10 People Who Won An Oscar For Their First Ever Film

Most people probably imagine scripts for Academy Award winning features being written in lavish surroundings.

Perched on the edge of a cliff somewhere, looking out over a serene ocean as the wind calmly breezes through the writer's hair. Yet, former full-time-stripper-turned-critically-acclaimed-screenwriter Diablo Cody proved that modern masterpieces often come from rather humble beginnings.

After penning a memoir called Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, which focused on her brief career as a stripper, Cody was encouraged to try writing a screenplay. So, she settled down in a Target's Starbucks and put together her first ever screenplay in just one month: Juno.

The eventual coming-of-age film about a teenager's unplanned pregnancy turned out to be an absolute hit, bringing in $231 million worldwide and also earning nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and SAG Awards. Yet, it was Cody's distinct script which clearly caught most people's attention.

Cody would go on to scoop a Golden Globe, BAFTA, Independent Spirit Award and many other illustrious prizes for her debut screenplay. But, her Academy Award win for Best Original Screenplay was undoubtedly the highlight of this unexpected arrival.

In the years after her exceptional debut, Cody would write the screenplays for and produce films like Jennifer's Body (2009), Young Adult (2011) and Tully (2018). She also wrote the script for Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill (2019)... is there anything she can't do?