History Main / AwesomeDearBoy

** Creator/TobeyMaguire in the Film/SpiderManTrilogy had a similar experience. Despite his reputation as a [[PrettyBpy scrawny Hollywood pretty-boy]], he pursued the role of Spider-Man aggressively, and made a point of [[DyeingForYourArt bulking up and taking stunt training]] just to audition for the role.

** In contrast with his previous MCU role, where he mainly worked for [[MoneyDearBoy money]], Creator/PaulBettany was more invested in his new role as ComicBook/TheVision in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''.

* Creator/HughGrant retired from acting to work on behind-the-scenes production and political causes; but he came out of retirement to appear in ''Film/FlorenceFosterJenkins'' in part because the opportunity to work opposite Creator/MerylStreep was just too good to pass up.

** Sir Alec Guinness had stated in several interviews that when offered the script for ''A New Hope'' he almost passed on it since he didn't think science-fiction was for him, but changed his mind after being told it was being done by George Lucas, who had impressed Guinness as an up-and-coming filmmaker. After reading the script, while he admitted that he felt the dialogue needed a lot of work, he was so drawn into the story that he couldn't put the script down, and this convinced him to join the cast.

* Creator/MalcolmMcDowell starred in and helped produce the low-budget Christian film ''Suing the Devil'' because he wanted to play {{Satan}}, and [[HamAndCheese he had a glorious time doing so]]. He also took the role of Tolian Soran in ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'' [[spoiler:precisely because he'd be playing the man who killed James T. Kirk.]]

* When Creator/WhoopiGoldberg first read ''Literature/TheColorPurple'', she immediately began talking to both author Alice Walker and everyone she could in Hollywood--before the film rights were even sold--because she, in her own words, ''needed'' to be in a film adaptation, even joking that she'd play a screen door or dirt on the ground for the chance. Once Steven Spielberg acquired the rights and began planning the film, Goldberg went to the producers directly and started lobbying hard to appear. Her persistence paid off: Spielberg gave her the lead part of Celie (it was her film debut and StarMakingRole), and she earned a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for her trouble.

** Creator/WhoopiGoldberg actually went to the mountain and started contacting everyone involved in ''The Next Generation'' to ask for a part, even showing up in person. At first the producers refused because they thought she was joking--Goldberg was a rising comedy star and fresh off an Oscar nomination for ''Film/TheColorPurple''. But Goldberg explained that seeing Creator/NichelleNichols as Uhura in the original series was a defining moment of her childhood, and she remembered screaming when she first saw her: "Come here, mom, everybody, come quick, come quick, there's a Black lady on television and she ain't no maid! I knew right then and there that I could be whatever I wanted to be." Goldberg even offered to play a janitor in the background just to honor Nichols, but instead, the producers made her the [[AlmightyJanitor Almighty Bartender]] Guinan, who is not only smarter and more capable than anyone else on the ship but regularly gets away with [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu dissing]] '''[[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Q]].''' She, in turn, got Creator/DwightSchultz on board.

** Nicolas Cage almost never takes supporting roles but made an exception for ''Film/Renfield'' because he got to play Dracula.

** Creator/AnthonyMackie chose to play Comicbook/TheFalcon in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' because he was a major fan of the character (he's expressed a desire to wear [[https://terrigen-cdn-dev.marvel.com/content/prod/1x/014fal-com-mnt-ca171-04.jpg the Falcon's original red costume]]), that being a superhero was too good an opportunity to pass up, and [[SoMyKidsCanWatch he felt it would show black kids that they can be superheroes too]].

* The ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' films:

* The Naval Aviators hired for ''Film/TopGun'' were excited for the movie, not for the payment (only $23 a day), but to get to fly their planes through maneuvers of which the Navy ''severely'' disapproves. BuzzingTheTower normally gets you expelled; aviator Scott Altman got to do it nine times during the shoot, and there was actually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxvqLfI0ukM&feature=emb_title a drawing of straws to see who'd be the first to ever perform it at the Miramar base]].

** Creator/TomHolland is a big Franchise/SpiderMan fan and was absolutely ecstatic when he got the role.

** Speaking of Christopher Lee he was definitely acting in the name of this trope when he played Saruman in Film/TheLordOfTheRings, as he was a major fan of the books and is the only known cast member who met Creator/JRRTolkien while the author was still alive.

* Creator/NeilGaiman wrote the first few pages of what would become ''Literature/GoodOmens'' on his own and sent them to a few friends to get their thoughts. After some time, he heard back from Creator/TerryPratchett, who asked him if he was still working on it and then offered to either work together or buy the idea to work on himself after learning Gaiman was otherwise occupied. Gaiman declared they would co-write it, comparing the inquiry to "Michelangelo phoning and asking if you want to paint a ceiling together".

* ''Series/{{The Arrangement|2017}}'', a 2017 {{Dramedy}} had this frequently:

** Creator/CourtneyPaige, took the role of Annika in Season 1 so she could play a bad girl role without it being too stereotypical.

