Sasha Bortich
After graduating from school, the future “Slave” star Sasha Bortich could not enter the theater institute. She got a job as a waiter and also participated in screen tests.
In 2014, Bortich was chosen for the main role in the psychological drama “What is My Name” directed by Nigina Sayfullaeva. The film received the main prize at the XI international film festival “Baltic Debuts” in Svetlogorsk and the special prize “For easy breathing and artistic integrity” at Kinotavr.
A year later, five films with Bortich’s participation were released. His most famous roles he played in the projects “Policeman from Rublyovka”, “Slave”, “I’m Losing Weight” and “Fisher”.
Sergei Bodrov Jr.
Sergei Bodrov Jr.’s father was a director, but he himself did not dream of a career in cinema. In 1989-1994 Sergei studied Venetian Renaissance painting at the Faculty of History of Moscow State University. After graduating from university with honors, Bodrov Jr. He stayed in graduate school. He admitted that studying at the university taught him to notice the beauty in ordinary things.
Bodrov occasionally played small roles in his father’s films (“I Hate You”, “SIR (Freedom is Heaven”), “White King, Red Queen”).
In 1995, the actor Bodrov Sr. He went to Dagestan to shoot the movie “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, where he was unexpectedly offered to play one of the main characters. The film and the actor were awarded numerous awards at film festivals in Cannes, Sydney, Karlovy Vary, Sochi and other cities. In 1996-1999, Bodrov Jr. worked as the host of the program “Vzglyad” on ORT, and in 1996 he starred in “Brother”.
Oksana Akinshina
In adolescence, Oksana Akinshina worked in a modeling agency, where all her students were once sent to the casting together with Sergei Bodrov Jr. This is how the 13-year-old model got her first role in the movie “Sisters”. Akinshina won the “Best Acting Duet” award at the Sochi Film Festival together with Ekaterina Gorina.
In 2002, the actress gained international fame with the release of the film “Lilya Forever” by Swedish director Lukas Moodysson. About a thousand people participated in the casting of the main roles.
Akinshina is an art critic by training. In one of the interviews, she admitted that she was inspired by Bodrov Jr. when choosing a profession.
Faina Ranevskaya
One of the most famous actresses of the 20th century, Faina Ranevskaya studied at the Mariinsky Women’s Gymnasium, where she studied music, singing and foreign languages. At the age of 14, she entered a private theater studio in Taganrog and studied there for two years. The future star could not afford to pay for private courses, but she dreamed of becoming an actress.
In 1915, Ranevskaya signed a contract on the acting exchange “for the roles of singing and dancing coquette heroes for 35 rubles with her wardrobe” and toured the country’s theaters. However, in 1924 she took part in the troupe of the Moscow Department of Public Education Theater and has been working in Moscow ever since. At the age of 39, the actor starred in a movie for the first time – his debut was the film “Dumpling” by Mikhail Romm.
Yuri Nikulin
VGIK and GITIS did not accept Yuri Nikulin – they did not see his acting abilities. In 1948 he graduated from the clown studio of the Moscow Circus and began his career as a circus performer. Nikulin made his debut at the age of 36, playing the cameo role of an unlucky pyrotechnician in the movie “Girl with a Guitar”. Spectators and directors drew attention to the aspiring actor, and that year his film career began. In 1961, the film by Leonid Gaidai “Dog Barbos and the Unusual Cross” was released, in which Nikulin first played his most famous role, Goonie.
Johnny Depp
In 1979, 16-year-old Johnny Depp left school to become a rock musician and subsequently changed several bands. In Los Angeles, he became friends with actor Nicolas Cage, who advised him to try his luck in films. So Depp started going to auditions and was cast in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Despite admitting his reluctance to become an actor, Depp continued to audition for directors and movie stars.
jim carrey
Comedy star Jim Carrey has loved making facial expressions (in a good way) and performing in front of the public since he was a kid. At the age of 16, he left school in Toronto to earn money and tried to perform monologues in stand-up clubs, but after the first failure, he gave up the idea for two years. Kerry only returned to stand-up in 1979, and this time his business took off. He admitted that he modeled his image after his idol, comedian Jerry Lewis.
Having achieved success in Toronto, Kerry went to try his luck in Los Angeles. The talented comedian was noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who invited him to act as the opening act, but after that a dark streak came again in the life of Kerry, who dreamed of gaining a place on television – several years of unsuccessful auditions for various competition projects led him to depression. He completed his acting debut with the film Rubberface (1983), directed by Glen Salzman. Ten years later, the low-budget movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starring Kerry took off unexpectedly and made her a superstar. A year later, the actor starred in the successful comedies “The Mask” and “Dumb and Dumber”.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix’s parents were members of a sect and were involved in missionary activities. They called it quits in 1978, and Joaquin’s mother went to work in NBC’s casting department. Thanks to his connections, Phoenix began acting in commercials, and in 1982 he got his first television role in the drama Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He never took acting classes or went to college and became a world famous actor.
Cameron Diaz
At the age of 16, Cameron Diaz became a model for the largest agency Elite. In parallel with the shooting of commercials, she appeared in episodic roles in films, and at the age of 20, she played the sexy jazz singer Tina Carlisle in “The Mask”. The comedy was among the ten highest-grossing films of 1994 and attracted the attention of all Hollywood to the bright, charismatic blonde. In 1997, Diaz starred in My Best Friend’s Wedding, which is considered the best romantic comedy of all time.
Channing Tatum
Actor Channing Tatum worked and sold things in strip clubs in his youth. Her model appearance allowed her to earn a living by appearing in commercials, and from there she gradually transitioned into movies. In 2006, after a series of minor roles, the actress received an invitation to play a hip-hop dancer in the melodrama “Step Up”.