7 breakthrough roles that created Hollywood top stars

7 breakthrough roles that created Hollywood top stars
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Reputation is very important for actors, but it's not something easy to acquire. Many people had to take a long time be...

Reputation is very important for actors, but it's not something easy to acquire. Many people had to take a long time before having breakthrough roles - the roles that make an actor's name known to the general audience.

Sylvester Stallone with 'Rocky Balboa'

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Sylvester Stallone is one of Hollywood's most iconic action stars, but in the early years of his career, he was so poor that he even had to sell his pet dog to cover the expenses. At that time, Sylvester only participated in a few supporting roles in movies like 'Klute', 'The Lords of Flatbush' and obviously could not pay the bills.

Everything changed overnight after Stallone watched a boxing match between the anonymous boxer Chuck Wepner and the legendary Muhammad Ali. Although Wepner was defeated, his efforts to the end of the match inspired Stallone to write a script about a boxer and the opportunity to change his fate.

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Stallone wrote Rocky's first manuscript in just three days and many producers were interested in it. However, they didn't want Stallone to take the lead role. Instead, they want someone like Ryan O’Neil or Burt Reynolds. Although they would give Stallone a huge amount of money for the script, Stallone still insisted on playing the film's main character.

This means the budget for the film would be cut, but with confidence and true ability, Stallone created the legendary Rocky Balboa which is still one of the symbols of Hollywood movies.

Chirstopher Reeve with 'Superman'

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The character 'Superman' has appeared in countless movies and TV shows along with a host of actors playing him, from George Reeves to Tyler Hoechlin. But for true 'Superman' fans, only one actor is considered the real hero until now: Christopher Reeve.

Reeve is an actor from The Juilliard School and often appeared only in plays and TV series. The turning point of Reeve came from the horror film called 'Gray Lady Down'. Just a few months after the film, Reeve became a clumsy Clark Kent, a sweet but also charming Superman, shining in every frame. The moment Reeve flew on the big screen, everybody knew this is the true 'Superman'.

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But according to Reeve's account, he almost did not accept the role. When asked by casting director Lynn Stalmaster, Reeve was very hesitant and unsure and he almost decided to refuse. Luckily, the casting took place in Manhattan, the same destination that Reeve was heading to to visit his father, so he decided to drop by. "I truly believe that if the meeting took place somewhere else, I might not have participated."

Dev Patel in 'Slum Millionaire'

When 'Slumdog Millionaire' hit theaters in 2008, it grossed $ 377 million and grabbed eight Oscar awards. One of the factors that made the film successful was Dev Patel, an actor who has almost never heard of before.

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Before taking on the role of a lifetime, Patel starred in the British TV show 'Skins'. His role captured the attention of director Danny Boyle. And together, they created 'Slumdog Millionaire' and many other good movies such as 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', 'The Man Who Knew Infinity'. Most recently, Dev Patel continued to be nominated for an Oscar in the film 'Lion' (2016).

Ken Jeong with 'Leslie Chow'

If you watched Ken Jeong before 'The Hangover', you would probably never have guessed that you were seeing an extremely famous comedian in the future, because at that time he was a doctor, a real doctor. He even earned a Master's degree and worked at the Ochsner Residency Medical Center in New Orleans. But like a superhero, Jeong has two completely separate lives. After finishing his hospital career, he pursued his dream of becoming a comedian.

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He used his medical knowledge to show a little humor in 'Knocked Up', but things really exploded when Jeong played Leslie Chow in 'The Hangover'. His hilarious personality, voice, and gestures made the audience crazy about this character for quite a long time.

Tom Hiddleston with 'Loki'

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In addition to earning billions of dollars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done a great job of introducing long-forgotten superheroes. Sure, everyone knows Spider-Man and Hulk, but the MCU was responsible for making Iron Man, Star-Lord and Black Panther famous. The special thing is that there was an antagonist becoming famous as well, Loki.

Prior to joining the MCU, Hiddleston won the Laurence Olivier Stage Award and appeared primarily in television dramas. He played an impressive role as the son of Winston Churchill in 'The Gathering Storm' and appeared in two films that most people have never heard of: 'Unrelated' and 'Archipelago'. Fortunately, Hiddleston was involved in several television projects with Kenneth Branagh, who directed the first 'Thor' film.

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Hiddleston did not think that he would play the role of Loki, because at first he went to audition for the role of Thor. But Hiddleston looked wrong with Mjolnir in his hand, so Marvel decided to give him a horned helmet, and let Chris Hemsworth play the god of thunder. Since then, Hiddleston became so famous.

>>>See more: The Most Disaster Roles Of ‘Marvel’ Actors They Never Want To Talk About

Pom Klementieff with 'Mantis'

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Prior to joining the MCU, Pom Klementieff was extremely busy in France with leading roles in many movies, short films and even TV shows, but her reputation was limited in the domestic industry. Klementieff got her first Hollywood scene in a remake of Spike Lee's 'Oldboy', which starred both later MCU co-stars Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen.

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But Klementieff did not get much attention until she collaborated with James Gunn in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'. With an impressive height, special face combined with good makeup and natural acting, Klementieff is really a new breeze for MCU, bringing a lot of laughter to the audience. Working next to big stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Pratt, Klementieff sometimes even outshone both.

Daniel Kaluuya in 'Get Out'

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When Jordan Peele chose an actor for his 'Get Out' horror project, he planned to hire an American to play the character Chris Washington, because after all, 'Get Out' is a story about racial discrimination. But then he watched an episode of 'Black Mirror' entitled 'Fifteen Million Merits' and saw an English actor named Daniel Kaluuya playing a young man trapped in an anti-Eden world, where workers dream of escaping from their miserable lives by auditioning for a famous talent show. That's when the filmmaker was moved and changed his original plan.

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During the 90th Oscars, Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for Best Actor alongside seniors such as Denzel Washington, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Gary Oldman. Shortly after, MCU invited him to join the 'Black Panther' blockbuster and obviously he was more popular already. 'Get Out' has really helped him step into the world of A-list stars of Hollywood.

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