16 actors who never took acting lessons

Not all great actors went to acting school. Charlize Theron wanted to become a ballerina and got a movie role when she was spotted in an argument with a bank teller. Joaquin Phoenix ended up in movies after performing on the street to support his family. And many more actors like them have become an important part of Hollywood thanks to their natural talent.

So, we want to highlight the celebrities who have proven that you don't always need acting lessons to become a Hollywood superstar.

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1. Tom Cruise.

Tom loved movies, and once he played in a play that changed his life forever. He went to New York to become an actor and after 6 months he landed a role in the film. In 1990, he became one of the highest-paid actors in the world and has always been humble about it.

2. Jim Carrey.

Jim Carrey had a rather peculiar upbringing. He lived in a van with his family when he was a teenager and dreamed of living a successful life ever since. He dropped out of school when he was 16 to support his family and then auditioned for many small roles. He eventually landed a role in a TV show. Since then, he has had much larger roles and never spent a dime on acting lessons.

3. Meg Ryan.

While she was doing journalism in New York, she began auditioning for commercials and TV shows. She has appeared in commercials for Burger King and AIM Toothpaste. And as her acting career flourished, she left college to star in a feature film. She has never received any formal acting training.

4. Cameron Diaz.

One day, a famous photographer named Jeff Dunas approached Diaz to ask her who her agent was. When she said he was gone, Dunas handed her his business card and told her to get in touch as soon as she had an agent. She became a model for the modeling agency Elite, and then she also played small roles. 4 years later, she got a big role in The Mask.

5. Johnny Depp.

Depp moved to California to become a musician. He first took a job as a telemarketer selling ink pens on the phone. While working on this job, his friend Nicolas Cage introduced him to his agent. Depp later appeared in the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. He never pursued formal training in acting school.

6. Joaquin Phoenix.

Phoenix was an actor, producer, musician. He and his siblings performed on the streets to support their family. Then they were all spotted by an agent named Iris Burton, who got them to work in commercials and TV shows. Joaquin took a break after his brother River Phoenix passed away.

7. Christian Bale.

Bale dropped out of school when he was 16 and began his career in advertising, which led him to direct films. He is best known for his legendary performance as Batman in The Dark Knight films.

8. Russell Crowe.

Crowe became famous for playing Maximus in the Oscar-winning film Gladiator.

9. Jennifer Lawrence.

Jennifer convinced her parents to find her an agent in New York to start her acting career. Her first debut was in a comedy series called The Bill Engvall Show. Gradually, she made her way to roles in films such as The Hunger Games, X-Men, and many others.

10. Channing Tatum.

When Tatum left college, he worked as a builder, dancer, salesman, and mortgage broker. He was discovered by a modeling agency on the streets of Miami and has appeared in print advertisements for many major brands. Then he gradually went through many commercials and films, which made him the star he is today.

11. Charlize Theron.

Theron began her modeling career at the age of 16 and then went on to practice ballet. After several knee injuries, she dropped everything and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. In an effort to make ends meet, she started arguing with a bank teller who refused to cash her out of a state check. It was then that she was discovered by a Hollywood manager who carried her away to the cinema.

12. Henry Cavill.

Cavill was very fond of working in the theater when he was in school. He landed one of his first film roles when a cast of The Count of Monte Cristo came to his school. Cavill impressed the group and entered it.

13. Natalie Portman.

When Portman was 11, she worked at a local pizzeria, where a Revlon rep convinced her to pursue a career in modeling. But she found it boring and decided to take up acting. She then signed up to attend a theater art camp in Usdan, where she participated in many performances. Portman didn't need formal training to become the amazing actress she is.

14. Heath Ledger.

Ledger dropped out of school when he was 17 to pursue a career in acting. He traveled to Sydney with his best friend, Trever DiCarlo, in search of acting. His first break was a small role on a TV series called Clowning Around.