A little-known fact is that very few people truly start off as famous-famous. That implies that before celebrities, well, became superstars, they were once one of us—that is, average folks who had to perform regular jobs like "working at McDonald's," "praying mantis exterminator," and "armadillo killer" to pay their rent, utilities, and credit card bills.
You see, it isn't until you secure the kinds of roles in films and TV series that the spooky movie trailer voice characterizes as "much anticipated" that Hollywood truly starts to pay big money. And until you become a music star, you can't enjoy the luxuries of superstardom. You also cannot simply poof! Unless you find a crown-wearing boo, you will become royalty. You get the concept, I guess. Here is a list of some of your favorite actors, musicians, and royals who have had occupations that weren't strictly red carpet related.
1. Channing Tatum
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When the star's history as a stripper, in which he might earn anywhere between $50 and $150 per night depending on the audience, served as a loose inspiration for Magic Mike and its follow-up, Magic Mike XXL, art imitated life. For the star, that is now pitiful.
2. Cardi B
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Before she was fired for being late to work as a grocery cashier, Cardi B's manager encouraged her to walk across the street and work at a strip club. "I earned more than a week's salary in a single day. However, I had some embarrassment "She spoke to Complex. "I visualized my mum scoffing. Disgraceful. I needed to live, nevertheless." She intended to stop stripping when she became 25, but by the time she was 23, she had established a following on social media, and the rest is history. Okurrr!
3. Hugh Jackman
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For approximately three years, "I made my money as a clown at kids' parties," Jackman said to the Daily Mail. "I was Coco the Clown, and I had no magic tricks," the six-year-old said. "Mummy, this clown is lousy, he doesn't know any tricks," and he was correct. At least it was comparable to a career in acting.
4. Jennifer Aniston
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Like Rachel Green from her Friends series, Aniston adored her job as a waitress. nevertheless, before that? Not really. She told Parade magazine, "I didn't enjoy time-share selling, I loathed that job.
5. Barack Obama
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Obama stated on LinkedIn that "scooping ice cream is tougher than it seems." Rows and rows of ice cream that is really hard on the wrists can be painful. The job ultimately taught Obama important lessons about responsibility, hard work, and how to balance a job with friends, family, and school.
6. Brad Pitt
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Pitt worked for a restaurant chain, like a lot other wannabe actors. He didn't work in the kitchen or even behind the counter, though. No, Brad dressed as a chicken outside of an El Pollo Loco in an attempt to land his big break. What a waste to cover up that lovely face.
7. Danny DeVito
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You did read that correctly. The comedian used to work at a morgue, styling the dead people's hair. He said in an interview with George Lopez that it was solely women's hair, which is a little morbid. Usually very elderly women, and they didn't respond.
8. Jon Hamm
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The Mad Men actor once dressed the sets of X-rated films, but he has emphasized that the flicks were purely "soft-core" and a simple way to make a few hundred dollars a day. He told The Sun, "I basically had to move furniture around hot, nude individuals." "The money was helpful even if the job wasn't fantastic. I needed to survive because I wanted to be an actor."
9. Megan Fox
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During an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the actress stated, "I only had one job growing up—I worked at a smoothie café," adding that she occasionally had to put on a banana costume.
10. Chris Rock
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The comic was honing his stand-up performance while working at Red Lobster. Rock made a joke with Jay Leno that because he was just making minimum pay, he couldn't "afford to dine there." He said in jest, "A shrimp costs minimum wage.
11. Johnny Depp
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The actor sold pens for a living and detested every minute of it. He told Interview magazine, "You offer them all these things if they purchase a lot of pens. "It was just terrible. I was overcome with remorse after selling one item to a customer, so I persuaded him not to buy it.
12. Mayim Bialik
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It should come as no surprise that the actress followed in her parents' footsteps as she was born to first-generation teachers and documentary filmmakers. Bialik graduated from UCLA in 2000 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies. Seven years later, she acquired a Ph.D. in Neuroscience with a focus on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome. She was a registered lactation educator counselor as well as a chemistry and physics instructor.
13. Russell Crow
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Crowe's stage name before becoming an Oscar-winning actor was Russ Le Roq. Yes, when he was a DJ at an Australian nightclub, he went by that moniker.
14. Kourtney Kardashian
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The oldest Kardashian sister may be accustomed to being in the spotlight because of her family's reality show, but she really got her start working behind the scenes as a production assistant on movie sets, where she "had to call 'cut' and 'rolling' every day."