15 Big Names Who Based Their Careers on a Lie
![15 Big Names Who Based Their Careers on a Lie](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/0/884790_320x180.jpg)
From the moment we first learned to lie, humans have been using deception to gain an advantage. From the playground to the boardroom, from the classroom to the courtroom, lying has been a powerful tool for those who know how to wield it. This list is a testament to the power of lying, and the people who have used it to get ahead in Hollywood and beyond.
From Mila Kunis’ age-defying lie that helped her land her breakout role in That ’70s Show, to Robert Pattinson’s masterful deception that got him the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, to Chloë Grace Moretz tricking Martin Scorsese into thinking she was British to land a role in his 3D family film Hugo, this list is a celebration of the art of lying and how it can be used to get ahead. It is a reminder that in a world where truth can be hard to come by, lying can be a powerful tool if wielded carefully.
Vanilla Ice: Not as cool as he seemed?
![Careers built on a lie Vanilla Ice: Not who he said he was? Vanilla Ice has admitted to fabricating details about his background in order to make it harder to check into it, and has been exposed by reporters who discovered his real name and that he was less than truthful about his life story. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/5/884515.jpg)
SBK, EMI
Lying His Way to Stardom: Pattinson’s Secret to Success.
![Careers built on a lie Robert Pattinson: Master of deception in Hollywood. Pattinson lied about his education to get the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, and he admitted to lying to get almost all of his early roles. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/6/884516.jpg)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Sadie Sink: 'Stranger Things' star's secret revealed!
![Careers built on a lie Sadie Sink, rollerblading fibber. Sink revealed that she lied about having rollerblading experience in order to help her secure the role of Max Mayfield in Netflix's hit series Stranger Things. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/2/884512.jpg)
Netflix
Rachel McAdams: Allergic to horses, but not to stardom.
![Careers built on a lie Rachel McAdams, blinded by ambition. McAdams lied about her horse hair allergy to land a role in Terrence Malick's movie To the Wonder, but her eyes swelled up and she couldn't see when she was on set. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/4/884514.jpg)
Magnolia Pictures
Martin Scorsese fooled: Chloë Grace Moretz lands 'Hugo' role.
![Careers built on a lie Chloë Grace Moretz: Film star, British accent master. Moretz tricked Martin Scorsese into thinking she was British in order to land a role in Hugo. She had lived in London while filming Kick-Ass, so she was familiar with the rhythm of the accent. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/6/884526.jpg)
Paramount Pictures
Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson: Computer Science Degree? Not So Much.
![Careers built on a lie Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson: Computer science degree or not? Thompson came under fire for claiming to have a computer science degree from Stonehill College when he didn't, and Yahoo's response that it was an inadvertent mistake didn't cut it. Thompson had used the same bio with the SEC when he was PayPal's сто. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/7/884517.jpg)
President Papows: A Man of Mystery?
![Careers built on a lie Tales of Jeff Papows: Fact or fiction? The president of IBM's Lotus Development Corp. has been subject to scrutiny due to discrepancies in the stories he has told about his life, such as his military rank and his educational credentials. Не denied ever telling most of the stories, attributing them to water-cooler legend spread by colleagues. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/3/884513.jpg)
Notre Dame's Pride Falls: George O'Leary Out.
![Careers built on a lie C 5 adidas 3 embarrassing George lie: Notre Dame stunned. O'Leary resigned as Notre Dame football coach after it was revealed that he had lied about his academic and athletic background, causing a major embarrassment to the storied Notre Dame football program. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/5/884525.jpg)
Ferdinand Marcos Jr: Oxford diploma or not?
![Careers built on a lie Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Oxford diploma or BA? The President of Philippines has been accused of misrepresenting his studies at Oxford University, where he was awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978, not a BA as he has claimed. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/2/884522.jpg)
Lord Archer: Oxford’s most dubious alumnus?
![Careers built on a lie Lord Jeffrey Archer's Oxford years: Myth or reality? The British novelist and former politician's answers to damaging allegations about his years at Oxford have been criticized as totally unsatisfactory by his biographer, Michael Crick, who claims that Archer never would have gotten into Oxford without fabricating his qualifications. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/3/884523.jpg)
Fired from Food Network for Resume Fraud.
![Careers built on a lie Robert Irvine: Fired from Food Network for fibbing. Irvine, the star of Dinner: Impossible, got fired for lying on his resume. The Food Network did not renew his contract despite airing the remaining episodes of the season. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/4/884524.jpg)
Food Network
Lying his way to the top: George Lazenby’s secret mission.
![Careers built on a lie From zero to Bond overnight: George Lazenby's outrageous lie. Lazenby lied to producers about his acting resume to get the role of James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Despite his mediocre acting, the producers bought it and gave him the part. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/0/884520.jpg)
United Artists
14-Year-Old Mila Kunis: OutSmarting Hollywood.
![Careers built on a lie Mila Kunis' age-defying lie leads to success. Kunis admitted to lying about her age to land her breakout role in That '70s Show when she was 14 years old. She was aware that the creators knew her age by the time the show started filming, and she credits the set for helping her stay away from drugs and inspiring her career. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/8/884518.jpg)
Fox
Sandra Bullock: Lying her way to success.
![Careers built on a lie BIONIE Sandra Bullock: Age-fibbing gone wrong. Bullock lied about her age to get a job, and was later outed for pretending to be younger. She admitted that she had lied so many times she had lost track of her own age. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/2/1/884521.jpg)
20th Century Studios
Chris Hemsworth: Too tall for some roles?
![Careers built on a lie Chris Hemsworth had to pretend to be shorter. Hemsworth's good looks have been an advantage in some cases, but he has had to lie about his height to be considered for certain roles. Не was even specifically asked to be over 6ft 1in for the audition for Thor. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/1/9/884519.jpg)
Marvel Studios