Celebrity discoveries: How the stars found fame
It's sometimes hard to believe that some of the most talented and famous faces on the planet were once anything but. The world's most record-breaking singers, award-winning actors and industry-defining models were all once normal people before that life-changing 'discovery' moment...
Whether it was a talent agent in the right place at the right time, an audition they attended last minute, or a school teacher who noticed something special.
From Rihanna, who was the standout member of school girlband, to Brad Pitt, who helped a friend out by going to an audition with them, and Justin Bieber, who was discovered by a record producer's slip of the mouse.
From the fascinating to the down-right lucky, these celebrities discovery stories are sure to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside...
Research by Gracie Rigby.
Getty ImagesJustin Bieber's discovery was one of the first of its kind: through the (then) new medium of YouTube. Way back in 2007, when record producer Scooter Braun was searching the video sharing site for another singer, he accidentally clicked on a video of 12-year-old Bieber singing Chris Brown's With You.
After that, Braun tracked Bieber and his family down in Stratford, Ontario, and convinced them to come to Atlanta with him to meet record label executives. A week later and Bieber was singing for Usher.
Flash forward ten years and Justin Bieber has won over 144 awards, been named one of Forbes' most influential celebrities and his latest album, Purpose, has sold over 100 million copies.
Rex FeaturesShe's known these days as America's acting sweetheart who's racked up more awards than there is room on her mantle piece. But Jennifer Lawrence's beginnings were humble, having been spotted on a family holiday, aged 14. While on spring break in New York with her family, a modelling agent asked to take a photo of her and wrote down her mum's phone number. The next day she came in for a screen test and began getting small acting roles in commercials for MTV. And as they say, the rest is history...
Getty ImagesJay-Z began his interest in rap from a young age, using music to escape the violence and poverty that came with the Marcy Projects, a housing estate in New York City where he lived. In 1989, he began collaborating with the slightly older rapper Jaz-O, and they recorded a song called The Originators. When they performed the song on an episode of Yo! MTV Raps, Jay-Z gained wide-spread recognition in rap circles.
Rex FeaturesShe’s now one of the most influential models on the planet, but Kate Moss’s discovery was one of sheer chance. While returning from a family holiday to the Bahamas, a then-14-year-old Kate’s fateful moment came in JFK airport.
Storm Model Management founder Sarah Doukas was returning to London from New York and she noticed a young Kate ahead of her in the queue. On the plane, and stuck in a window seat, she deployed her brother and business partner Simon Chambers to approach Kate. When she said she was interested in modelling, they got the ball rolling back in London. Imagine if they’d never been booked on to the same flight?
Getty ImagesBarbados-born superstar Rihanna was first discovered in 2003 while at school. After forming a girl group with two of her class-mates, out of pure luck they managed to get an audition with record producer Evan Rogers. Rogers later said of the audition: "The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist".
Later, she went to Rogers’ hotel room to audition alone and performed Destiny’s Child’s Emotion. The ball kept rolling when Rogers invited Rihanna’s family over to the US so she could record some demos. We wonder if she’s still in contact with her former bandmates?
Rex FeaturesZac Efron's role as Troy in High School Musical was written in the stars. The heartthrob was noticed by his drama teacher during a high school theatre production, who then recommended him to an agent. His roles started small until his breakout in HSM where he acted alongside Vanessa Hudgens. We're thinking you owe that drama teacher one, Zac.
Getty ImagesBrad Pitt found his big break when he accompanied a friend to an acting audition when she needed a male partner to play her lover. In a strange twist, Brad was the one who caught the agent’s eye. After that, Brad began trying to find a name for himself in LA before gaining recognition for his role in Thelma and Louise.
Burberry model of the moment Lewis Helim's discovery came when he was serving Whoopers and chips in Burger King in his hometown of Liverpool. "A woman came in with her boyfriend and asked me if I had some paper so she could write something down," Lewis explained.
"I gave her a serviette and she wrote down the email address for Select Model Management. I hadn't heard of them before so I nipped upstairs to Google it and saw all these big names. Two weeks later I had signed for Select". And his first modelling gig was pretty epic, when he was photographed by Brooklyn Beckham for Burberry.
Getty ImagesCharlize Theron was discovered for being a drama queen. No, really. When a bank teller refused to honour an international cheque sent from her mother in South Africa, Charlize kicked up a fuss. And a big one. When her animated movements and vocal outrage was noticed by an agent further down in the queue, he saw some talent. We’ll bet she doesn’t care about that cheque any more.
Getty ImagesBlack Swan actress Natalie Portman was first discovered when she was 11-years-old at a local pizza parlour when a Revlon representative encouraged her to start modelling. After she started, Portman found modelling boring so she decided to pursue acting.
Getty ImagesAs a struggling actress in Los Angeles, with four failed TV shows under her belt, Jennifer Aniston approached TV executive Warren Littlefield in a gas station car park to ask advice about her career. And as it turns out, she approached just the right man. The NBC boss encouraged her to not give up, and just a few months later he helped cast her as Rachel in Friends. Funny how things happen isn't it?
