Hollywood’s “A” List Before They Were Stars
A Book by Karen Bystedt

By Mary Ouellette

Before the red carpets and the paparazzi, even the most dynamic Hollywood stars had to start somewhere. The humble beginnings of some of our favorite actors and actresses are often forgotten in the shuffle of the glamour and glitz, but way back when, it all started with a dream.
Someone who knows this better than anyone is photojournalist, Karen Bystedt. Bystedt, who studied photography at NYU, became fascinated with finding and photographing “…actors and actresses that had that unique charm, dedication and drive which made them stand out…” for a book she was working on. In the late eighties and early nineties, Bystedt photographed everyone from Brad Pitt to Johnny Depp to Sandra Bullock. At that time, none of them was yet a household name ~ but their stock was rising. You could call Bystedt a bit of a visionary ~ she anticipated that great things would come from this group of talented actors and actresses. Call it fate, or creative intuition, but Bystedt seemingly had her own crystal ball.
Her latest creative endeavor, “They Dared to Dream: Hollywood’s “A” List Before They Were Stars,” revisits these stars over a decade later and offers up the candid, vulnerable interviews that Bystedt conducted back then coupled with the breathtaking portraits that she had taken of them. Answering a variety of questions about their upbringing and their legacies, the book offers up an unguarded look into the road to success for the likes of Keanu Reaves, John Cusack, Patrick Swayze, Robert Downey Jr. and Courtney Cox, to name but a few.
In a very authentic, well-intentioned way the book takes these superstars down to a more relatable level that results in offering up boundless amounts of inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamed big. Perhaps the most fascinating part about the book is reading the genuine words spoken by current blockbuster stars on how, at that time, they hoped their futures would play out:
A laidback Johnny Depp said: “I want to hopefully with some of the roles I do later, make people see things in a different light so they won’t just go with the flow in their daily lives, and feel they have to be or act a certain way just because, for instance, the President says, ‘That’s the way it is.’ I’m excited to do as many roles as I can.” This “mission statement,” as it were, came long before Johnny transformed into the smarmy Captain Jack Sparrow and the witty, eccentric, Willy Wonka, wowing our senses and taking us to places where we could not only see things differently, but believe in them as well.
A confident John Cusack promises, “All I can say that I will do a lot of good work in the next ten years, that’s what I want to do.” With close to sixty movies as an actor under his belt ~ including several cult favorites (High Fidelity, Being John Malcovich) ~ and several producorial credits as well, Cusack has delivered on that promise tenfold.
What this book delivers ~ in addition to stunning photos ~ is the proof that Hollywood isn’t necessarily the vacuous, empty, pit that some people accuse it of being. Every year young actors and actresses pack up their life belongings and invade the Hollywood Hills with not much more than the sparkle of hope in their eyes. This young crop could very well be the Sandra Bullocks and Brad Pitts of the next generation. According to Bystedt, “The key is to have no fear, to have a true love for your craft and the passion to pursue success. With that the ability to manifest and create anything you want in life is yours.” If you dare to dream…

For more information on the book and author visit: www.theydaredtodream.com/