Before they lived a glamorous life as celebrities and movie superstars, these famous actors had to pay the bills just like the rest of us. While that’s not surprising, some of the unusual jobs held by some of the most iconic names in entertainment might shock you. Check out some weird celebrity jobs that these big names had to take on before their time in the spotlight.
Harrison Ford: Boy Scout Counselor
Before becoming Han Solo and Indiana Jones, the actor worked at a Boy Scout adventure camp as a counselor for the reptile merit badge.
Hugh Jackman: Party Clown
We’re not clowning around, Hugh Jackman seriously earned money as a party clown before he became an actor.
The next on the list of weird jobs celebrities had is a little more morbid…
Sean Connery: Coffin Cleaner
Before he was James Bond, he did plenty of odd jobs. His resume includes being a milkman, lorry driver, lifeguard, laborer, artist’s model, and a coffin polisher. Phew, we got tired just reading that.
Adrien Brody: Magician
Hugh Jackman wasn’t the only actor that graced birthday parties pre-fame. He used to act as a magician at kids’ birthday parties, becoming “The Amazing Adrien” as he dazzled with tricks.
Meghan Markle: Frozen Yogurt
Before becoming a royal, Meghan Markle worked at a Humphrey Yogart, a yogurt shop in California. She worked during middle school and high school. Her former boss praised her as a hard-worker with a friendly personality.
Ellen DeGeneres: Oyster Shucker
Long before she was hosting her very own show, she was building up a resume of odd jobs on her own. She painted houses, sold vacuums, and shucked oysters.
Gerard Butler: Lawyer
That’s right, the star of numerous action movies was a trainee civil lawyer in Edinburgh back in the day. He was also quite a drunk. The Independent reports that he drank through his first job until he was fired, a week before he was due to qualify.
Chace Crawford: Shirtless Salesman at Abercrombie and Fitch
Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford used to spend his days at the mall as a shirtless host at an Abercombie and Fitch store.
Patrick Dempsey: Professional Juggler
Before starring in 80’s rom-com’s and as McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy, Dempsey made use of his juggling skills. In high school, he placed in a national juggling competition.
Sylvester Stallone: Lion Cage Cleaner
Walken wasn’t the only actor making friends with lions pre-fame. Sylvester Stallone used to clean lion cages at Central Park Zoo.
Brad Pitt: Limo Driver for Strippers
The actor had quite a few odd jobs under his belt before he became famous for his work on the big screen. His resume includes dancing in a giant chicken suit for El Pollo Loco, delivering fridges, and driving limos for strippers to and from bachelor parties.
Taylor Swift: Exterminator
The pop singer had to be hands-on from an early age when it came to the Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Rather than cutting down and hauling trees, her dad had her removing praying mantis pods hidden in tree branches.
Christopher Walken: Lion Tamer
At the age of 16, actor Christopher Walken earned money at the circus. He told Vanity Fair, “When I was a kid, I worked in the circus. It was a touring circus that was owned by a man named Terrell Jacobs. It was just one big tent, and he was a lion tamer. When he would finish his act, there would be one lion left, and I used to go in and have this lion do tricks.”
Kanye West: Gap Sales Associate
Before he was rapping and running his own Sunday service, he was working as a sales associate at the Gap.
Jennifer Aniston: Bike Messenger
Before becoming Rachel on Friends, Jennifer Anniston worked as a bike messenger in New York City at the age of 19.
Amy Adams: Hooters Waitress
Amy Adams worked as a Hooters waitress before she became a huge movie star, and she’s not the only celebrity who has a history with the restaurant chain. Hugh Hefner’s former girlfriend Holly Madison once worked for the chain, as did Naya Rivera.
Rod Stewart: Gravedigger
Before he was a world-famous rock star, Rod Stewart worked as a gravedigger in London when he was a teen.
Whoopi Goldberg: Mortuary Beautician
Whoopi Goldberg once worked as a beautician for a morgue and as a phone sex operator before she got famous.
Connie Britton: Aerobics Instructor
The actress worked as an aerobics instructor before she got famous. She told E! News, I wore leg warmers, I wore a bandana—without question had to soak up the sweat. I wore high-legged leotards, a nice pink leotard with a purple bike short and very thick socks… I was hot!”
Gwen Stefani: Dairy Queen
Before making headlines as the lead singer of No Doubt and then making her own solo career, Gwen Stefani was flipping Blizzards upside down at Dairy Queen. Fun fact: No Doubt was formed by Dairy Queen coworkers: John Spence and her older brother Eric Stefani.
While some celebs lucked out on the amount of cleaning they had to do before fame, others were not so lucky…
Matthew McConaughey: Chicken Coop Cleaner
McConaughey was previously hired to clean out chicken coops before he hit the big screen.
Megan Fox: Banana Mascot
Pre-fame, Megan Fox worked at a smoothie shop in Florida. The best part? She had to wear a full-on banana costume.
