi earned fromThe Kissing Boothput a lot of pressure on the star and made him seriously consider what kind of roles he wanted to portray. While Nate Jacobs, hisEuphoriacharacter, is a dark and complex figure, it gave Elordi a lot to play with.
Since the last season ofEuphoria, Elordi has proved he’s much more than his teen drama roots, playing Elvis in Sophia Coppola’sPriscillaand Felix inSaltburn.
It’s still unconfirmed whatEuphoriaseason 3’s release windowwill be, as the next installment of the teen drama is slated to start filming soon after a significant hiatus. Since the last season ofEuphoria, Elordi has proved he’s much more than his teen drama roots, playing Elvis in Sophia Coppola’sPriscillaand Felix inSaltburn. Though it will be sad to see Elordi say goodbye to Nate andEuphoria, the series gave Elordi what he needed to expand his horizons in film and TV.
Euphoria
Euphoria is a teen drama created by Sam Levinson and starring Zendaya, Maude Apatow, and Angus Cloud. The series deals with the dark reality of a drug-addicted teen on her road to recovery as she faces a multitude of challenges and issues.
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7Lily Gladstone
Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023)
In the short time since Lily Gladstone rose to prominence thanks to her role inKillers of the Flower Moon, she’s already established herself as an actress who elevates every project she’s a part of. The actress has been vocal about how difficult it is for Indigenous American actors to find work in Hollywood, especially in projects that speak to them.Her earlier work in the independent filmCertain Womenand the hit TV seriesReservation Dogsshowcase her skills,but these parts weren’t coming with enough frequency beforeKillers of the Flower Moon.
Gladstone went so far as to start researching education courses for a career change when the director ofKillers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese, had her read for the part of Mollie.Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awardsand has likely ensured that Gladstone isn’t going to step out of the spotlight anytime soon. Her work in the miniseriesUnder the Bridgeopposite Riley Keough was one of her most exciting projects in 2024.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon is the next film from director Martin Scorsese, based on the non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, initially captured by David Grann. When members of the Osage tribe are murdered in the 1920s via mysterious circumstances shortly after the discovery of oil on Native-American soil, the FBI is established to uncover the true reason behind them.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
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6Robert Pattinson
Twilight (2008)
Robert Pattinson considering ending his acting career in the wake of his work inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Firegoes to show that early breakout roles don’t always solve everything. Though Pattinson has tried to distance himself from theTwilightfranchise in the years since it ended,it can’t be denied that his performance as Edward Cullen was instrumental in furthering his career.After being rejected many times followingHarry Potter, Pattinson was starting to feel like acting wasn’t for him anymore.
His upcoming collaboration with Bong Joon-ho,Mickey 17, is slated for a 2025 release and will be a great addition to the actor’s and director’s filmographies.
ThoughTwilighthas a mixed legacy, it’s an immensely popular franchise and introduced Pattinson to a wide variety of audiences and filmmakers. Every choice that Pattinson has made in the years following the end ofTwilighthas shown what a great eye he has for creative and boundary-pushing projects. His upcoming collaboration with Bong Joon-ho,Mickey 17, is slated for a 2025 release and will be a great addition to the actor’s and director’s filmographies.
Twilight
Based on Stephenie Meyer’s book of the same name, Twilight follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who falls madly in love with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), who she soon finds out is a vampire. Falling in love with her at the same time, Edward and Bella must overcome obstacles to preserve their forbidden relationship.
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5Laverne Cox
Orange Is The New Black (2013–2019)
Finding complex roles that provide good representation has always been a struggle for trans actors, and before Laverne Cox was cast inOrange Is The New Blackas Sophia, she was losing hope in the industry. The fact thatCox went on to be the first openly trans performer to be nominated for an EmmyforOrange Is The New Blackspeaks to how lucky audiences are that she stuck with acting. Her work onOrange Is The New Blackwas a vital part of the ensemble cast’s chemistry.
Most recently, Cox starred in Netflix’s dystopian sci-fi movieUgliesas Dr. Cable,the formidable villain at the heart of the story. Though Dr. Cable is a far cry from the kind and sensitive Sophia, the differences in these roles show how much range Cox possesses as an actress. Cox has always used her platform to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and discuss how the arts can be a place of acceptance and representation.
Orange is The New Black
Based on the memoir by Piper Kerman, Orange Is the New Black follows Piper Champman (Taylor Schilling) after she turns herself in for a 15-month sentence in a minimum-security women’s prison for aiding in a drug-smuggling operation run by her ex-girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). One of Netflix’s most popular original series, the show explores the corruption inherent in the US prison system through the lens of Piper’s experiences.
