8 Weird Side Projects Of Celebrities That Will Blow Your Mind

Without a doubt, celebrities with fame and credibility greatly influence other people. Therefore, they often appear as ambassadors of brands or products in adverts to attract potential customers. Some even start their own business with the hope that their huge following would support them. While some stars become more famous with their side projects, others screw up by venturing into unexpected fields.
Let’s check out 8 bizarre plans that celebs invested in and be startled by the results!

#1 Brad Pitt Creating A 'Terroir-Based' Skincare Line

The beauty industry is a fertile territory to invest in, and Brad Pitt doesn’t miss a chance. The Academy Award-winner created his own skincare brand, Le Domaine, in 2022, and wanted to blend it with his French winery. The brand’s goal is to “imitat[ing] the organic cycles of nature” and create a “terroir-based model” of skincare production.

Source: ledomaine.skincare / Instagram

The actor said: “It’s just steeped in creativity and it’s so fertile. We make olive oil, truffles, and honey here. Reinforced concrete began here. Reinforced concrete! That’s insane!”. Nevertheless, a $385 price tag for a single ounce of serum seems not to bode well for the prospect of Pitt’s business. 

#2 Jeremy Renner Deciding To Make An App Called 'Jeremy Renner'

In 2017, the famed actor Jeremy Renner, who achieved Oscar nominations for his roles in The Hurt Locker and The Town created an app called “Jeremy Renner”. This app was invented to help the actor interact directly with his fans around the world. The app looked almost exactly the same as Instagram with only content about Jeremy Renner, and the interface only worked 60% of the time.

Source: The Bourne Legacy / Universal Pictures

It’s strange that the app also related to an unofficial fan site having no affection for the actor. Kate Knibbs reviewed that “Jeremy Renner (the app) looks like it was designed in early 2011 by someone who hates Jeremy Renner (the person).” Many trolls of this app spread on the internet, forcing the actor to shut it down in 2019.

#3 Kim Basinger Buying An Entire Town

Source: Red Table Talk/Facebook

We all know most celebrities own lots of money, but few people could imagine that they would spend their money to purchase a town. Surprisingly, the actress Kim Basinger bought Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million, a fortune in 1989. The star planned to turn this small area into a tourist attraction that provided a Hollywood filming location. Unfortunately, she failed and had to sell the town for only $1 million.

#4 50 Cent Trying To Create Performance-Enhancing Super-Condoms

50 Cent is a talented man who plays a role of a rapper, actor, and even businessman. His career took off after his successful movie based on his life, the thriving energy drink company, and a clothing line. He also generated huge profits after selling over four million pairs of sneakers through a Reebok collaboration. Despite all these diverse projects, this ambitious entrepreneur decided to expand his territory to the sexual health business in 2007.

Source: Getty Images

He came up with the idea of a new condom line that had chemicals to increase sexual performance. However, it only remained an idea because of the limited bounds of modern science. The rapper had to abandon this project and admitted that “[I]t just didn't work out” in 2009.

#5 Susan Sarandon Opening A Chain Of Ping Pong Bars

Susan Sarandon had been an Academy Award nominee five times until she won for her role in Dead Man Walking. This famous actress, who has participated in numerous movies and TV series, is also a savvy businesswoman. Sarandon and three partners established a ping pong bar called SPiN in Manhattan in 2009 and succeeded brilliantly. Since then, over eight bars have been opened in multiple busy regions, including New York and Toronto.

Source: Ping Pong Summer / Gravitas Ventures

“I love the whole idea that it crosses all gender and age barriers… you can have little girls beating muscley 35-year-old men. And you can play it until you die. We have members that are really, really good that are in their 80s, and little tiny seven-year-olds that come in and kill everybody. It’s one of the few sports I can think of where girls and boys and men and women are on the same plane," she explained her love for this sport.

#6 Gwyneth Paltrow Quitting Acting Full Time To ‘Focus On Goop’

Gwyneth Paltrow used to be famous as an Oscar winner for multiple movies such as Shakespeare in Love, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Emma. However, in 2017, she stopped her acting career to focus on the wellness empire Goop. Since 2008, Goop has thrived into a multi-million dollar lifestyle brand. Some popular products of the company are the golf ball-sized jade egg for vaginal insertion and Psychic Vampire Repellent.

Source: gwynethpaltrow / Instagram

In 2018, unfortunately, Paltrow’s company had to pay a fine of  $145,000 after ensuring that the jade egg could balance hormones and regulates menstrual cycles. The essential oil blend “Inner Judge Flower Essence” of this entrepreneur was also investigated as people doubted its ability to treat depression.

#7 Daniel Day-Lewis Becoming A Shoe Maker

Source: Phantom Thread / Focus Features

Do you know Daniel Day-Lewis, one of the most talented actors of all time? He is known as a diligent man with meticulous preparation before acting. He learned to speak Czech to play in The Unbearable Lightness of Being and trained in the ring for three years to fit the character of The Boxer. However, little did you know that this talented actor had a strong affinity for shoe-making. He stopped his acting career temporarily to become an apprentice wood maker of the well-known Italian shoemaker Stefano Bemer. 

#8 Garth Brooks Creating A '90s Pop Alter Ego Named Chris Gaines

It’s understandable when a famous musician wants to cover various types of music. That’s why the country music star Garth Brooks created Chris Gaines, a fictional Australian rockstar. Brooks appeared in the look of Chris Gaines with a skinny body, long hair, and a soul patch. He changed his style from a serious, ballad-heavy homage to the smooth pop of the '90s without a trace of Brooks’s Oklahoma twang.

Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

The album with the bizarre title Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines had surprisingly ranked No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The producer of the mystery movie The Lamb intended to use this album as the soundtrack. In the film, Gaines acted as a sex addict who had to undergo transformative plastic surgery after a car accident. Due to the negative persona, Brooks withdrew from the project and gave up his alter ego. Twenty years later, he revealed: “My ribs are still sore from getting the s*** kicked out of me for it.”
Which side projects of your favorite stars do you support? Do you know any other strange fields that celebrities invest in? Please share your view in the comment below!