4.Charlize Theron
How Arguing with a Bank Teller Started her Career
South African beauty Charlize Theron trained as a dancer, but since there are not a lot of opportunities in her country, she traveled to the U.S, eventually landing a job at the Joffrey Ballet in New York. Her dancing career ended when she injured her knee.
Photo by Beeld/Gallo Images/Getty Images
In the hopes of making it in Los Angeles as an actress, her mother sent her a one-way ticket to the city, where she went to every agent on Hollywood Boulevard, without much luck. One day, she was trying to cash a $500 check her mother had sent her, but the bank teller refused to cash an out-of-state check, resulting in an argument where she made a huge scene. A kind gentleman stepped over and offered to help. He happened to be talent agent John Crosby, who offered to represent the stunning blonde if she learns to speak with an American accent, which she did by watching soap operas on television.
Theron went on to have a prolific acting career, winning an Oscar for Best Actress in 2004.