As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try again.
While the proverb is pretty universal, it's more of an essential mantra in the crazy world of stardom and fame. From failing auditions and firings to not having the right look to even selling a pet in order to afford food, Hollywood is not for the faint of heart.
Here are 30 stars who fought back when the industry got tough:
1. Lea Michele
Lea recently revealed she was completely devastated after she was turned down for her dream role in a Broadway production of West Side Story—a role she was so determined to book she even learned Spanish! After delivering a single line, she was asked to leave and did not receive the part. "I was gutted. I went home and I cried so hard," she told Cosmopolitan. When one door closes another one opens, and Lea was cast for Glee just a few weeks later. The star who played Rachel Barry for six seasons described the show as "the best thing that ever happened to me."
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2. Tyra Banks
The modeling industry has been a famously brutal industry for decades, and no one felt it more than Tyra. After being told by her agent to lose 10 lbs., the America's Next Top Model host and her mother had other plans. "My mom said, 'That's crazy,' and we went off to get a pizza in Milan. And I changed my career," Tyra told The Guardian. Over a high-carb dinner, the two discussed opportunities where the supermodel's body type would be better received. Tyra went on to be a Victoria's Secret model for eight years and the first black woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue.
3. Sylvester Stallone
While writing the script for Rocky, Sylvester was so broke he ended up selling his dog to buy food. "I had to sell him for $40 in front of a 7-Eleven store, because I couldn't afford food," the actor wrote on an Instagram post. After pitching the movie with only $106 to his name, Rocky was picked up. The first purchase Sylvester made with his newly earned money was buying back his precious pup...for $15,000. "He was worth every penny!"
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4. Beyoncé
It's hard to imagine the music industry without Beyoncé, but it wasn't an overnight success for the "Single Ladies" singer. Beyonce's first girl group, Girls Tyme, went on Star Search in 1993 when she was just 12 years old—and lost. "You can work super hard and give everything you have, and lose," the 20-time Grammy winner said on her Self-Titled: Part 2. Imperfection video. "It was the best message for me." After the loss, Beyoncé's father Mathew Knowles quit his job to focus solely on the group's development. The girl's eventually morphed into Destiny's Child and released their first single, "No, No, No," in 1997.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs
5. Anna Wintour
The editor-in-chief of Vogue might be living her best life now, but that wasn't always the case. Anna started—and quickly ended—her first job as a junior fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar after only nine months. The editor-in-chief of the magazine believed Anna's style was too edgy for the times. Of course, the style icon bounced back and has been at the world's top fashion magazine for over 29 years. "I recommend that you all get fired," Anna said a Teen Vogue Fashion University event. "It's a great learning experience."
Amy Sussman/REX/Shutterstock
6. Emma Watson
The actress was only 11 years old when the first installment of the Harry Potter franchise was released in 2001. Emma made her name in Hollywood as the girl who played Hermione Granger, and everyone, including herself, didn't know if she had the chops to take on a different role. "It gave me a sense of paralysis and stage fright for a while," Emma told Entertainment Weekly. "And then a professor told me that they didn't think I should act, either. So I was really grappling with it and wasn't feeling good about it." The Beauty and the Beast star used the negativity to ignite a fire within. "It got so bad and people had put me in a box so much that it started pissing me off. I suddenly wanted to prove them wrong. It gave me fuel, in a way."
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7. Kelly Clarkson
After high school, Kelly packed up her things and moved to Los Angeles in hopes of making a career in the music industry. While trying to become a backup singer, Kelly's apartment burned down. "I had no money and I had to sleep in my car for three days," Kelly told The Guardian. After the fire, the "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" singer moved back to Texas, where she first heard about American Idol. "I didn't go into it thinking this would happen. I went into it thinking it might pay my electric bill." The three-time Grammy winner went on to win the first season of the show (and America's heart).
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8. Eminem
Similar to his character in 8 Mile, Eminem had a difficult time performing on stage when he first started his career. The 15-time Grammy winner almost quit rapping after being booed off stage during his first performance. "It was very traumatic for me. I just remember it being so f--king traumatic, and I think I went home and I was like, 'Man, I quit,'" the "Lose Yourself" artist told The List. While the blow took a toll on the rapper, he had to keep going. "And you know a week later, a day later, an hour later I got the urge, and I was like, 'I gotta get up. I gotta do it again.'"
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9. Gabby Douglas
After moving to Iowa to train for her first Olympics, Gabby became extremely homesick. She wanted to pack up her things, call it quits and head back home, but her family and mentors had other plans for the multi-medal winning Olympian. "My mom, my coach, my sister, my host family—everyone told me to keep fighting, that the Olympics were right around the corner," Gabby told Christianity Today. "A couple days later, I went back to the gym and was on fire. I was just determined to get back and give 100 percent."
