Acting? Everyone will say that of course, it requires training, and the first thing to consider is enlisting for special classes or for an acting school to get the knack before you set out to conquer Hollywood. Acting classes do give enlightenment, but there are naturals who can do it off their bat. Below you can find a list of a-list actors who never attended acting school!
Here are famous actors and actresses who never took acting classes.
Jim Carrey never went to acting school
Jim Carrey has never been one of your average citizens – he was brought up in a van, where he spent time dreaming of his glorious future. His teenage schooling was disrupted – when a freshman Carry had to forgo his studies and help his family make a living while his father was out of job. There was nothing left for him but try his hand at work, and at around 16 he had been a janitor and a security guard at a Toronto-based tire factory.
It was later that the unaccomplished schoolboy made up his mind to attend auditions, which serves their purpose and helped him land a handful of small parts. Then he went on for a more lengthy part in In Living Color where he showed his prowess in sketch comedy. It took him further to featuring in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, with no looking back. But the fact is, his acting training cost him not a single cent.
Tom Cruz is a natural talent too
Out of sheer love for movies, Tom Cruz went on stage for an appearance in a play, and it made all the change. Starry-eyed, he set his sights on New York and, striving for acting, grabbed his chance to participate in the Taps movie. Before the public had time to digest it, he joined the ranks of the highest-paid Hollywooders – the fact he is wont to play down.
Meg Ryan didn’t go to acting school either
A budding journalist, young Meg Ryan had a brainwave to attend auditions with a view of getting on TV series and commercials. Eventually, she appeared on AIM Toothpaste and Burger King clips, and the ball got rolling. It rolled so fast that soon Ryan had to drop out of college in order to play in a feature film. Thus she became an actress bypassing any training.
Christian Bale didn’t need any acting classes
An early starter, Christian Bale already had the acting experience when he walked out of school at 16 – some of it in commercials also – but no professional training. Still, it didn’t prevent him from developing his own acting technique for which he received a well-deserved credit. Besides, Bale will go to great lengths to alter his appearance so that it fits the character he is to portray.
No acting classes necessary for Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz wasn’t thinking of an in-front-of-the-camera career when she came across a photographer with a name. Jeff Dunas couldn’t believe that she had no agent and urged her to get one so they could collaborate. So Diaz started off as a model working for Elite, picked up a handful of small parts in movies, and after about 4 years got into The Mask which made her a recognized actress.
Russell Crowe, a true talent too
At 36 Russell Crowe collected a fine array of awards for portraying General Maximus in Gladiator, just 20 years after he quit school to join the movie industry. He was taken on due to having propitious family connections. It turned out that he had enough talent without training to acquit himself well in many outstanding movies like A Beautiful Mind or Robin Hood.
Prad Pitt is also naturally gifted
Luck was on Brad Pitt’s side when he made it for Hollywood leaving Missouri bearing only $325 of saved money. Arriving in L.A. he found he had $225 to get by. Walking into McDonald’s and making his order, Pitt happened to descry an advert for an extra. He rushed to attend the audition and passed it successfully the first time around.
After that, he fell into the auditioning routine and got a lot of extra jobs both on the screen and on TV. Small roles soon became larger ones, landing him finally as a sought-after actor, producer, director and also a co-owner of a National Rugby League team!
Jennifer Lawrence was born to be an actress
The Forbes Celebrity lister must have known pretty early in life that she would grow to be big – so she persuaded her parents into hiring her an agent. Her first appearance in The Bill Engvall Show comedy series was successful enough for her to go on to act in award-winning movies like Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and The Hunger Games.
Johnny Depp never took acting classes
Initially, Depp dreamed about being a musician and turned up in California to join a band. Naturally, he didn’t need acting classes for that, and as he started working as a telemarketer and sold ink pens by making cold calls, he didn’t need them either. While he was talking customers into buying, he met an agent through his friend Nicholas Cage. Soon Depp got a part in A Nightmare on Elm Street and his movie career took off.
Channing Tatum has always known how to act
After college, Tatum ran the gauntlet of jobs working as a salesman, a dancer, a mortgage broker, and at construction sites. That was before he was picked up by a modeling agency in Miami that put him in print adverts for a big-time brand or two. The going proved good, he ran a great number of commercials, proceeded to movies, and before long got invited to play big roles.
Joaquin Phoenix is also a true talent
The Phoenix offspring began their public appearances on streets and squares to earn money for food. Only they proved to be too talented to stay there for long: an agent spotted them and took them under her aegis. It was commercials at first, then television work, and they remained successful. Joaquin Phoenix fell back after the premature death of his brother River, but luckily, not for long. He returned to collect multiple awards and has been very busy as an actor, as well as a producer and musician, showing his prowess in all spheres.
Matthew McConaughey: a native acting genius
A career in his father’s oil business was waiting for Matthew McConaughey, but the boy spurned the prospect. His great aspiration was to become an actor, so he arranged to act in student films, passing on to commercials. His lucky break came in Austin, when in a hotel bar McConaughey got to know a casting director. Through his new friend, he came to meet Richard Linklater, who was busy knocking together a cast for Dazed and Confused. He thought McConaughey would fit in well, and we know that he was right!
Eddie Murphy was born to be an actor too
In his childhood, Eddie Murphy had no time to dream about starring in movies. His life was one rough ride: his parents divorced, then his mother developed tuberculosis and went to the hospital to be treated. Eddie and his brother had to spend the following year in foster care. Television proving to be a good means of escape for the kid, he got captivated, and tried his hand at stand-up shows, becoming a comedian in his 8th year at school.
He hadn’t been in college for half a year before he auditioned for appearing on Saturday Night Live – and no wonder he was selected. Eddie‘s stand-up performances got liked, his career got underway, and after he played a leading part in 48 Hours, he became recognized as a swell actor. But Eddie Murphy had never been inside an acting school – watching TV did it for him!
