If you saw the not-so-rocking jobs of rock stars before they made it big, you’re going to love the even weirder jobs that movie stars had before they got famous. From male strippers to women’s shoes salesmen, let’s take a look at the early care
er paths of some of your favorite on-screen characters.
Christopher Walken – Lion Tamer
Playing the role of son and assistant in popular lion tamer Carol Jacobs’ show, the idolized actor used to be closer to large animals of the circus variety than to the camera lens.
Sylvester Stallone – Lion Cage Cleaner
Sly made a slow living cleaning cages at the Central Park Zoo for $1.12 per hour, along with starring in an adult film for $200, before he signed his first big deal for “Rocky.”
Johnny Depp – Pen Salesman
The pen is not mightier than the sword when it comes to the pirate-playing Depp. The former pen salesman used to offer free trips to Greece to people in order to sell them customized ballpoint pens. Maybe the handsome buccaneer should have tried going door-to-door instead.
Hugh Jackman – Party Clown
Before he was winning Tony awards and sharpening his claws for Wolverine roles, Hugh Jackman was a party clown for kids’ parties. He went by the name Coco the Clown, and he didn’t have a single trick for those poor kids.
Matthew McConaughey – Chicken Coop Cleaner
Well before his “alright, alright, alright” days, Matthew McConaughey worked in the hot Australian outback cleaning out chicken coops. This is likely the time after high school where he learned that “chicks” loved when he took off his shirt.
Jon Hamm – Adult Film Set Dresser
The “Mad Men” star used to move cameras, set up sets and help with continuity for adult films before he was everyone’s favorite chain-smoking ad man. Maybe when the final season finishes airing, he’ll go back to the skin biz?
Whoopi Goldberg – Phone Sex Operator
Anybody who wasn’t already a sucker for classic Whoopi will roll over when they learn she used to work as a phone sex operator, as well as a morgue makeup artist and a bricklayer, in her dark days before becoming a steady actress. She addressed her past on “Good Morning America” when the topic reared its head. Now who wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that phone line?
Bill Murray – Hot Chestnut Vendor
One of his earlier jobs before busting ghosts and camp counseling was selling hot chestnuts outside of a local grocery store before landing on “Saturday Night Live.” Yet, he remains the coolest man alive.
Amy Adams – Hooters Girl
Golden Globe winner Amy Adams used to rock her golden hooters for the provocative restaurant chain in order to save up for a car. Once she had enough in the bank, she bought a used Chevy and quit.
Matt Damon – Breakdancer
This wasn’t really a steady job, but for extra cash, Matt Damon would breakdance in Harvard Square in the middle of Cambridge, Massachusetts. How do you like them apples?
Channing Tatum – Male Stripper
The brooding beefcake used to strip as “Chan Crawford” after dropping out of college. “Magic Mike,” co-financed by Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh, was based loosely on Tatum’s experience.
Quentin Tarantino – Porn Theater Usher
It should come as no surprise that director/actor Quentin Tarantino walked the aisles of the Pussycat Theatre, an adult film house in Torrance, California, before putting butts in the seats with his own morbid creations.
George Clooney – Tobacco Cutter
Before he was fictitiously saving lives on “ER” and starring in Oscar-winning films, George Clooney was a tobacco cutter, as well as a real-life Al Bundy type, selling women’s shoes in a department store. He was also a door-to-door insurance salesman, but Clooney admits that cutting tobacco was the strongest of his odd jobs.
Sean Connery – Coffin Cleaner
Connery was cleaning and polishing coffins for a living long before he was putting men in coffins as James Bond on the big screen. And to add to his charming résumé, he was also a milkman at one point. It’d really be something if he were doing that now.