ABC
10. Kerry Washington
Before turning into a household name, Kerry was fired from two separate shows. "I was actually cast in two other pilots. Both went to series, but I was fired and recast," said Kerry during an episode of Actors on Actors. "For both, it was because they wanted me to sound more 'girlfriend,' and more like 'hood,' more 'urban.'" Fortunately, the star met Shonda Rhimes and has now played the HBIC on hit-drama Scandal for six seasons (and counting).
11. Fergie
Fergie started as a child star on Disney's Kids Incorporated back in the late '80s and was a member of girl music group Wild Orchid in the '90s. At teh time, she had to be well behaved and not throw tantrums, which led to a rebellion including a crystal meth addition later down the road. Fergie, who was a mere 90 lbs. due to drug usage, found herself hitting rock bottom one day while hiding in a church, because she thought the authorities were after her. The "Big Girls Don't Cry" singer said she had a conversation with God that turned her entire life around. "All right, if I go out there and the FBI and the SWAT teams not out there, then it's the drugs. And I'm stopping," said Fergie on Oprah's Next Chapter. "There was no FBI, there was no SWAT team. Just me and God." The singer kept her promise and quit that day.
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12. Aziz Ansari
The Parks and Recreation star was asked to do an Indian accent while auditioning for the role of a call center guy for the blockbuster hit Transformers. "I was like, 'No, I'm not doing it,'" the comedian said during a panel at the EW Fest. "'Should I do an accent? Should I not do the accent?' That's a thing that a lot of minority actors grapple with." The actor, who is known for being vocal about minorities in television, addresses many of these issues in his stand-up comedy and hit Netflix series Master of None.
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13. Paul McCartney
The legendary member of The Beatles almost quit the band in the early days. The reason? Stage fright. "I remember feeling physically sick with a knot in my stomach thinking, 'I should give this up. This is just too painful. What am I doing?'" the 12-time Grammy winner said when recalling a concert he did early in his career at Wembley Stadium during a Q&A session posted on his official website. "I got over it. And as you can see, I didn't give it up!" The music icon still feels some anxiety, but described his current stage fright level as "not too bad."
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14. Kristen Stewart
After a year of not booking any roles, the Twilight actress was fed up with rejection and having her mother drive her to all of her auditions. "I also got so nervous for every single audition. I was just dying," Kristen said to Newsweek. "I had one appointment left and my mom said, 'Have a little integrity and go to your last one.' And it was The Safety of Objects. If I hadn't gotten that, I would have been done."
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15. Lady Gaga
The "Born This Way" singer struggled with drugs before making it big. "I've had such obstacles with drugs and rejection and people not believing in me," the singer told Rolling Stone. "It's been a very long and continuous road that I love, but it's hard to just chalk it up to myself. I have to believe there's something greater than myself." Gaga was also rejected by Def Jam Recordings before turning into one of the bestselling pop-artists of all time. Then-CEO L.A. Reid described letting her go as "the biggest mistake of my professional career."
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
16. Jessica Simpson
While everyone knows Jessica to be the blond bombshell who took the pop industry by storm, her original plan was to become a Christian artist. There was just one problem: her bust size. At 13, the three-time Billboard Music Award winner was told she couldn't do solos at church. "My boobs were too big and they said it would make men lust," Jessica told GQ. This turned into a theme for Jessica, as she was rejected by multiple Christian labels for being "too sexy." Her dad and manager, Joe Simpson, helped pivot Jessica into the world of pop—and the rest was history.
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17. Steven Spielberg
Movies like E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Jaws and Saving Private Ryan frequently top movie lovers' lists. However, the man behind all of them was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television not once, not twice, but three times! Steven went on to another school only to drop out to pursue directing. After becoming an Oscar-winning director, he went back to school and completed his degree in 2002. "I wanted to accomplish this for many years as a thank you to my parents for giving me the opportunity for an education and a career," said Steven in a statement. "And as a personal note for my own family—and young people everywhere—about the importance of achieving their college education goals."
Disney Channel/Fred Hayes
18. Zac Efron
At the ripe age of 15, Zac was immediately rejected during his very first audition. He was trying out for the part of Peter Pan, a role he was playing in a stage production at the time. Understandably, playing a character on a stage for a live audience is much different than playing to the camera, but the casting director was having none of it from Zac. "This woman interrupted me and goes, 'You've never done this before, have you?' And I went, 'No.' And she went 'OK, you can go.' And that was the worst audition ever, ever in my life," the Baywatch star said during a press conference. "I kind of wept about that one." Zac kept working on his camera skills, and received his first big break a year later on Summerland.
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19. Hillary Scott
The five-time Grammy winner and lead singer of country group Lady Antebellum was rejected twice from singing competition American Idol. "I never got to see [the judges]. I literally performed for the production assistants and the interns, and I just didn't make it," Hillary has said. Not all love was lost, though. Hillary remained a fan of the show after her unsuccessful auditions. "I'm a huge fan of the show. I think the judges are awesome. I think the talent looks great."
