Actors Who Weren't Professionals But Did A Great A Job (25 pics)

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Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who was invited to play the part of Katniss' creative stylist, Cinna, in the first two Hunger Games movies.

Hunter Schafer As Jules In 'Euphoria' (2019-Present)

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Hunter Schafer is an American fashion model and LGBTQ rights activist. Schafer has modelled for Dior, Miu Miu, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Versus Versace, Emilio Pucci and many other famous fashion houses.

In 2019, she was offered the role of Jules in HBO's Euphoria.

Bria Vinaite As Halley In 'The Florida Project' (2017)

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Sean Baker, the director of The Florida Project, spotted Vinaite's Instagram post and decided to approach her. Bria was offered the role, and after three weeks of acting classes, the filming began.

R. Lee Ermey As Gunnery Sergeant Hartman In 'Full Metal Jacket' (1987)

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Turns out, when Ermey was a teenager, he got arrested twice for criminal mischief. The judge told him that he could either go to jail or join the Marine Corps. After serving for 11 years, he became a technical advisor for the movie industry. He took on this position with the goal to show filmmakers that he should be starring in their movies. As you can see, his plan worked out quite perfectly. Ermey persuaded Kubrick to cast him in Full Metal Jacket by making a homemade audition tape capturing him screaming insults.

Avu And Swati Chokalingam As Kelly's Parents In 'The Office' (2005-2013)

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Avu and Swati Chokalingam, who play Kelly's parents on The Office, are, in fact, Mindy Kaling's real-life parents. In real life, Avu is an architect and Swati was an obstetrician/gynecologist.

Kathy C. An As Nurse Bokhee In 'Grey's Anatomy' (2005-Present)

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Turns out, An, who plays the nurse Bokhee on Grey's Anatomy, is a scrub nurse in real life and continues working with open-heart surgeries in Los Angeles.

Dave Bautista As Drax In 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' (2014)

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Bautista is a retired professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. Even though Drax wasn't his first acting role, it was his first leading part in a massive blockbuster.

Jameela Jamil As Tahani In 'The Good Place' (2016-2020)

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While Jamil was working as a writer at 3 Arts, her agents told her that the co-creator of Parks and Recreation, Michael Schur, was looking for a British actress for a new upcoming comedy series. After auditioning, Jamil got the role. Before the acting career, she was working as a model and a radio host.

Yalitza Aparicio As Cleodegaria Gutiérrez In 'Roma' (2018)

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Before being chosen for the role, Aparicio was a schoolteacher. She is the first Indigenous American woman and the second Mexican woman to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

Harry Styles As Alex In 'Dunkirk' (2017)

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Styles is an English singer and songwriter, mostly known for being a part of one of the best-selling boy bands of all time called One Direction.

In 2017, Harry was chosen to play the role of a British soldier named Alex in Christopher Nolan's war film Dunkirk. Nolan said that Harry was chosen for the part not because of his fame, but "because he fit the part wonderfully and truly earned a seat at the table."

Jaye Davidson As Dil In 'The Crying Game' (1992)

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Davidson, a fashion model, was drunk at a party when someone came to him, gave him a number, and asked him to call if he'd like to be in a movie. And that's how Davidson got offered the role of the transgender woman Dil.

John Matuszak As Sloth In 'The Goonies' (1985)

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Matuszak was an American football defensive end in the National Football League. In the 1980s, he started appearing in films and on television, often portraying football players. His most well-known role is the deformed captive Sloth in The Goonies.

Gilbert R. Hill As Inspector Douglas Todd In 'Beverly Hills Cop' (1984)

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Hill was an American politician and police officer. He was discovered when the director of the movie was looking for shooting locations in Detroit.

Shoukath And Fatima Ansari As Dev's Parents On 'Master Of None' (2015-2017)

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Shoukath and Fatima Ansari are Aziz Ansari's real-life parents as well as being his character's parents in the series.

Henry Golding As Nick Young In 'Crazy Rich Asians' (2018)

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Golding was a show host when he was offered the role of Nick Young. The accountant that was working in the film’s Malaysian production office suggested Golding, who she had met a few years before.

Miyavi As Sgt. Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe In 'Unbroken' (2014)

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Miyavi is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. In 2014, he was offered a role in the movie Unbroken by the director Angelina Jolie.

Björk As Selma Ježková In 'Dancer In The Dark' (2000)

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Björk is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Björk was asked to write and produce the musical score for the film Dancer in the Dark, and eventually was asked to play the leading role of Selma.

Lebron James As Himself In 'Trainwreck' (2015)

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In 2015, the professional basketball player LeBron James was invited to play a comedy version of himself in the movie Trainwreck, and absolutely nailed it.

Dean Brooks As Dr. Spivey In 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' (1975)

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Brooks was an American physician. In 1975, he was the head of Oregon State Hospital—the place where One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed, and that's why he stars in the movie.

Felicia Pearson As Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson On 'The Wire' (2002-2008)

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Pearson had a tough childhood and when she was only 16 years old, she was convicted of second-degree murder after the shooting of a girl named Okia Toomer and was sentenced to two eight-year terms. After six and a half years, she was released from prison.

Pearson was offered the role on The Wire after she met Michael K. Williams, who played Omar Little on the show, and was invited to come to the set, where she met the writers and the producers.

Abraham Attah As Agu In 'Beasts Of No Nation' (2015)

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Attah was discovered by the director Cary Fukunaga in Ghana while skipping class to play soccer.

Gary Stevens As Jockey George Woolf In 'Seabiscuit' (2003)

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Stevens is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who played the jockey George Woolf in 2003 movie 'Seabiscuit.'

The producer Frank Marshall and the film’s director, screenwriter and co-producer Gary Ross approached Stevens at the Santa Anita Park racetrack where they went for research. And even though Stevens turned them down at first, they managed to convince him to take the role.

Kevin Garnett As Himself In 'Uncut Gems' (2019)

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Garnett is an American former professional basketball player. Garnett was approached by the Safdie brothers, the directors of the thriller, and was offered the part.

Mariah Carey As Ms. Weiss In 'Precious' (2009)

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Lee Daniels, the director of Precious, wanted Carey to play the character of Ms. Weiss, a social worker, since he was extremely impressed by her performance in 2008's Tennessee.

Arielle Holmes As Harley In 'Heaven Knows What' (2014)