© Getty Images/NL Beeld

Jennifer Lawrence - Jennifer Lawrence is one of the biggest Hollywood stars, so it's hard to imagine her not having a huge wealth of acting experience.

© Reuters

Jennifer Lawrence - When she was just 12, Lawrence was spotted by a talent agent. She became something of a teen model, before getting her first acting job in 'Monk.' Success soon followed with 'Winter's Bone' in 2010.

© NL Beeld

Channing Tatum - Channing Tatum was originally going to be a college football star. However, a talent agent spotted him walking down the street, and helped him get a modeling gig.

© Reuters

Channing Tatum - After starring in a music video, Tatum got his first acting role in 'CSI: Miami.' This led to his first film role in 'Coach Carter.'

© NL Beeld

Charlize Theron - Theron moved to Hollywood when she was just 18. She was spotted by a talent agent, after arguing with a bank teller.

© Getty Images

Charlize Theron - Months later, the actress appeared in her first film, 'Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest.'

© Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey - Another one of Hollywood's biggest personalities didn't have much of an acting education.

© Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey - After finishing college with no acting experience, McConaughey worked his way up through TV commercials. An encounter with a producer at a bar led to his first film role in 'Dazed and Confused.'

© NL Beeld

Evangeline Lilly - Evangeline Lilly was just strolling around British Columbia when she was spotted by a model agent. She even worked for a hotline to make end's meet.

© Getty Images

Evangeline Lilly - The hard work paid off, and Lilly went on to score her first role in 'Smallville,' without any acting experience.

© Getty Images

Johnny Depp -

Not without his controversies, Johnny Depp is still one of Hollywood's brightest stars. But how did Depp get his start?

© Getty Images

Johnny Depp -

He actually drove his friend, Jackie Earle Haley, to an audition for 'A Nightmare on Elm Street.' Haley didn't get it, but director Wes Craven liked the look of Depp, and cast him as Glen. Believe it or not, he didn't have any previous acting experience.

© NL Beeld

Sarah Michelle Gellar - The blonde-haired star of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' was first spotted at the age of four, snacking at a restaurant in New York.

© Reuters

Sarah Michelle Gellar - Not long after, Gellar got her first acting role in 'An Invasion of Privacy.' She was later cast in 'All My Children' after a few more minor TV roles. 

© Getty Images

Jason Statham - Before the fame, this British action star reportedly sold fake jewelry on the streets of London. A talent agent linked him with Guy Ritchie, who cast him in 'Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.'

© Getty Images

Jason Statham - Statham has modeled, and actually competed with Britain's National Swimming Squad. He hadn't acted before, but has been a success since 'Two Smoking Barrels.'

© NL Beeld

Natalie Portman - Portman was 11 when a Revlon rep signed her into modeling. She got an acting agent, and scored a role in Luc Besson's revered film 'Léon: The Professional.'

© Getty Images

Natalie Portman -

'Léon' was Portman's first acting role, launching her into the mainstream.

© Getty Images

Eva Mendes - Eva Mendes got her start in the late '90s, starring in 'Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror.' She hadn't had any acting experience, and hired an agent to help her get more prestigious roles.

© Getty Images

Eva Mendes - 'Training Day' marked a turning point for Eva Mendes, and she went on to make it in the mainstream, with more roles in 'Hitch' and 'The Place Beyond the Pines.'

© Getty Images

Ashton Kutcher - Ashton Kutcher originally hoped to be a biochemical engineer, but moved into modeling in the late '90s.

© Getty Images

Ashton Kutcher -

After his success in modeling, he moved to L.A., and scored a big role in 'That '70s Show.' The series led him to big success as a mainstream actor.

© Getty Images

Rosario Dawson - Rosario Dawson was chilling on her porch when Larry Clark and Harmony Korine approached her for a role. She starred in their controversial film, 'Kids,' without any acting experience.

© Getty Images

Rosario Dawson - 'Kids' kickstarted a career in Hollywood for the actress. She has since starred in films like 'Rent,' 'Sin City,' and 'Death Proof.'

© Getty Images

Pamela Anderson - Pam Anderson was a fitness instructor before she became the "Blue Zone Girl" model for Labbat's beer.

© Getty Images

Pamela Anderson - After posing for Playboy magazine, Anderson scored her first acting gig in 1990, with a role in 'Married with Children.' Two years later, she became a mainstay in 'Baywatch.'

© Getty Images

Wilford Brimley - Wilford Brimley has had a strange career. After serving in the Marines, he worked on set in westerns. Not as an actor, but as a stuntman, rand hand, and wrangler.

© Getty Images

Wilford Brimley -

Brimley had no hopes of being a big actor, but landed a role in 'The China Syndrome' in 1979. He has since established himself as a dependable character actor.

© Getty Images

Katie Jarvis - The British actress was just 17 when she was spotted by director Andrea Arnold, while having an argument with her boyfriend on a train station.

© Getty Images

Katie Jarvis -

Jarvis was cast as a poverty-stricken teenager in 'Fish Tank,' an independent film which won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA Awards. She also starred in the soap opera 'Eastenders.'

© Getty Images