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20. Oprah Winfrey
Perhaps one of the most iconic rags to riches stories is that of the legendary talk show host Oprah. Believe it or not, the billionaire was fired from her first job in television. "I was not a good television reporter. I was too emotional," Oprah told Bloomberg. After she was "demoted," the company she was with didn't want to pay out her contract, so they plopped her into a talk show—a changed that ultimately opened the door that led to Oprah's wildly successful career. "Many times getting demoted is an opportunity for something else to show up."
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21. Jewel
The folk-meets-pop singer has been very open about her struggles during the early stages of her career. After refusing to sleep with her boss, he withheld her paycheck, resulting in Jewel becoming homeless. Her car was stolen, she had kidney issues and no health insurance, but she was able to gain a loyal following at a local coffee shop. The "You Were Meant for Me" singer used that momentum to get noticed and released her first album in 1995.
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22. Lisa Kudrow
In 1990, executive producer Lorne Michaels was looking to fill a single spot for the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live. Lorne flew out to Los Angeles to watch Lisa and Julia Sweeney perform at the highly acclaimed comedy school The Groundlings. "The show that night got to me. I was unnerved and clearly not ready," Lisa told Los Angeles Magazine. "I was disappointed that I did not get it." Lisa ended up getting the last laugh when she hosted the show just six years later after making it big playing Phoebe Buffay on the hit series Friends.
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23. J.K. Rowling
J.K. went through an increasingly hard time before becoming a self-made billionaire. The author, who lost her mother at 25 and ended a 13-month marriage after giving birth to her first daughter, was barely surviving on welfare before releasing her first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. "I couldn't have written this book if I hadn't had a few years where I'd been really as poor as it's possible to go in the U.K. without being homeless," J.K. told Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. "We were on welfare...for a couple years."
Disney/Norman Scott/startraksphoto.com
24. Christina Aguilera
The five-time Grammy winner didn't have the easiest of starts. Not only did she lose out on Star Search back in 1990, but she was also turned down from her first audition for The Mickey Mouse Club in 1991 because she was too young. She was able to join the cast two years later, but the moment was short lived due to the show being canceled in 1994. Christina kept working and was able to sing the theme hit for Disney's Mulan in 1998, which led to her being signed by RCA Records.
Peter Hopper Stone/ABC
25. Ty Burrell
The TV star was into his 40s and ready to quit his acting career before getting cast on Modern Family. "Auditioning was just getting the better of me. I had used up all my toughness getting to 40 and auditioning," Ty told Glamour. "You go on five or six auditions a week, and most of them are all rejections." Luckily, Ty stuck it out for another round of pilots and turned into one of the most lovable TV dads of all time.
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26. Billy Crystal
Although Billy was already a big star in the mid-'90s, the actor hates talking about his biggest regret: turning down the role of Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's Toy Story. "I hate that this comes up," the When Harry Met Sally star said to ABC News. "It's the only regret I have in the business of something I passed on." Billy passed on the character in the early stages of development, but wouldn't go on to make that mistake again. He hopped on as soon as possible to play Mike Wazowski in Pixar's Monsters, Inc.
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27. Norah Jones
Before turning into an overnight sensation and nine-time Grammy winner, Norah was a minimum wage waitress trying to make it big in the Big Apple. "I called my mom crying and said I wanted to go back to Texas," said Norah. "But my mom said, you know, you've only been there six months; at least give it a full year." Shortly after the pep talk, the songstress released her debut album, Come Away with Me.
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28. Walt Disney
The name Disney might be one of the most well-known and lucrative names today, but back in the 1920s, not so much! Walt first started a film company in Kansas City that quickly went bankrupt when his financial backer fell through. That wasn't the only hardship for the soon-to-be mouse maker, though. Walt almost went bankrupt before the release of his first animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but was able to get a loan from a bank just in time to finish the film.
CBS
29. Drew Carey
The The Price Is Right host was homeless and living out of his car for a year and a half in L.A. before making it big. The comedian was booked for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a show known for making or breaking new stand-ups. The show went well, Johnny invited Drew over to his desk to chat—a sign that Johnny thought you were really funny—and the rest is history. The creator and star of The Drew Carey Show is now estimated to be worth over $165 million.
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30. Chris Pratt
Before becoming the star of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris dropped out of college, became a stripper, and wound up homeless in Hawaii. While the actor views his time of struggle more positively than most people, it still was a very difficult time. "I had to hustle hard and go hungry. I had to eat sardines and figure out how to get gas money," Chris wrote in an Instagram post. "And I never had a plan B. I never stopped believing. Ever. Don't give up. Apply constant pressure for as long as it takes. It will break before you do. Go get it."
