Discover how these talented actors secured their iconic breakthrough roles and changed their lives forever…

When Henry Golding landed a leading role in the groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians, he had no prior film experience whatsoever. Previously, he had been working as a television presenter in Kuala Lumpur and hosted travel shows for BBC and Discovery Channel Asia. It was during this stint that an accountant from the Malaysian production office recognized his potential and recommended him to director Jon M. Chu, setting the stage for his remarkable transition from television to cinema.

?[Jon] was like, ?You can do this. We see so much of this character in this role for you, that if you bring who you are as a person, we?re going to nail this,?? Henry shared with Vulture.

Rachel Zegler was just a high school student with a deep love for singing and musical theater when she was cast as Maria in Steven Spielberg?s acclaimed adaptation of West Side Story. After her friend alerted her to an open casting call via social media, she submitted an audition tape, unaware that she would soon be called back to meet with the legendary director himself. Following nearly a year of auditions, Rachel finally secured the coveted role that would launch her career.

?It?s sort of crazy to look back on that girl who was singing show tunes in her bathroom, and I wonder what she would think of me now,? she remarked in an interview with Variety.

Iman Vellani was still a student when she stumbled upon the audition for the lead role in Ms. Marvel. Initially, she had no acting experience and nearly passed on submitting a self-tape. However, she decided to send in her audition at the last moment, which led to her being flown out to Los Angeles just days later for further evaluations.

?This happened through a WhatsApp forward. My aunt was part of some Brown group chat that she never opens and one day she opened it and someone had forwarded this casting call and she sent it to me and I?m like, ?Look this is what a scam is,?? she recounted on The Daily Show.

She continued, ?I?m not an actor. I can?t. It was totally a blank page that said, ?Send headshot and résumé here, Ms. Marvel casting??Then they sent the sides for the self-tape and an NDA and I was like, ?Oh my God it?s real.??

At the time she was cast in Precious, Gabourey Sidibe was a psychology student working as a receptionist. Having stepped away from local theater productions for years, she was initially hesitant to audition for the lead role in the film when it was recommended to her, especially since she had just started her classes. Ultimately, she decided to go through with the audition, a choice that would alter her life forever.

?I didn?t think I had any business going to the audition; I didn?t think I could get an acting job with one audition. I wasn?t an acting student; I never wanted to act. The biggest thing I learned is that I was wrong about what I thought I could do. I thought I?d be a receptionist my whole life,? Gabourey shared with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Alexis Bledel had just graduated high school with only a minor role as an extra in one film under her belt when she auditioned for Gilmore Girls. Her lack of experience in the entertainment industry surprisingly worked in her favor, as her genuine enthusiasm and unique perspective caught the attention of the casting directors. Alexis ended up going through six callbacks, which felt tedious at the time but ultimately led to her landing the lead role.

?Oddly, I wasn?t a very seasoned actor at all. I didn?t know the process,? she recounted on Late Night with Seth Meyers. ?I grew a tad bit impatient. I had a little attitude, and our boss really liked that a lot. She was like, ?That?s our girl!? I was like, ?Are you guys going to bring me back again??? and she was like, ?I like that, that?s perfect.??

Camila Mendes secured her starring role as Veronica Lodge in Riverdale, which was her very first major acting opportunity. The entire audition process coincided with her final year at New York University, where she was studying acting, and some professors were not pleased with her frequent absences due to casting calls and auditions.

?Some teachers were really cool about it, and some teachers? weren?t,? she reflected in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. ?The goal is for me to be able to pay my loans. I was frustrated that they would get mad when someone?s trying to pursue the career that you?re teaching us.?

Before landing her breakout role on Euphoria, Hunter Schafer was working as a model and had aspirations of attending fashion school. When she discovered the casting call for the series, she considered applying, despite having no prior acting experience. Coincidentally, her modeling agency invited her to audition, opening the door to her unexpected career in acting.

?I hadn?t acted before and wasn?t really planning on it either. I had been modeling for about a year in New York and had my sights set on fashion school afterwards, and then?I saw this casting call floating around on Instagram. It was for trans women, who didn?t want to be trained and it didn?t say ?Euphoria? or anything?I had been thinking about trying acting and?I was in the craft but didn?t really push myself to do it. Then, my modeling agency called me a few days later and had me go in for an audition and it was the weirdest thing ? it just kept going,? Hunter explained to EW.

Jameela Jamil was pursuing a modeling career and had dreams of becoming a comedy writer when her modeling agency suggested she audition for The Good Place. Despite her lack of interest in acting and any experience, she decided to go ahead with the audition, which ultimately led to her landing the role.

?I wanted to be a writer, and a comedy writer specifically, and I was really pushed, to be honest, to go to the audition for The Good Place. And I was only kicking and screaming ?cause I thought that I didn?t need to be there in a Mike Schur comedy because I had no prior experience whatsoever, but they gave me the role ?cause Mike Schur is a weird, strange man,? Jameela told W Magazine.

Kunal Nayyar had studied acting but had not landed a significant role until his breakout performance in The Big Bang Theory, aside from an uncredited appearance on NCIS. When he auditioned for the CBS series, he was completely unaware of the magnitude of the opportunity before him.

?I had no idea I was going to get the role. I remember [co-creators] Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady laughing a lot, and I just felt so much in my element. I?d just received my MFA in acting from Temple University and was high on life after returning from the Royal Shakespeare Company in England,? Kunal recalled in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. ?I wasn?t jaded and didn?t understand the weight of the situation. This was my second job; I played a terrorist on NCIS. I didn?t grasp the significance of the moment and just walked in. That was so naive!?

Rosario Dawson was just a teenager when she was cast in Kids. Reflecting on the experience, she recalls sitting on her front porch in New York City when she was approached by director Larry Clark and writer Harmony Korine. They were scouting locations for the film and were specifically seeking to cast non-actors. Rosario auditioned and ultimately secured the role, which marked the beginning of her illustrious acting career.