No matter how much money celebrities make, who they're married to, or how perfect their skin is, they go through heartbreak and rejection too. Behind every successful A-lister is usually a story (or several) about how someone in power doubted them or how they were told weren't "what we're looking for" or that their project wasn't commercially viable. That's why Variety's Power of Women luncheon, presented by Lifetime and sponsored by Frederque Constant and Audi in Beverly Hills, is a hotter ticket than several of the awards shows we watch on a regular basis. It's not just a chance for the likes of Oprah, Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow, and others to rub shoulders and champion their philanthropic causes, but it's also an opportunity to empower women who still don't get the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Remember the days when your parents told you to find numerous hobbies? To learn various talents? After all, you weren't going to get into the college of your choice because you had one extra-curricular activity. You needed multiple. So imagine when Jenna Dewan Tatum (who rose to fame in Step Up and So You Think You Can Dance) arrived on the scene and was told she couldn't be an actress and a dancer—she had to choose one over the other.

"I just kept saying all the time, 'I can be both! I can be both! That's me. I'm both of those things, and I shouldn't have to [choose]!'" said Dewan Tatum, who next stars as Lucy Lane in CBS' Supergirl. Because she wasn't willing to back down from her love of both dance and acting she says, "Now I get wonderful opportunities where I actually get to do both."

A similar situation also happened to Salma Hayek, who tirelessly championed the feature film Frida after "nobody wanted to make it." The 2002 film about artist Frida Kahlo went on to make double what it cost to make the film, but still, Hayek says "everyone doubted me. Everybody said I was crazy, and it wasn't going to work. Nobody was gonna see it. And we proved them wrong."

Check out the video to hear more of these stories, plus what Tracee Ellis Ross, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and more had to say about their most powerful role, and what you should never, ever do on your rise to the top.