* When Creator/DavidTennant was approached to voice a part in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'', he immediately signed on after hearing its origins as an adaptation of [[WebVideo/CriticalRole a homebrewed D&D campaign that started out with a group of friends goofing around in a living room before eventually becoming a huge internet sensation]], finding its journey to be immensely inspiring.

* Kasuka Heiwajima of ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' got his start in the extremely campy anime ''[[ShowWithinAShow Vampire Carmilla Saizou]]''. He was listed in the "top ten actors who don't get to choose their roles," and most people treat it as an OldShame. Kasuka, however, claims that Carmilla Saizou is an awesome character, and insisted on reprising his role in the movie.

* When the American Olympic Selection Committee was putting together the original dream team in 1992, some top players were initially reluctant to sign on for various reasons. Michael Jordan would rather have been playing golf, and Larry Bird's health issues were forcing him to the brink of retirement. It was only after some others, particularly Magic Johnson, enthusiastically answered the call that the unique historical potential of the team became apparent. By the time the roster was set it was obvious this would be a team like no other, and in the years since many of the players, including even Jordan, have stated that it was the most important and memorable experience of their careers.

** Speaking of Christopher Lee he was definitely acting in the name of this trope when he played Saruman in the Film/TheLordOfTheRings, as he was a major fan of the books and is the only known cast member who met Creator/JRRTolkien while the author was still alive.

** Creator/TobeyMaguire in the Film/SpiderManTrilogy had a similar experience. Despite his reputation as a [[{{Bishonen}} scrawny Hollywood pretty-boy]], he pursued the role of Spider-Man aggressively, and made a point of [[DyeingForYourArt bulking up and taking stunt training]] just to audition for the role.

* Estelle Ellis, voice of Krystal in ''Franchise/StarFox'', returned to voice act the character after years of retirement for a ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' mod because she was friends with the creator and apparently [[https://www.pcgamer.com/star-fox-actor-comes-out-of-retirement-for-a-half-life-2-mod-that-replaces-alyx-with-a-sexy-blue-fox/ 'she wanted a new mic.']]

* Estelle Ellis, voice of Krystal in ''VideoGame/StarFox'', returned to voice act the character after years of retirement for a ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' mod because she was friends with the creator and apparently [[https://www.pcgamer.com/star-fox-actor-comes-out-of-retirement-for-a-half-life-2-mod-that-replaces-alyx-with-a-sexy-blue-fox/ 'she wanted a new mic.']]

* Combined with DoingItForTheArt, this is why Creator/JohnTravolta did ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' in spite of its TroubledProduction and [[BoxOfficeBomb results]], which made him lose ''$10 million'' in backend profits.

* When an interviewer asked Creator/WilliamHMacy why he accepted a role in ''Film/JurassicParkIII'', he replied: "Because I'm 50 years old and I get to fight a dinosaur."

* Creator/HugoWeaving was once quoted as wanting to play [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Elrond]] and [[Film/TheMatrix Agent Smith]] so that he could get action figures of himself and make them fight each other. Averted in the case of [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Red Skull]] and [[Film/{{Transformers|2007}} Megatron]] however, claiming that Red Skull was interesting, but something he'd rather not do again; while Megatron was outright the only role he never cared about.

* The live-action ''Film/{{Transformers|FilmSeries}}'' films:

* Creator/HugoWeaving was once quoted as wanting to play [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Elrond]] and [[Film/TheMatrix Agent Smith]] so that he could get action figures of himself and make them fight each other. Averted in the case of [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Red Skull]] and [[Film/{{Transformers}} Megatron]] however, claiming that Red Skull was interesting, but something he'd rather not do again; while Megatron was outright the only role he never cared about.

* ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' was full of it: actors who wanted to play superheroes (Caleb Landry Jones even said there would hardly be another freckled redhead like Banshee for him to play), Creator/JamesMcAvoy being a fan of the ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' cartoon, and the prospect of working with Creator/MatthewVaughn and an AllStarCast.

* In a feature in Empire magazine, Creator/StephenMerchant had this to say about his appearance in the notorious ''Film/{{Movie 43}}'':

* When it was announced that they were [[Film/TheMuppets2011 bringing the Muppets back to the screen]], so many celebrities asked for cameos that they couldn't actually fit all of them into the movie.
** Creator/ChrisCooper, when asked why he agreed to perform a rap song in ''Film/TheMuppets2011:''

* Creator/RyanReynolds would ''not stop'' auditioning for superhero movies and talking himself up as the perfect casting choice for any superhero you could shake a stick at. He clearly wanted to be a superhero so very badly and got to be "[[Film/XMenOriginsWolverine Deadpool]]", [[Film/Deadpool2016 Deadpool]], and [[Film/GreenLantern2011 Hal Jordan]] for his persistence.