India, Aug. 5 -- What if Jim Halpert wasn't played by John Krasinski? Or Sookie St. James wasn't Melissa McCarthy? It's a Black Mirror-level thought experiment - one that reminds us how close we came to losing some of Hollywood's most iconic characters.

Believe it or not, many of today's biggest names in film and TV once stood on the edge of giving up acting altogether. The rejections, the failed auditions, the bills - it was all becoming too much. But just before they walked away for good, fate threw them a lifeline. Here are five stars who almost quit before catching their big break:

Before becoming everyone's favorite paper salesman on The Office, Krasinski had decided to quit acting. In a now-viral story, he revealed on The Late Sho...