Auditions are as much a part of acting as waiting tables, and even some of the A-listers we know and love had to first convince, sway and persuade the powers that be that they were ultimately the right person for the part.

Henry Cavill, who made headlines recently with his newly released test photo from the set, was hardly a household name when he won the role of Superman in Man of Steel, but he snagged the coveted part and has since run with it, appearing in two movies — and a third coming soon.

Cavill is hardly alone. Take a look at some other pretty big names who had to prove they had the chops to land parts that go way up on their resumes, from Tom Hanks' iconic Forrest Gump to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine for X-Men.

Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump"

Robert De Niro in "The Godfather"

Mark Hamill in "Star Wars"

Rachel McAdams in "The Notebook"

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter"

Megan Fox in "Transformers"

Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious"

Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct"

Steve Carell in "Anchorman"

Hugh Jackman in "X-Men"

Alyson Hannigan in "American Pie"

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