5 Actresses Who Were 'Not Pretty Enough' For Hollywood But Proved Everyone Wrong
Some casting directors are still questioning their decisions.
It's not easy for a young actress to make it in Hollywood. The industry can be cruel, especially to those who have yet to prove themselves or make a name for themselves.
Getting endless rejections, living on the edge of poverty without a real job, and being called all kinds of names must be tough.
But if you're lucky enough, you get the chance to make everyone regret every mean thing they said about you.
The 5 actresses below were denied roles because they were simply "not pretty enough," but ended up turning it all around and becoming the A-list celebrities we all know and love today.
Winona Ryder
It's hard to believe that anyone could tell the Heathers and Beetlejuice star anything negative about her looks, but it happened back in the '80s.
The actress remembers a casting director telling her to give up her acting career and go back to school because she wasn't getting any roles.
Viola Davis
Another actress who has suffered a lot throughout her career is Viola Davis.
The actress believes that her looks as well as her race played a huge role in her being rejected so many times.
"Let's be honest: If I had my same features and I were five shades lighter, it would just be a little bit different," the actress said.
Kate Beckinsale
The actress has accused Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay of putting her through hell just because he couldn't figure out "how to make her attractive."
Beckinsale, just 20, had to go on an intense workout and diet regimen to get at least a little closer to Bay's beauty standards.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Paltrow faced a similar situation in her 20s but ended up not getting the role, despite the Golden Gate director's interest in her.
Again, the reason the studio turned her down was because of her looks. The role went to Teri Polo.
Auditioning for King Kong was a sobering experience for Meryl Streep as a young actress.
As she admits on The Graham Norton Show, director Dino De Laurentiis called her ugly in Italian as she walked into his office. B
ut the actress fought back because she knows the language.
Sources: The Cut, Yahoo Entertainment, The Graham Norton Show