Believe it or not, famous actors that have found success and fame have also had to go through the run of auditions, just like you. But through persistence, hard work and talent, they managed to stand out from the hundreds of other auditionees and land that huge role that launched their careers.

When they finally found that lucky break (see what we did there?), there was something that set them apart from everyone else that auditioned for the same role, but what was that? Was it their physicality, their take on a character, or their ability to access a state of emotional vulnerability that blew the casting team away?

We feel that one of the best ways of learning how to find success yourself, is through observing and engaging with as much material that you can learn from and draw upon yourself for when that huge opportunity next comes around.

So here it is, we’ve gathered 20 audition tapes from famous actors as proof that persistence pays off, and a little inspiration for your own journey.

1. Rachel McAdams – The Notebook

It’s no surprise that Rachel McAdams landed the role of Allie Hamilton in ‘The Notebook’ with this tape. She’s present and listening to everything that Ryan Gosling (off-camera) is saying, and so her reactions are grounded, real and the emotion that floods out of her is not at all forced.

2. Henry Thomas – E.T.

This audition from Henry Thomas is phenomenal. For a kid of his age to be able to produce such raw emotion, all whilst staying incredibly still and his eyes unwavering from the actor he’s playing against is something not many actors of his age would have been able to do.

3. Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

In this video J J Abrams talks about Daisy Ridley’s ability to access raw emotion and produce tears not only once, but twice. This is a good lesson in holding some emotion in reserve, in case you need to go again and replicate it.

4. Tom Holland – Spiderman

Obviously Tom Holland had already played Lucas in ‘The Impossible’ as well as Billy Elliot on the West End stage, but when he landed the role of Spiderman he went against 7,500 other actors for the role! Here we can see that his energy and charisma are what helped him stand out, as well as, of course, his ability to do a backflip and be incredibly agile for the role of Spiderman.

5. Dacre Montgomery – Stranger Things

I’m sure most of you have seen this already, but what an incredible self tape this is. It’s bold and brash – playing music out loud and Dacre with his top off; but this of course matches the brashness of the character he’s playing. He also has a quiet intensity at points that really brings out the evilness of ‘Billy’. This could be one of the best we’ve seen, a real favourite here at Lucky Break News.

6. Hugh Laurie – House M.D.

Now of course Hugh Laurie had been working for many years before ‘House’ came along, but we had to include this in the line up as it’s too good to miss. Hugh is so relaxed and nonchalant, exuding confidence and charisma, and also telling a thousand stories in his facial expressions.

7. Steve Carrell – Anchorman

This audition from Steve Carrell won him the part of Brick in ‘Anchorman’. His ability to improv and adapt to the notes from the Director to make the scene different each time clearly display his comic genius.

8. Bill Skarsgård – IT

Bill Skarsgård’s audition for Pennywise in ‘IT’ mixes a balance of childlike facial expressions with a dark and sinister tone. His eyes are huge, drawing the viewer in, and of course the intended victim of Pennywise’s crimes.

9. Robert Downey Jr – Iron Man

This is an acting masterclass from Robert Downey Jr. He’s relaxed, confident, and full of charisma; yet the performance is still underplayed and truthful, proving that less really is more.

10. Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad

Aaron Paul nails this audition for Jessie Pinkman in ‘Breaking Bad’. And what is more, here is proof that it doesn’t matter if you forget your lines and ask for a cue, as long as you can recover well and not let it affect your performance. Also, the gloves he’s wearing really reflect the character well, evidence that small touches in clothing and appearance can help to convey your choices to the casting team.

11. Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter

Of course it helped that Daniel Radcliffe looks a lot like the Harry Potter drawn on the front of every book written by J K Rowling, but in this audition he shows that he’s engaged, staring unblinkingly at the reader, and able to adapt and improv if the scene required it.

12. Jason Mamoa – Game of Thrones

Jason Mamoa did something slightly different in his casting for ‘Game of Thrones’, he decided to do the Haka – a war cry performed by the indigenous population of New Zealand. We wouldn’t suggest always doing something like this, but if it works for the character and is something personal to you, then do it!

13. Emma Stone – Easy A

Emma Stone proves that your setup can be as minimal as the webcam on your laptop in her self-tape here for ‘Easy A’. That being said she bubbles with energy and sprightliness and oozes the classic Emma Stone charisma we now all know her so well for. Note also how she is relaxed, as if talking to a friend and brushing her hair out of her face.

14. Matthew McConnaughey – Dazed and Confused

Matthew McConnaughey is the definition of cool in his audition for ‘Dazed and Confused’. In his book ‘Greenlights’ he said he channelled his older brother, who he looked up to for being ‘cool’ when he was a kid.

15. Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones

‘Game of Thrones’ was certainly the show that catapulted Emilia Clarke to fame, and you can see why from her tape above. She’s natural, convincing and displays a regality and poise fit for the role of Daenerys.

16. Hugh Jackman – Wolverine

Isn’t it amazing? Hugh Jackman is a man who is usually full of energy and zeal, yet here we see him during and also in-between takes, as a man who is quiet, understated, brooding and carrying a burden of a troubled life. This goes to show that keeping the energy of the character in between takes can help the casting team visualise you in the role – you don’t have to be bubbly and chatty!

17. Kate Winslet – Titanic

Kate Winslet’s performance in the screen test above earned her the role of Rose in ‘Titanic’. Her natural style is derived from not just the delivery of her lines, but also notice how she casts her eyes away when Rose feels a little shy or awkward, and then locks in on her on-screen partner Jeremy Sisto at the right moments.

18. Megan Fox – Transformers

Megan Fox was perfectly cast as Mikaela Banes in ‘Transformers’. You can see here, before her in-person audition, that her self-tape was shot outside and in front of the bonnet of a car. Remember, you don’t always have to shoot your tape in front of a blue screen with your standard self-tape set up, as long as your face is clear and the audio is clean.

19. Matthew Fox – Lost

Matthew Fox here is animated and expressive, which goes to show that you most certainly can be free and expressive, you don’t always have to hold back and show less, as long as your delivery is full of conviction and most importantly, it is believable.

20. Robert De Niro – The Godfather

Robert De Niro auditioned here for Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone. He plays the part so well, with swagger and true Mafia style and brashness, it’s an unforgettable performance. However, he didn’t end up landing the role, it went to James Caan instead. But, and this is such a great lesson in ‘booking the room, not the part’, Francis Ford Coppola remembered him and brought him back in two years later, to audition for ‘The Godfather Part II’, to play the young Vito Corleone, a role he did end up securing.

If you made it this far, we hope you enjoyed these audition tapes from famous actors as not just an acting lesson, but also a bit of inspiration. Now go forth and smash your next audition!