Big Breaks: Gigs That Gave Them Their Celeb Status
No matter what we want to be, we have to start somewhere. The stars you see today winning Golden Globes, Oscars, Grammys and Tonys did not have a very smooth ride to the top; but with the right amount of determination, perseverance and talent, the perfect gigs were given to them. Here are some stars and the best breaks that made their career.
Angelina Jolie. Being the daughter of Hollywood veteran John Voight, she grew up not to be a stranger to the industry. When she was given to play to role of Gia Marie Carangi, the famous model who died from AIDS in 1986, the world saw how sultry and talented she can be at the same time. She then won a Golden Globe for best actress in a made for television movie category. The HBO tv-movie did much justice to her talent and gave Jolie the right leverage as an actress. Supporting roles in The Bone Collector and Girl, Interrupted were quickly offered to her; and that was the time when she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in the psych-drama with Winona Ryder. Now you see her in the arms of Brad Pitt, trying to save the world one child at a time. She’s the UN ambassador for Third World countries, and will give birth to twins very soon.
Will Smith. The million-dollar blockbuster actor has gone a long way from his rapping days as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The world noticed his distinct acting skills when he appeared in the well-remembered sci-fi movie Independence day in 1996, where he played Captain Steven Hiller. A year later, he definitely made his mark in the industry when he appeared alongside Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black, a sci-fi comedy about a duo of alien-busting agents trying to save humanity. If having a lead role in such a blockbuster wasn’t enough, he also sang the chart-topping soundtrack of the movie with the same title. Since then, numerous lead roles kept the actor busy, such as in Wild, Wild, West, Men in Black II, an Academy-Award winning role as Cassius Clay in Ali, Hitch and as Chris Gardner in the critically-acclaimed In Pursuit of Happyness. It is safe to say that every movie that Will Smith did since Men in Black were all blockbuster successes, and with the 140 million dollars that his recent movie Hancock made last week, The Fresh Prince is as fresh as ever. He will appear in the 2009 Spielberg movie The Trial of the Chicago 7 where he will play one of the seven protestors against the Vietnam War and were convicted for conspiracy.
Jennifer Lopez. It’s no secret that J-Lo was a professional dancer before, and when she started out touring with Paula Abdul and Madonna as a back-up dancer, the girl from The Bronx inched her way into the spotlight as a “fly girl” in many episodes of In Living Color from 1991 to 1993. Jennifer then received numerous little roles in made for television movies and blockbuster flops. She was featured alongside Wesley Snipes in Money Train and had a supporting role in Anaconda; but what really made her a household name was when she played the role of Selena Perez in 1997 in the movie titled Selena, the young and talented Hispanic singer who was shot by her business partner. The resemblance of the actress with Selena is overwhelming, and the success of J-Lo is akin to Selena’s in so many ways. After the hit Selena, she launched her successful music career and decent big screen offers were given to her, such as those in The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan and the cult film The Cell. She recently gave birth to twins, with singer Marc Anthony.
