I started watching a show called The Middle a couple months ago when I saw an actress who was playing a high school student that looked a lot like Sydney Sweeney. She had one line in a small co-star role. I looked it up on IMdB and sure enough, it was her. So, it got me to thinking, when did she start acting and when did she “make it”. A quick Google resulted in her “making it” in 2018 in a series called Everything Sucks! I’ve never heard of the series, but I’ll take Google’s response as true. Then, looking back at her IMdB showed her first credit in 2009. It took Sydney Sweeney about 9 years to become famous.
I did a little more digging on some of the other actors who recently became more recognizable and actors I’ve been watching for decades:
Austin Butler
First Credit 2007
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019
Robert De Niro
First Credit 1965
The Godfather Part II 1974
Morgan Freeman
First Credit 1964
Lean On Me 1989
Pedro Pascal
First Credit 1996
Game of Thrones 2014
Anya Taylor-Joy
First Credit 2014
The Queen’s Gambit 2020
Glen Powell
First Credit 2003
Top Gun Maverick 2022
And so on and so on. It is rare. Extremely rare that an actor “makes it” in the first year of acting or even under 5 years. I try and keep that in mind every time I get frustrated that my career isn’t progressing as fast as I would like it. I keep in mind that I am in this for the long run and that overnight success will take years or even decades.
Simon Shih 