Hollywood Celebrities From Humble Beginnings to Stardom

Updated on August 16, 2022 10:53 AM by Emma Alice

The fact is only a handful of people are born famous. This means that before they became celebrities, celebrities were as normal as we are. They had to work to pay rent, bills, and other stuff like that. Hollywood doesn't pay big amounts till you get those so-called 'most anticipated roles in films and TV shows.

The same goes for music stardom as well. And you can not simply poof! Be a royalty until and unless you get a crown-wearing boo. Anyway, now you have an idea about it. Jobs held by some of the most popular and your favorite music artists, actors, and royals before they tasted success in their realms.

Eva Longoria – Wendy’s employee

Before her Desperate Housewives, Eva used to work at Wendy's. Later on, she revealed her secret cheeseburger recipe to Rachael Ray. They learned at Wendy's that mayonnaise is to be on the burger first so the bun seals and stays nice. Then, it's time to put the ketchup. And then mustard is kept on the meat bringing out the tasty flavor of the meat.

Eva Mendes – An employee at Hot Dog on a Stick

Hot Dog on a Stick is a restaurant where hot dogs on sticks are sold – you might have guessed it, so read the name. However, were you able to guess Eva Mendes was once an employee there? Eva served the cuisines in Glendale, California, at a mall.

Chace Crawford – Abercrombie model

Before Chase was signed for Gossip Girl as Nate Archibald, she was a model for Abercombie & Fitch. Okay, that was just an excuse to put Chace's glamorous photo here.

Julia Roberts – Ice cream scooper

When Julia Roberts was a newbie in Hollywood going for her acting classes, the actress of Pretty Woman worked as an ice cream scooper at Buskin Robbins. Do you know another popular Buskin Robbins alum? It is none other than Barak Obama.

Gabourey Sidibe – Phone sex operator

Before Gabourey landed her role in the film Precious, she worked as an operator on a phone-sex line for three years. She did it for two months before she was promoted. During an interview in 2017, the actress shared that she was pretty good at it.

Miley Cyrus – Bra collector

Miley Cyrus became financially independent at a very young age – Hannah Montana. Her dad, Billy Ray, gave her $10 for her services. But, before she became popular, she was a part-time bra concierge. She collected all the bras and panties that were on stage after her dad's concert was over. Miley showed her dad the biggest one, saying she found his biggest fan.

Cindy Crawford – Corn shucker

Iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford wasn't born on the red carpet. She was a small-town girl who wanted to make it big, just like many other such girls. Before her discovery, Cindy shucked corns at the cost of $4 per hour.

Kanye West – Gap sales associate

Kanye West is known for designing his Yeezy collection, but in his teens, he was a sales associate at the Gap. The rapper also talked about his song Spaceship from Graduation.

Nicole Kidman – Massage therapist

Oskar and Emmy winner Nicole Kidman learned all-time-known massage therapy when her mother had breast cancer. In 2012, the actress revealed that she still loved giving massages to others. But, she became so fond of it that she also began doing it for others.

Brad Pitt – Chicken costume wearer

After entering Hollywood, Brad Pitt first worked at an El Pollo Loco chicken restaurant. In a chicken costume, he stood outside the restaurant and waved at would-be customers. If you are in Los Angeles on a celeb-themed bus tour, 99% of the time, they will surely drive you by this same restaurant.

Jon Hamm – Porn set dresser

We all know Jon Hamm as an implausibly charming Don Draper. But, he hasn't always been the man who made drinking on the office premises a good idea. A few decades ago, i.e., in 1996, he was a set dresser for sort of soft-core porn films which aired on Cinemax. According to him, that was a soul-crushing experience.

Meghan Markle – Caligrapher

Before the actress did Suits, Meghan Markle was into calligraphy. She worked at Paper Source and did freelancing too. Markle was behind the wedding invitation of Robin Thicke and Paula Patton.

Taylor Swift – Praying Mantis Exterminator

Her job at a farm was to pick the praying mantis pods from the trees, so bugs didn't hatch in people's homes. This job was given to her because she was too young to offer help in lifting trees.

Tiffany Haddish – Ground staff at Alaska airlines

Tiffany is an amazing crowd pleaser on screen and the ground as well. Before she became an actress and a comedian, she was a member of the Alaska airlines' ground staff team. Then and now, her goal was to bring joy and happiness to the people.

Tan France – Flight attendant

Before we all learned French tuck from Queer Eye on Netflix, Tan France used to wear a flight attendant's dull uniform. In his book, Naturally Tan, he felt like a glorified waiter.

Margot Robbie – Employee at Subway

The twice Academy Award nominee for I, Tonya, and Bombshell Margot Robbie made sandwiches at Subway. Now, she is no more regular at the outlet because she gets upset when they make it bad.

Kate Middleton – Luxury fashion buyer

Yes, Kate had a life too before she became a member of the Royal family. The Dutchess worked at Jigsaw as a luxury fashion buyer.

Ashton Kutcher – Cereal sweeper

In his pre-fame days, Ashton did so many odd jobs. He lived like a cowboy working with animals on his family farm. Later, he swept cereals at General Mills.

Beyonce – Salon floor sweeper

Beyonce is unimaginable like anything other than Beyonce, but any other normal child, she had to do petty tasks to earn for herself. She sang and performed from the age of 6 to 9 at her mother's salon. The singer swept hair off the floor to get money to buy passes for Six Flags.

Cardi B – Grocery Clerk

Before Cardi B started her stripping career, she was a full-time cashier in New York's Amish Market. She was fired when she gave a discount to a fellow worker.

Channing Tatum – Stripper

We all have seen Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, so we already know this. Though he did it for a brief period, the video proof still lives.

Madonna – Employee at Dunkin Donuts

When Madonna was a newcomer to New York City, she worked at Dunkin Donuts, located in Times Square. She was fired from there as she squirmed jelly on some customer.