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Someone In This Online Group Asked “Which Currently Popular Actor Is Not A Product Of Being Well-Connected And/Or Rich?” And 29 Folks Delivered
Article created by: Saulė Tolstych
There are some professions that seem to be passed down through generations, like being a doctor or a musician. Sometimes it’s a choice that the younger generation makes by themselves and it just is in their blood. But there are cases when they are forced to continue the family tradition.
In cases when children choose or are forced to choose a career path similar to their parents, it can be easier for them to get a better paying job through connections as their parents or grandparents surely have them.
It may seem unfair, but it happens more than you would think. However, others really appreciate and respect when someone comes from a background that didn’t help them pave their own career path. Reddit user PM_me_Thor_nudes was worried that most big actors are a product of nepotism, but actually, other redditors proved them wrong, listing all the actors they know who didn’t have an advantage of knowing someone in the family who was already in the industry.
Do you think that actors who came from nothing deserve more respect than the ones who came from families having a background in the entertainment industry? Also, let us know if you know any more names that you think need to be mentioned in the list!
More info: Reddit
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#1
Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi was a firefighter before making it as an actor, but I think that's common knowledge by now.
RELATED:
#2
The Olsen Twins
The Olsen Twins. They literally supported their families financially by working their entire lives and then people have the audacity to belittle them and act like everything was handed to them on a silver platter. They literally didn’t have a childhood and have always been working. They don’t get the respect they deserve. They’re now still massively successful with their fashion lines and have earned the privacy to stay out of the spotlight.
Their sister on the other hand definitely benefited from the pathway they paved. But I just think about all the child stars who were literally the sole support of their family and they had no control over it. People make jokes about child stars going down bad pathways, but that’s more on the environment and the industry than it is on the kids. Imagine blaming kids for being introduced to things at a young age they shouldn’t have been introduced to. Drew Barrymore’s talks about the things she was exposed to as a kid being part of a family dynasty are so disturbing and the media blames the kids and not the industry that cultivated that environment.
End of rant.
#3
Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis used to work at the store her mom worked at even while she was staring on that 70s show to not let it go to her head.
#4
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds had a pretty humble background. I used to rent movies to his brother, back when rental stores were a thing.
#5
Donald Glover
Donald Glover. Dad was a postal worker and his mom was a daycare provider. Went on to be an insanely talented musician, producer, actor, etc.
#6
Milla Jovovich
If you still count her, there is Milla Jovovich who was the daughter of a single mother from Ukraine. She's a nice lady who is still very down-to-earth. I've heard many good things about her.
#7
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo is definitely not from a wealthy or well connected family. His family actually owns a pizza place in Kenosha, WI.
#8
Adam Driver
I have a lot of respect for Adam Driver. He was the only main actor on Girls who didn't come from privilege or didn't have a parent who was already in the industry. Not surprisingly, he was the most successful actor after Girls ended.
#9
Elijah Woods
Elijah woods parents ran a restaurant in Iowa city and weren’t particularly wealthy
#10
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain. Grew up in a low income family and could only make it through Julliard thanks to a scholarship (actually awarded by a foundation led by Robin Williams, if I'm not mistaken).
#11
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum. Grew up in Alabama and Mississippi, he basically only got into showbiz by being signed as a dancer, and he was only a Dancer because he used to be a stripper.
#12
Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick is one of the prominent ones I can think of. No show biz parents, got her start in theater as a kid.
#13
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt. Was working as the El Pollo Loco chicken on the corner of Sunset and La Brea while trying to make it in Hollywood.
#14
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is def one. She's such a good actress and comes from a normal background. Grew up in Kentucky and her parents run a summer camp for kids.
#15
Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh. Her parents were middle-class South Korean immigrants and she paid out of pocket for her drama education at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. Her mom was a biochemist and her dad was a businessman.
#16
Harrison Ford
Wasn't Harrison Ford a carpenter or something first?
Edit: he pretty much was always an actor, but he wasn't satisfied with the roles he was getting early on, so he became a carpenter until he was discovered by George Lucas.
#17
Rachel Mcadams
Rachel McAdams
“born on November 17, 1978, in London, Ontario, Canada, to nurse Sandra (née Gale) and truck driver Lance McAdams
#18
Selena Gomez
selena gomez. she literally came from nothing and worked as a child to support her family.
#19
Awkwafina
Awkwafina (daughter of IT worker dad, mother passed away when she was young), Simu Liu (son of engineers).
#20
Matthew Mcconaughey And Forest Whitaker
Matthew Mcconaughey and Forest Whitaker both came from Longview, TX. Both from modest families.
#22
Dev Patel
First thing that came to mind was Dev Patel. Mother was a caregiver, father was an IT guy.
#23
Kelly Marie Tran
kelly marie tran (lead voice actor in raya, rose tico in star wars) was a nobody whose parents were vietnam refugees. she did collegehumor videos before rian johnson casted her in star wars. tbh i think most asian-american actors are a good place to look if u wanna search for talent without nepotist connections because most asian immigrants don’t start off in hollywood.
#24
Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen - went to public school, mom is a social worker and dad worked at a non-profit.
#25
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel was raised by a single mother and was doing community theater and independent projects which got him discovered for saving private ryan.
Finn Wolfhard: His father was a history researcher his mother was an assistant and designer.
I think in the UK something like 80% of the name brand actors come out of a few of the elite preparatory schools. There are a few standouts like John Boyega.
#26
Simu Liu
I guess Simu Liu from Marvel's Shang Chi counts. He was an accountant for a brief amount of time before becoming an actor. I'm sure he didn't get rich being an entry level auditor. Simu attended a private school in Toronto. He probably didn't make Hollywood connections there but being around affluence is an advantage. Edit: I thought it would be an advantage being brought up around affluence and communicating with the other wealthy people around. Apparently I'm wrong.
#28
Brie Larson, John Gallagher Junior, Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malik, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Destin Cretton
The banger cast of Short Term 12 (2013) were pretty much nobodies.
Brie Larson - parents are chiropractors.
John Gallagher Junior - parents were folk musicians in Delaware.
Kaitlyn Dever - father voices barney. Make that what you will, not sure how much a voice actor can get you connections.
Rami Malik - immigrant parents (insurance worker and accounting) from Egypt.
LaKeith Stanfield - no info on his parents. Grew up in dysfunctional family in the middle of nowhere California.
Stephanie Beatriz - Immigrant from Argentina and grew up in Texas.
The director and writer of Short Term 12, Destin Cretton, was born in Hawaii to a hairdressor and firefighter. He is now the director of Marvel's Shang Chi movies.
#29
Dicaprio And Toby Maguire
I think DiCaprio and Toby Maguire weren't connected. They were best friends growing up though and came up in the business together.
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