Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Woman's World
12 Celebrities Who Worked Regular 9 to 5 Jobs Before They Were Famous
By Julianne MacNeill,
2 days ago
Celebrities seem to have the life, right? From showing up on every red carpet to appearing in all your favorite movies and TV shows, these stars live like royalty (and some of them are royalty). But before they were your favorite television and movie stars, these celebrities worked “normal” 9 to 5 jobs.
From taking insanely complicated orders at Starbucks to being paid to exterminate armadillos, there is quite a range of celebrities' first jobs, and here’s a look at some of them in their days before fame.
1. Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy (2023) Lisa Maree Williams / Stringer / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Starbucks
What she said about her first job: “ When I first moved here , I didn’t have a car, so I had jobs I could walk to. So, I worked… at Starbucks” the actress shared in an interview.
From her breakout role on Gilmore Girls' to her most recent portrayal of Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid,' McCarthy has been making us laugh for years!
2. Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle (2018) Charles McQuillan / Stringer / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Calligrapher
What she said about her first job: “ I did calligraphy for the invitation s for, like, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding … it's super-lucrative, because there are so few people doing it. What's funny is I probably still have some calligraphy business cards floating out in the world.”
What she said about her first job: “ If you were young, you were expected to have a part-time job . I got one, scooping ice cream at Chadwick’s … Summer jobs are often romantic; Chadwick’s was not. Hard and physical, the job consisted of stacking and wiping and scooping and lifting.”
4. Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie attends (2022) Dia Dipasupil / Staff / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Subway
What she said about her first job: “ I think I was really good at it though , because I would really spread everything out to the edges evenly — the right amount of everything … I actually don't go that often anymore, because I watch them make it badly — and I'm upset.”
What she said about her first job: “I had a small-town life -- I worked at the local McDonald's for three years … they would only let me be the '’friendly voice'’ that greeted you when you entered the restaurant. I was slow -- I would be organizing the sweet-and-sour packets in the customer's takeout bag while the line snaked out the door.”
6. Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey, (2019) Rick Kern / Contributor / Getty
Where he worked before fame: Armadillo exterminator
What he said about his first job: “ The first real job that I got paid for was raking the sand traps at [a country club] … when the greenskeeper came to me and said, ‘Look, we’re having a problem with some armadillos that are eating the greens… I’d like to hire you… [to] spotlight them on the green and pick them off.”
The actors starred in the hit 2003 film and have both shared that they would return to the screen for a sequel
7. Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu (2022) Michael Kovac / Contributor / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Multiple jobs in New York
What she said about her first job: “ I worked seven days a week … I worked five days a week as a secretary and on weekends, during the day, worked as an aerobics instructor and in the evening worked as a hostess.”
8. Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston (2019) Dave Benett / Contributor / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Telemarketer
What she said about her first job: “ I was a telemarketer selling time-shares in the Poconos. I didn't make one sale. I was terrible at it. I was like, 'Why do we have to call people at dinnertime?’”
9. Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (2023) DANIEL LEAL / Contributor / Getty
Sandra Bullock (2014) C Flanigan / Contributor / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Waitress
What she said about her first job: “ I was a really good waiter … I feel that everyone should wait tables for at least a year before they go out into the workforce.”
Nicki Minaj (2017) Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty
Where she worked before fame: Red Lobster
What she said about her first job: “ If you’ve ever eaten at Red Lobster, I probably took your order… That’s what made me want to hurry up and follow my dream because I was like… ‘This is not for me.’”
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0