Lea Thompson thanks Mikhail Baryshnikov for acting career

Back To The Future star Lea Thompson has ballet icon Mikhail Baryshnikov to thank for her acting career after he told her she was too “stocky” to join his American Ballet Theatre. The actress, who is among the favourites to win the current season of U.S. TV show Dancing With the Stars, admits her Russian hero was absolutely right and his comments helped her make a career switch that changed her life.
She explains, “He said, ‘I can’t take you because you’re too stocky and you’re not flexible enough’, and he was right. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I walked out, I became an actress (and) I got seven movies in the next two years.
“I never would have been really great (as a ballet dancer)… It was really devastating, but that’s the thing about life; sometimes the worst things turn out to be the best things.”