10 famous actors who dropped out of high school

Since childhood, we are told: “You must study well”. A good education in the world today plays a huge role, but many celebrities have proven that a prestigious diploma is not always the key to success, especially if we talk about the creative professions. Although, as we know, Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard and all this proves only one thing: everyone has his way to fame and popularity.

We decided to find out which celebrities dropped out of school and why they all made this difficult decision.

• Jessica Chastain 

The actress admitted that she decided to leave school because she didn’t understand the material. “Nobody knew that about me. I dropped out of school. I was a bad student. I was sitting in my car reading Shakespeare instead of studying.” As a result, Jessica ended up with a lot of absences. 

However, the girl continued her education, getting an acting scholarship to Robin Williams. At 22, she enrolled at the Juilliard School of Art and Music. And it completely changed her view of studying: “I thought that I was not very smart, since I did not do well in school. But it turned out that everyone just has to find something he’s interested in, something he’s good at.”

• Kristen Stewart

The actress started her career when she was 9 years old, and at 13, she dropped out of school and switched to homeschooling. She said about it: “I had to stop going to school because I was filming too much”. At the same time, teachers did not meet her interests, refusing to deal with her after school hours, and essay writing service was not so well spread at that time. 

Also, Kristen admitted: “I’m glad I was able to do movies and I was glad I dropped out of school. I couldn’t communicate with kids my age. They’re mean. I don’t think I missed out on the social aspects because I’m around people all the time. Once you graduate, you realize it’s just a smaller version of life.”

• Charlize Theron

It’s hard to believe now, but at school, Charlize was made fun of because she wore thick glasses. Her relationship with her classmates was not the best. However, when she was 16 years old, her mother insisted that Charlize take part in a modeling contest and became the winner. 

Then she won a modeling contest in Italy and signed a one-year contract with a modeling agency in Milan. Of course, she was no longer interested in school. But fame did not come at once. So, the actress admitted that she came to Los Angeles almost without money and for a long time lived in the cheapest hotels in Hollywood.

• Emma Stone 

Ever since she was a little girl, Emma decided she wanted to be an actress. In ninth grade, she made a presentation to her parents, “The Hollywood Project,” and explained in detail why they should let her drop out of school and move from Arizona to Los Angeles. Surprisingly, it worked, and Emma went to Hollywood with her mother. Stone said, “It’s crazy that they said yes. I don’t condone it. Everybody has to finish high school and get a college education.”

• Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet admitted that education and diplomas were never her goals: “I left school at 16 and went to work in a delicatessen store to earn money for a ticket to London and go to a hearing.”Fortunately, at the age of 19, the director chose her out of 175 applicants for the lead role in the thriller “Heavenly Creatures“.

• Leonardo DiCaprio 

Leo aspired to an acting career from an early age and began acting like a child. At the same time, studying, in turn, did not seem so attractive to him. DiCaprio admitted that he hated public school and always asked his mother to take him to hearings instead in order to improve the financial situation of the family. Finally, he dropped out of high school and started looking for an agent to become a real movie star.

• Uma Thurman

As a child, the future star was quite withdrawn and did not find a common language with peers – she was teased because of her long nose and strange name, which gave her a Buddhist father. Thus Uma suffered from dysmorphophobia for some time. 

Fortunately, in 8th grade, she became attracted to theater and acting. While playing on stage, Uma was noticed by a talent agent who suggested she consider a professional acting career. For this reason, she decided to leave school.

• Joaquin Phoenix 

Joaquin’s childhood was very unusual. He was born into a family of hippies who soon became members of the “Children of God” sect. Fortunately, when the boy was 4 years old, his parents broke with the organization, changed their last name to Phoenix, marking their spiritual rebirth, and moved to Los Angeles. 

From early childhood, Phoenix, along with his siblings, began starring in commercials and on television to help the family. So Joaquin studied mostly at home and took some breaks until he did not leave studying. His first serious role was in the tragicomedy “Parents”, in which he starred at age 14.

• Daniel Radcliffe 

The boy was only 11 when he was confirmed for the central role in “Harry Potter,” so in high school he dropped out of school to take up acting. His parents didn’t put up much of a fight, as they were from a creative background and understood that show business sometimes requires such losses. 

Daniel admitted that he didn’t do well in school, so he didn’t lose much. He also noted that this role made him more confident and he is glad that his life turned out this way.

• Jim Carrey 

Jim Carrey was a good student at school and had no plans to drop out. At 16, however, he had to quit school to start working and help his family because his father lost his job. “For a while, we lived in a van and worked as security guards and janitors,” he said in an interview. 

Soon his mother became seriously ill, and he decided to work on his acting talent to do something to cheer her up. His efforts were successful, and at 18 years old he made his debut on television.