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4Max Greenfield
New Girl (2011–2018)
Each actor onNew Girlis a vital part of the show’s dynamic, but Max Greenfield is frequently cited as one of the funniest performers on the show.While playing Schmidt, Greenfield was never afraid to take the comedy to the next leveland make himself the butt of the joke for the audience’s entertainment. Without him, it’s difficult to imagine howNew Girlwould’ve worked and if the series would’ve gone on for as long as it did.
Prior to working onNew Girl, Greenfield’s biggest claim to fame was a recurring role onVeronica Mars, but that had ended many years beforeNew Girlbegan.
Prior to working onNew Girl, Greenfield’s biggest claim to fame was a recurring role onVeronica Mars, but that had ended many years beforeNew Girlbegan. In the meantime, Greenfield thought seriously about leaving acting to focus on his family or even pivoting to a career in writing. It’s great that Greenfield decided to stick it out until he landedNew Girl, as he’s also lent his skills to projects like his more recent sitcom,The Neighborhood.
New Girl
New Girl is a television series that debuted in 2011, centering on Jessica Day, an eccentric young woman. Following a breakup, she moves in with three single men, navigating her quirky personality and forming unexpected friendships in her new living situation.
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3Hong Chau
Downsizing (2017)
ThoughDownsizingisn’t Hong Chau’s most critically acclaimed film, it’s what has allowed her to take on such interesting roles in film and television since. Many audience members might recognize her from her performance in Netflix’s smash hit TV seriesThe Night Agentas Diane Farr. More recently,Chau could be seen in Yorgos Lanthimos' triptych filmKinds of Kindness,as well as the 2022 filmThe Whale, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.
Though Chau has been seen across film and television since being inDownsizing, she disappears into every role she takes on, allowing her to continue pushing herself as a performer.Downsizingwas only Chau’s second feature film,and before landing the role, she started wondering if acting was the right path for her. Without her work inDownsizingalongside Matt Damon, many movies and TV shows would have lost a triumphant talent.
Downsizing
Downsizing is a sci-fi comedy film that follows Matt Damon as Paul Safranek, a man who decides to start a new life in a population control program that involves shrinking people down to miniature size. Expecting to join the community with his wife, he discovers she backs out after he has already committed to it. Now stuck in a new world, Paul lives his new life but realizes that the downsizing process isn’t quite as glamorous as it was advertised.
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2Daniel Kaluuya
Get Out (2017)
One of Jordan Peele’s frequent collaborators, Daniel Kaluuya, wasn’t getting much traction in the industry before being cast as Chris in Peele’s unforgettable directorial debut,Get Out. The actor and director teamed up again for Peele’s recent workNope. Since starring inGet Out, Kaluuya has received multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor forJudas and the Black Messiah. Though he had a high-profile role inBlack Mirror,the limited roles and numerous rejections that Kaluuya faced made him disillusioned with acting.
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Kaluuya has spoken about how racism and the lack of opportunities for Black performers in film and television played a large part in his decision to nearly quit acting. Thankfully,Peele saw what an underutilized talent Kaluuya was and brought him to the forefront of the industrywithGet Out. Stories like Kaluuya’s speak to the importance of actors working with directors and creative teams that align with their artistic pursuits.
Get Out
Jordan Peele made his directorial Horror debut with Get Out, a terrifying Psychological Horror film starring Daniel Kaluuya. In the 2017 release, Chris Washington heads to Upstate New York to meet the family of his girlfriend, Rose. What follows is a horrifying ordeal for the anxious photographer.
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1Henry Cavill
The Tudors (2007–2010)
Henry Cavill has long since proved that he’s a classic leading man thanks to his starring roles inMan of Steel,The Witcher, andThe Man From U.N.C.L.E. However, before he was a major action and fantasy star, Cavill was having doubts about sticking with acting, even discussing that his backup plan was joining the Armed Forces. Thankfully,in 2007, Cavill landed his breakout role in the period dramaThe Tudorsas Charles Brandon.
Though Cavill’s recent exit from Netflix’s fantasy TV showThe Witcherwas disappointing, there’s no doubt that Davill will use this opportunity to find new roles and expand his horizons. In the past decade, Cavill has been typecast as an action star, and while he fits this mold well, he has plenty of other skills as a performer. Though he lost out on playing James Bond early in his career to Daniel Craig, this has allowed him to explore lots of exciting work and led him to play Superman.
The Tudors
The Tudors is a historical drama television series that chronicles the reign of King Henry VIII of England, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The show explores his tumultuous relationships, including his marriages to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, while delving into the intrigue, politics, and drama of the Tudor court.
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