Long before the 49-year-old found fame as an actress, starring in hits like Charlie’s Angels, The Holiday, Shrek, and more, she was struggling to become a model in Paris in the early 1990s. She recalled during a recent appearance on the Second Life podcast:

​​”I got enough money to move to Paris and get an apartment, which I shared with a girl who is still one of my best friends. But I was there a full year and didn’t work one day. I couldn’t book a job to save my life.”

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And when she finally booked an opportunity to model in Morocco, it turned out to not be what she expected at all:

“Then I got one job, but, really, I think I was a mule carrying drugs to Morocco – I swear to God.”

Wait! WHAT?! Cameron continued:

“This was the early Nineties and they gave me a locked suitcase that had my ‘costumes’ in it. I’m this blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in Morocco. I’m ­wearing torn jeans and platform boots, with my hair down — this is really unsafe. I told them, ‘I don’t know, it’s not mine, I’ve no idea whose it is.’”

According to the star, she ultimately left the suitcase full of illegal substances with officials before returning to France. That ended up being the one and only modeling gig she was hired for in Paris. What a scary situation to be in, but she certainly was lucky with how things turned out! While it must suck that Cameron did not find any more work in France, it was probably for the best as she soon got her big break back in El Lay when she landed a leading role to star alongside Jim Carrey in the 1994 movie The Mask.

Although the casting agents were hoping to bring in a “bombshell” like Anna Nicole Smith for the project, they decided to look into different stars and soon found Cameron. Despite this being an opportunity of a lifetime for her, the momma was pretty hesitant about the part at first, telling the casting agent:

‘I don’t act, that’s not what I do.’ I had just started my period. There was no way I was putting on anything sexy that day. I was like, ‘Are you kidding?’”

But she said the director Chuck Russell was so “great” and explained to her that:

“You’re my Tina Carlyle and I’m going to groom you for this part.”

Yeah… not the best choice of words there at all. A week later, though, Cameron was offered the part.

It is crazy how life turns out. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below).

[Image via The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube]