"It's A Rough Gig": 15 Celebrities Who Had Super Interesting Jobs Before They Became Famous
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1.Ken Jeong
Ken used to be a physician specializing in internal medicine. He entered the acting world hesitantly as he didn't want to leave the security of his work to pursue an uncertain career. However, with a push from his wife, he decided to quit his day job and put all his energy into acting.
His very traditional Korean parents were disappointed considering the amount of work he had put into becoming a doctor, but once he proved his talent in The Hangover, they supported him. Ken's jump of faith has since paid off with an extensive and impressive list of work under his belt, including Over the Moon, Crazy Rich Asians, and Pineapple Express.
2.Drew Afualo
Drew is well-known on TikTok for her humor and ability to put misogynistic men in their place, but before she became a social media star, she was working for the NFL as a sports journalist.
During her time at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she was the managing editor of the university’s journalism organization. Working in sports felt like a natural move for Drew, as her dad played professionally, and sports are huge to many Pacific Islander people. Following her graduation, she struggled to find a job, as many graduates often do. She kept taking on different roles until there was an opening for the NFL. Although she didn't get the job she initially interviewed for, she was recommended for another role and hired a few months later. However, after only 10 months, she was fired in 2020. In a podcast, she told the host that she's able to laugh about it now, but at the time, it was devastating.
3.Morgan Freeman
Before he became known for films such as Evan Almighty, The Bucket List, and Batman Begins, Morgan actually worked in the US Air Force as a repairman.
Although he was offered a drama scholarship from Jackson State University after he graduated high school in 1955, he opted instead to enlist in the Air Force. For four years, he repaired automatic tracking radar stations, and was eventually honorably discharged in 1959 once the stations were no longer in use. Following his stint in the Air Force, he returned to studying drama and had his first major role on Broadway with an all-Black production of Hello, Dolly!.
4.Jon Hamm
The Mad Men and Baby Driver actor has an impressive résumé, but before he was an actor, Jon Hamm was a high school drama teacher.
He attended the University of Texas for a brief time before finishing his BA in English at the University of Missouri in 1993. He ended up teaching at his former high school, John Burroughs School, in St. Louis for two years before moving to Hollywood in 1995. According to Hamm, returning to teaching is still a viable option for him if he ever stopped acting.
5.Taraji P. Henson
Taraji may easily capture our hearts on TV and in movies today, but before she was a well-respected actress, she was capturing the attention of cruise-goers. One of her many jobs before her current career included working on Spirit of Washington cruises as a singing and dancing waitress.
Her best friend landed the job before her and immediately told Taraji to interview for it as it was good money. Before Taraji's interview, her BFF quickly taught her some of the routines so she had a better chance of getting the job — and she did! Both women continue to look back fondly on their memories of working on cruises to this day.
6.Taika Waititi
Before he became known as the genius director of movies like Boy and Thor: Ragnarok, he was part of a popular comedy duo, Humourbeasts. The duo also included Jemaine Clement, who is a star in his own right for works such as Flight of the Conchords.
The two have been best friends since their college days and were also part of a five-man comedy troupe called So You're a Man before splitting off into a duo. The Humourbeasts performed at various comedy festivals and were hugely popular in New Zealand and Australia in the late '90s and early 2000s. They were known for their mix of wit, absurdity, and keen sense of satire.
7.Kumail Nanjiani
Before Kumail became a screen staple, he slowly made his way up the ranks through stand-up comedy. He first had a taste of stand-up when he was in his final year at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he studied philosophy and computer science.
Upon graduation, he moved to Chicago, where he performed three to four times a week. However, after his now-wife became sick, they upturned their lives and moved to New York for better opportunities. It was in New York that he had his first appearance on TV as part of a Sunday Night Live skit. He later gained fame for roles in Silicon Valley and The Big Sick.
8.Lupita Nyong'o
Before Lupita became the leading lady, she was actually part of the film crew. Her first foot-in-the-door job was a production assistant.
Although she was a college student in the US at the time, she traveled back to her home in Nairobi, Kenya during her break. While there, she spotted a film crew working in a Nairobi neighborhood and asked her friend, who was working on set at the time, to let her work, too. She was given the role of a production assistant and worked alongside actor Ralph Fiennes in the 2005 film, The Constant Gardener. In 2013, almost a decade after her first job on set, Lupita shot to stardom in 12 Years a Slave.
9.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Dwayne's journey to greatness began long before he became a Hollywood favorite. Initially, he set his sights on becoming a professional football player. During his college years, he played football for the University of Miami, which boasted one of the best college football teams at the time.
Despite his remarkable college football career of over four years, Dwayne's dreams of joining the NFL didn't come true. The disappointment of not making it to the National Football League hit him hard, given the tremendous effort he'd invested in pursuing that path. However, when one door closed, another opened! He was introduced to the world of professional wrestling with the WWE. From there, he rose rapidly to stardom and soon became one of the most beloved figures in the entertainment industry.
10.Ava DuVernay
Ava didn't pick filmmaking as her first career choice. Before she came onto the scene as a powerhouse director, she had her own publicity agency. Her more famous collaborations included handling publicity for Dreamgirls and The Terminal.
However, as she spent more time around movie sets and cameras, an interest in filmmaking began to bubble, until she finally decided to give it a go. After winning the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah for Middle of Nowhere, she finally quit her job as a publicist and decided to focus on filmmaking.
11.Rena Owens
Rena is a legend in New Zealand cinema and theatre, and many know her from Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and the TV series, Siren.
Despite her long career as an actress and her interest in the arts growing up, Rena didn't initially intend to pursue a career in acting. Growing up in the '70s, she was unable to see a future in acting or theatre because it was not considered a real career back then. She ended up going to college for nursing and became qualified as a nurse in three and a half years. However, at the age of 22, she went to London for a trip and returned home convinced more than ever that she still wanted to act.
12.Halle Berry
Halle is no stranger to the cameras, but before she was making movies, she was competing in pageants. In 1986, she won the Miss Ohio pageant at only 18 years old, and then went on to win Miss USA.
As Miss USA, she competed at the Miss World pageant where she was the first Black woman to ever represent the USA on that level — so cool! She placed sixth in the end, but she remains an American sweetheart to this day and now has an iconic acting career.
13.Danny Glover
At 28, Danny Glover had a relatively late start in his acting career. He spent most of his early working years as a social worker and city administrator. Danny attended San Francisco State University, where he studied economics, and then worked in the mayor's office in the Bay Area for five years before he took up acting.
His first big break came when a director spotted him during a Broadway show, "Master Harold" ...and the Boys. He was then offered a role in the critically acclaimed Places in the Heart, which was his first major film. Other major films Danny starred in include Silverado, The Color Purple, and Lethal Weapon.
14.Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has been a major WWE star for over a decade now, but before he was entertaining crowds in the ring, he also had a very similar background to his cousin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He was a standout defensive lineman for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and after college, he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in 2007 as an undrafted free agent.
At 21 years old, he had all the makings of a professional football player until a physical assessment revealed an unknown illness. Despite going through preseason training, he was eventually sent home after medical tests came back positive for cancer. It was a difficult time in the years that followed, but with the support of his family, he continued on to success.
15.And finally, Whoopi Goldberg
Before acting, Whoopi became a qualified beautician, and after seeing an advertisement in the paper for a funeral home makeup artist, she took on a job doing hair and makeup on the deceased.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said, "It's a rough gig, I think... You have to love people to be able to make them worthy of a great send-off." Whoopi might just take the medal for the most interesting job before fame!
