full circle.

"the wheel is come full circle, i am here."

shakespeare's king lear

act v,  scene iii

we've all heard the stories of "normal" people being catapulted into fame just by being in the right place at the right time:

rosario dawson - discovered while sitting on her front stoop in NY

pamela anderson - discovered after appearing on the jumbotron at a CFL game

johnny depp - attended an audition with a friend out of sheer boredum; asked to read for a part in the film by wes craven himself; nailed it; booked it

charlize theron - discovered by an agent after throwing a fit at a LA bank

natalie portman - discovered while eating pizza in long island

jennifer lawrence - discovered while walking through the streets of NY with her mother

david boreanaz - was out walking his dog in LA; a talent manager spotted him and thought he'd be perfect for the role of "angel" in "buffy the vampire slayer"...

and, my personal favorite: 

harrison ford - while building cabinets for george lucas, he was asked to read lines for absent actors starring in his upcoming film, star wars; steven spielberg overheard these readings, loved them and hired him for the part of han solo...

i think you get the picture.
now, i am in no way demeaning the success of these actors/actresses but their respective "big break" stories is something most actors dream of.
that is why i find it so refreshing when i hear stories of successful actors whose rise to fame didn't come so easily.

one of my favorite examples of hard work and persistence is bradley cooper.
a few months ago, i watched his episode of "inside the actor's studio" and i was enamored.
he talked about being a student at the actor's studio drama school and asking robert de niro a question to starring alongside him in "limitless" (and now, silver linings playbook).
it was such an awesome feeling to watch him get emotional at the realization that he had just come around full circle.
the entire interview had me inspired and now has me longing for the moment when i realize that i, too, have come around full circle :)

enjoy the clip below!

xoxo TA