They had to make ends meet before they hit it big. Some of the jobs that A-list celebs had before they became household names might floor you. Here are 9 of the craziest occupations A-List celebs had before they arrived in the spotlight of Hollywood stardom.
9. Brad Pitt: Chicken Suited Advertiser
After dropping out of journalism school at the University of Missouri to seek an acting career, Pitt did a stint handing out flyers while clothed in a chicken suit for the El Pollo Loco restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. Brad has never verified or refuted this story. If it is true, it is a testament to the “Dreams Can Come True” tale of Hollywood stardom.
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8. Rod Stewart: Graveyard Worker
The tale that Rod Stewart worked as a grave digger is not true. He did, however, spend time at the Highgate Cemetery marking off plots. He learned “he did not like physical labor but loved the macabre story that grew from his short stint in the graveyard.”
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7. Christopher Walken: Lion Tamer
Every kid dreams of running away to join the circus. Christopher Walken did just that when he was a mere 15 years old and turned up in an act as a lion tamer. Walken claims “the lion he shared the billing with was very old and more like a dog” but it remains an awesome feat.
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6. Hugh Jackman: Clown
It is tough to imagine this hunky actor playing the fool. However, Hugh Jackman says “he loved being a clown” before gracing the silver screen. He earned $50 as the lead attraction at kids’ parties while he was in his early twenties and still living in Australia.
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5. Robin Williams: Street Performing Mime
Robin Williams moved to New York to study at the Julliard Academy in the early 1970s. In order to make ends meet, he typically headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art to perform as a street mime. Everyone appreciates funnyman Williams for his rapid fire verbal humor. However, when he worked as a mime, he had to keep his mouth shut and make people smile without speaking.
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4. Amy Adams: Hooters Girl
America’s darling recognized that she was not cut out to be a Hooters waitress soon after she got the gig. Only 18 years old, she relates that she was “naive and just did not get it.” As a dancer, she was used to running around in a leotard and tights, but she soon discovered that the focus was somewhat different at Hooters. The waitress job only lasted a few months before she went on to become a megastar.
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3. Jon Hamm: Set Worker for Soft Core Pornography Film
Mad Men’s hunky Jon Hamm dressed the set for a few soft-core porn movies. He says that it was “hands down the worst” job ever. Not only did it pay poorly but the workday lasted from seven in the morning until seven at night. It was an experience for the fledgling actor but was “on the lower end of the spectrum of the wonder of movie making” and he was relieved to move on to new ventures.
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2. Whoopi Goldberg: Beautician for the Great Beyond
Never one for the ordinary, after receiving her degree in cosmetology in the 1960s Whoopi went to work in a funeral home preparing corpses for viewing. On her first day at the job, she went to meet her boss in the room where the bodies were kept. Suddenly, one of the drawers opened and her boss popped out. He told her “Just think of the bodies as big dolls” and she knew that the gig would work out okay.
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1. Channing Tatum: Stripper
At 19, Tatum learned how to take off his clothes for money. He learned that women are not looking for sexy so much as a guy who is “willing to make a fool of himself.” It was great background for his movie Magic Mike. During production, the director told the stars to “Grab your package!” during a shoot.