When taking a look at the best filmmakers in history, Steven Spielberg is a person whose name manages to stand out from the vast majority of the pack. Spielberg has delivered countless hit films, many of which have made a fortune at the box office. Thanks to his classics and his ability to inspire other filmmakers, it goes without saying that Spielberg is as legendary as it gets in Hollywood.

Earlier on in his life, Steven Spielberg was willing to do anything and everything to become a filmmaker, and he wound up using a hilarious con to get his foot in the door for some experience. Turns out, one of his best movies focuses on a con man, and it is interesting to learn about Spielberg attempting something similar decades before he worked on this movie and turned it into a hit.

Let's take a look at Steven Spielberg and the hilarious con that he pulled.

Spielberg Is A Film Legend

As one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Steven Spielberg is a man who has seen and done it all during his time in the movie business. He has had countless hit flims, has conquered the all-time box office list multiple times, and he has inspired legions of filmmakers to pursue their dreams in Hollywood.

Some of Spielberg's biggest movies include Jaws, E.T., the Indiana Jones movies, Hook, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, and Lincoln. Believe us when we say that there are plenty of other incredible movies that the man has made, and at this point, he has nothing left to prove.

During the 2000s, Spielberg wound up making a film focused on a talented con artist, and most fans had absolutely no idea at the time that Spielberg had used a brilliant con himself back when he was a teenager.

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'Catch Me If You Can' Is A Standout Movie

In 2002, the dynamic trio of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Leonardo DiCaprio combined forces for Catch Me If You Can, which was a film that focused on the brilliant cons of Frank Abagnale Jr. Based on Abagnale's story, this movie had all the ingredients to be a colossal success on the big screen.

As fans got to see, Frank, even at a young age, was a master of cons and scams, and he lived an incredible life thanks to his genius ability to dupe anyone and everyone he wanted to. He gets caught, of course, but watching the story unfold was mesmerizing for film fans years back.

Turns out, Steven Spielberg himself had some experience running a major scam that got his foot in the door of the movie business.

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How He Conned His Way In

So, how did Steven Spielberg con his way into Hollywood? Well, let's just say that he had a Frank Abagnale experience of his own.

Spielberg told IGN, "I was fifteen, or sixteen. I was in high school. I was spending a summer in California with my second cousins. And I wanted to be a director really bad."

"One day I decided to get on the Universal lot. I dressed up in a coat and tie. I actually had taken the tour the day before at Universal, and actually jumped off the tour bus. (It was a bus in those days.) I spent the whole day on the lot. Met a nice man named Chuck Silvers. Told him I was a filmmaker from Arizona," he continued.

That's right, much like Abagnale does in the film, Spielberg actually conned his way onto the lot at Universal to get a taste of the film industry. Impressive, right? Well, the story doesn't end there.

"For three months, that whole summer vacation, I came on the lot every single day. Found an office. Went to a little store that sold cameras and also plastic title letters to title your films. Got the letters. Found an abandoned office, and put my name and the number of my office on this directory. Opened up the glass directory and stuck these stick-on letters on the directory. And basically went into business for myself. But it never amounted to anything. I learned a lot about editing and dubbing by watching all the professionals do it, but I never got a job out of my imposition," Spielberg revealed.

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This did not turn him into a household name, but as he revealed, he learned a lot and applied his knowledge to future films. They say that fortune favors the bold, but we don't recommend aspiring filmmakers to try this now.

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