12 fotos

From Ana de Armas to Pedro Pascal: 12 celebrities who owe their success, career or life to another famous friend

Whether it’s offering a place to stay, a recommendation for an important role or even a kidney, there are many instances of celebrities helping each other out. These stories show that success among the stars, like everywhere else, is a team effort

Madrid - Apr 30, 2023 - 13:55CEST

Drew Barrymore has suffered from alcohol and drug problems since she was a teenager, and if it weren't for the support of her close friends like Cameron Diaz, she may never have overcome them. Thanks in part to a 2019 intervention organized by her friends, which Diaz attended, Barrymore stopped drinking for good. Although it was a "difficult" conversation, as Diaz recounted in an exclusive interview with 'The Los Angeles Times,' "I knew that if we all stuck with her and gave her the support she needed, she would find her way. I have absolute faith in her. You can’t even comprehend how hard it was to be her as a child, and then she shot out the other end with the ability to save herself." Starting her own show, 'The Drew Barrymore Show,' in 2019 was a turning point. “I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me,” Barrymore revealed. “I was like, ‘I can’t handle this unless I’m in a really clear place.’”Tommaso Boddi (Getty)

Pedro Pascal is riding high thanks to his starring roles in two popular shows, 'The Last of Us' and 'The Mandalorian.' But it hasn't always been this way, as his friend Sarah Paulson recalls. The two met in the early 1990s, when they were just starting their careers. "There were times when I would give him my per diem from a job I was working on so that he could have money to feed himself," Paulson said in an interview with 'Esquire' magazine. But she always knew that he was talented, and Paulson believes that Pascal is just getting started. "I’m ready for him to take the reins from the guys from romantic comedies past, like Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson and all these guys. He can be all that. Let’s remake 'Die Hard' with Pedro. Remake all the 'Lethal Weapon' movies with Pedro,” she joked.Frazer Harrison (Getty Images)

Almost two decades after the last episode of 'Friends' aired, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow are still close friends, as demonstrated by the support they gave Cox when she unveiled her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 27. In addition to her two former colleagues, actress Laura Dern, who is also Cox’s close friend, also attended the event. In her thank-you speech, Cox emphasized how important her co-stars have been to her. "They're such wonderful friends of mine and they're family to me, so it felt really comfortable… they're my sisters." Later, Aniston responded in kind. “From the beginning…when we met her, she was immediately inclusive, warm, loving, interested in everything about you…as fans we want to thank you for making us laugh…you're one of the funniest human beings on the planet Earth. Nothing makes me happier than a Courteney joke and always making us smile and thank you for enriching our lives with your work." Gilbert Flores (Variety via Getty Images)

"Well, she got me the job [on Harry] Potter, practically, so for anyone who doesn’t know that story, I basically owe everything to Maggie Smith," said Daniel Radcliffe in a 2011 interview. "I worked with her on David Copperfield and then she came over to Potter as [Professor] McGonagall and said to the director [Chris Columbus], you need to audition this boy.” 121502 (MPA-Stills/Cordon Press)

Nicolas Cage was the one who suggested that Johnny Depp give acting a try. Cage broached the subject during a game of Monopoly in the early 1980s, when 'National Treasure' star put Depp in touch with his agent; until then, Depp had wanted to pursue a career in music. As Cage told 'The New York Times': "I sent him to meet with my agent. She sent him out on his first audition, which was 'A Nightmare on Elm Street.' He got the part that day."Barry King (WireImage)

When Tom Hanks won the Cecil B. Demille Award in 2020, Charlize Theron presented him with the honor and thanked him in an emotional speech. Theron recalled how during her audition for the film 'That Thing You Do,' which Hanks directed, the actress thought she “completely blew it…I had forgotten to breathe, and Tom kindly looked at me, took a beat and said, 'I'm so sorry, Charlize, do you mind giving me just five minutes? I have to step out, but I’ll be right back, and we'll do that scene again.' Tom didn't need five minutes; I needed five minutes. Those five minutes were a gift to me because he saw a nervous, sweaty young actress, failing to mask a panic attack and a thick South African accent. That's the kind of man he is. This is why we love Tom [Hanks]."Handout (2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC via)

In 2010, before he became famous, musician Ed Sheeran slept on actor Jamie Foxx's couch. As Foxx said on 'The Graham Norton Show,' the 'Shape of You' singer knew Foxx had a radio show, 'The Foxxhole,' and asked him to let him play some of his songs on it. After listening to him, Foxx realized Sheeran’s talent and let the young hopeful stay in his home. "I said, 'Look, I know you have nowhere to go, so you can stay here.' I was feeding him, and even my daughter asked, 'Now who do you have at home?"Lester Cohen (WireImage)

After a judge denied singer Kesha's request to be released from her record contract with music producer Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexual harassment in 2016, Taylor Swift donated $250,000 (€227,000) to help her in her legal battle. In addition to Swift, other musicians like Lady Gaga and Lorde used their social media presence to protest the court’s decision.

Friends since the beginning of their careers, actresses Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek have one of the best-known friendships in Hollywood. One of the several moments in which they showed support for each other was after Hayek confessed that she had been harassed by producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017. Afterward, Cruz dedicated an Instagram post to Hayek: "I love you, my beautiful friend. But why do we have to fight tooth and nail to keep our dignity? I think it's because we, as women, have been artistically devalued to an indecent state, to the point where the film industry stopped making an effort to figure out what female audiences wanted to see and what stories we wanted to tell."KEVORK DJANSEZIAN (Getty Images)

The two 'Good Will Hunting' stars first met in the 1980s when Ben Affleck was eight and Matt Damon was 10. Their friendship began when Affleck stood up to a bully to protect Damon. “I remember that was a big moment," Damon said during an interview on the Conan O'Brian show in 2019. “Going like, ‘This guy, he will put himself in a really bad spot for me.’ Like, ‘This is a good friend to have.’” In addition, a few weeks ago, when the two were promoting their film 'Air,' they said that they had a joint bank account together for years so they could pay their bills: “[It’s] a weird thing in retrospect," but “as long as one of us had money, we knew that the power wasn't going to get shut off." TIM MOSENFELDER (Getty Images)

Ana de Armas and Elena Furiase met when they co-starred in the show 'The Boarding School' in 2007 and have been inseparable ever since then. De Armas, who moved from her native Cuba to Madrid when she was 18, recalled how difficult it was to move to another country and said that Elena and her family welcomed her with open arms. In an interview with 'Vogue,' she explained that she thinks of Lolita Flores, Furiase's mother, as a second mother. "On days when I was…crying and missing my parents in Cuba, the three of us would lie in bed, and they made me laugh my head off," she said. To this day, de Armas and Furiase remain close friends. For example, after learning of her friend's Oscar nomination for her performance in 'Blonde,' Furiase uploaded a video to Instagram in which she congratulated de Armas, expressing her love.Fotonoticias (WireImage)

Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa have been friends for a decade, but the general public learned about their relationship in 2017 when Raisa donated a kidney to Gomez, who suffers from lupus. Despite recent rumors that the friendship had ended, Gomez recently clarified that it was not true. In March, Gomez conveyed her deep appreciation for her friend on an Apple TV show in which different characters read thank you letters to those who have inspired them. The actress then called Raisa her "best friend," and admitted that when Raisa agreed to donate her kidney, Gomez was overwhelmed by her generosity. The 'Calm Down' singer added, “I will never, ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia.” The two friends have the date of the operation tattooed on their arms.Amanda Edwards (WireImage)