Mel Gibson
Before Mel Gibson was given the opportunity to ruin his reputation on the big screen, he was doing practically nothing until he got lucky. He drove a friend of his to audition for the original Mad Max. After that, he got lucky like Johnny Depp...
He's A Jerk for a Living
Gibson had gotten into a bar fight the night before he drove his buddy to the audition. Director George Miller thought that Gibson would be perfect to play the villain role in Mad Max, but when he showed up a week later with a clear face, Miller thought he would make a good hero instead.