Stars Who Struggled Before Making It Big

Hilary Swank

From the age of six, actress Hilary Swank grew up in a trailer park in Washington. After her parents divorced when she was 15, she and her mother moved to Los Angeles so that Swank could pursue an acting career. When they got there, Swank and her mother lived out of their car. On occasion, a friend who was selling their house let Swank and her mother spend the night there even though the house was empty. During this time, she also dropped out of high school.

Swank went on to perform small acting gigs but her biggest break was the lead role in the film Boys Don’t Cry, in which she played a transgender male. She was only paid $75/day for her work, earning a total of $3,000 for the entire film, but would later go on to win a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actress for the role.