Before Fame: Unusual Jobs of Famous Faces

Many celebrities had odd jobs before they became famous. Some of these jobs were quite unusual. For example, Jonathan Bailey, who is known for his acting, used to work in a honey factory. He had to check the temperature of lemon curd early in the morning. This job made him realize that he did not want to work with lemon curd anymore. Instead, he decided to pursue acting. Patrick Dempsey, who is famous for his role in Grey's Anatomy, used to be a juggler and a unicyclist. He even competed in a juggling competition and won second place. He also had business cards that advertised his skills as a juggler, ventriloquist, puppeteer, and clown. Chris Evans, who plays Captain America in the Marvel movies, used to be a model for a board game called Mystery Date. He was one of the three mystery men in the game. His dating profile in the game said that his ideal date was hanging out by the bonfire with other friends. John Krasinski, who is known for his role in The Office, had many jobs before he became an actor. He was a waiter, worked in a yoga studio, and was even an illegal real estate agent. He was fired from nine different jobs while pursuing acting. Paul Rudd, who is famous for his role in Ant-Man, used to work as a ham glazer. He had to glaze hams for six months. He said that he still knows how to glaze hams, even though he has not done it in a long time. Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel movies, used to clean and repair breast pumps. He had to clean the machines with a toothbrush and a spray. He said that he had to mimic a scrubbing gesture while cleaning the machines. Matthew McConaughey, who is known for his role in Dazed and Confused, used to rake sand traps at a golf course. He also had to hunt armadillos that were wreaking havoc on the greens. He said that hunting armadillos was the most fun part of his job. Idris Elba, who is known for his role in Luther, used to sell marijuana. He said that he did a lot of things to pay his way. He even had A-list clients who used to buy weed from him. John Legend, who is a famous singer and songwriter, used to be a management consultant. He worked at the Boston Consulting Group after he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He said that he learned a lot from his job and met a lot of great people. Hugh Jackman, who is known for his role in Wolverine, used to be a clown. He performed at children's parties and even juggled eggs. He said that he never did it again after a kid told him that he was crap. Denzel Washington, who is known for his role in Training Day, used to be a garbage man. He said that working as a garbage man was harder than filming action scenes in movies. Channing Tatum, who is known for his role in Magic Mike, used to be a stripper. He said that he does not miss anything about stripping. He stripped in Tampa for 25 girls, at best. Brad Pitt, who is known for his role in Fight Club, used to drive limos for strippers. He said that he had to pick them up and sometimes they would be crawling out the back window because their boyfriends did not know they were doing this. Blake Shelton, who is a famous country singer, used to be a roofer. He said that it made him want to be a country singer. Dwayne Johnson, who is known for his role in The Rock, used to wash dishes. He said that he still does not use a dishwasher. He hand washes everything. Adam Levine, who is the lead singer of Maroon 5, used to work at Johnny Rockets. He said that he got a job at Johnny Rockets when his record deal did not work out. George Clooney, who is known for his role in ER, used to sell women's shoes. He said that it was a terrible job. He had to sell shoes to 75-year-old women who had cut off their toes to fit into tight pumps. Bradley Cooper, who is known for his role in A Star Is Born, used to be a doorman. He had to keep the candles in the lobby lit. He said that he spent most of his time trying to relight the candles. Ryan Reynolds, who is known for his role in Deadpool, used to drive a forklift. He said that he worked in restaurants and was a busboy, waiter, and cashier. He said that he got a pretty close-up experience of what it feels like to sometimes feel a little invisible in his job. Michael B. Jordan, who is known for his role in Black Panther, used to help his parents with their catering business. He said that he was old enough to see over the counter and had to prep and help with stuff like that. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who are known for their role in Good Will Hunting, used to work construction. They said that they were the low men on the totem pole and had to do demo work. Pierce Brosnan, who is known for his role in James Bond, used to be a fire-eater. He said that he learned how to fire-eat and performed the trick with his theater troupe in public. Harrison Ford, who is known for his role in Indiana Jones, used to be a carpenter. He said that he learned from books and the people he was working with. He built a recording studio for Sérgio Mendes in his backyard in Encino. Tom Cruise, who is known for his role in Mission Impossible, used to have a paper route. He said that he paid $50 for his first go-kart and $75 for his first motorcycle. He also cut grass and had all kinds of odd jobs to give money to his family and save money so he could go to the movies. Sean Connery, who is known for his role in James Bond, used to polish coffins. He was raised in near poverty in the slums of Edinburgh and worked as a milkman and lifeguard before his bodybuilding hobby helped launch an acting career that made him one of the world's biggest stars. Mark Harmon, who is known for his role in NCIS, used to sell sneakers. He said that he worked for Adidas for about eight months and before that he was doing merchandising and radio here in Los Angeles. He also tried to be a carpenter but could not get hired. Johnny Depp, who is known for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean, used to be a telemarketer. He said that he sold ink pens with people's business names and everything. He also had the added pleasure of offering a trip to Greece, or grandfather clock or half a TV set or something.