It's a long way to the top, and it's allegedly lonely when you get there. While certain paths have become well-worn ways to navigate the way to success, there's no one sure-shot plan to get there. The inroads even change over time. Take Star Search, for instance. For decades, that was a viable option for someone in the nascent days of their career. Nowadays, though, that show no longer exists. In its place are the billion promises of social media, attracting even more hopefuls, but with more dubious definitions of "success." You can have a million followers and still be a complete unknown to the vast majority of the public.

Anyway, with the entertainment industry's ever-shifting landscape, it's always interesting to take a look at how somebody got to where they are. TV viewers from the '70s will remember that Cheryl Ladd hit it big replacing Farrah Fawcett-Majors on Charlie's Angels. But her "overnight sensation" story was actually years in the making. 

In 1977, Ladd spoke with a reporter from the Grand Forks, North Dakota Herald. The interview touched on a variety of topics, but the most interesting of them was the story of her then-recent big break. Ladd revealed that it was, in fact, the culmination of years of hard work, beginning in her teens.

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"There was a jazz trio in town looking for a singer," said Ladd. "I got all dolled up to look as old as I possibly could and went down to try out. After I did a song, the leader said I wasn't too bad and that they were desperate. Could I possibly learn 35 songs in a week? I said of course I could, and he asked how old I was. I said, '19...er, 16,' and he said, 'Oh, my God.'"

With that, she was set to hit the road. Her parents were, predictably, pretty upset with the situation. In fact, her mother apparently spent the following two full days crying. But, that's show biz, baby! And it all paid off, because we're still watching Charlie's Angels in reruns.