From Lion Tamer to Donut Seller: The Wildest Jobs Celebrities Had Before Fame

Before they were gracing red carpets and selling out stadiums, many of today's biggest celebrities were earning a living in far more ordinary – and sometimes outright bizarre – ways. From pest control to lion taming, these surprising pre-fame jobs prove that success rarely follows a straight line.

Taylor Swift – Pest Control

Long before she could afford a multi-million pound wedding in Madison Square Garden, Taylor Swift was helping out on her family's Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Too young to cut down the trees, the future chart-topper was given the unusual job of picking praying mantis egg sacs off the branches before they were sold. But one festive season, Taylor admitted she missed one – with disastrous results. Recalling the mishap during an interview with Jay Leno, she revealed the egg sac later hatched inside a customer's home, unleashing hundreds of tiny praying mantises. Taylor joked: 'I forgot to check one time and they hatched all over these people's house. And there were hundreds of thousands of them. They had kids and they couldn't kill them because that would be a bad Christmas.'

Alan Carr – Call Centre Agent

Alan Carr is now one of Britain's best-loved comedians, but before finding fame he spent five years answering calls at a Barclaycard lost and stolen credit card centre in Manchester. The funnyman has revealed one of the perks of the job was being allowed to hang up if a customer swore at him twice – a company rule he admits he wasn't afraid to use. Alan also slogged through a string of other less-than-glamorous temp jobs, including boxing up shampoo, degreasing gearboxes, and filing paperwork at a dog food company.

Madonna – Donut Seller

Before becoming the Queen of Pop, Madonna briefly worked at a Dunkin' Donuts in New York's Times Square. But her stint behind the counter lasted just a week after she was reportedly fired for playing with the jam-squirting machine and accidentally spraying donut filling at customers. The star – who was accused of not taking her job seriously enough – has since proved her former bosses wrong by rising to the very top and becoming a global pop icon.

Brad Pitt – Chicken Shop Mascot

Brad Pitt has admitted that – once upon a time – he took on whatever work he could find to pay the bills. One of his most memorable early jobs saw him squeeze into a chicken costume to promote fast-food chain El Pollo Loco – a role he has since laughed off. Recalling the experience on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Brad insisted he had 'no shame' and joked: 'Man's gotta eat!' He also spent time behind the wheel as a limo driver – ferrying strippers to stag parties. The future star was even tasked with controlling the music and catching discarded clothes, a side hustle he later described as "very depressing".

Harry Styles – Baker Boy

Harry Styles is currently on his 'Together, Together' global stadium tour supporting his fourth studio album, 'Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally'. But once upon a time – before X Factor glory – Harry Styles was serving up bread rolls at a bakery in his hometown. The singer started working at a Mandeville bakery in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, aged just 14, where he quickly became a favourite with customers. Former boss Simon Wakefield described Harry as 'the most polite member of staff' to have ever worked there. A massive banner of a teenage Harry in his work uniform now hangs inside the bakery – next to a sign that cheekily reads, "People come from miles and miles for craft baking and Harry Styles".

Margot Robbie – Sandwich Maker

Aussie actress Margot Robbie worked behind the counter in a Subway in Melbourne before landing her breakout role in Neighbours. Margot has since admitted she was a perfectionist on the job and has since struggled to eat at the chain due to her high standards. Speaking to British GQ, the Wolf of Wall Street star said: "I'm always thinking, 'You're doing such a bad job of this… I want to get round the other side of the counter and do it myself.'" Years later, things came full circle when Subway asked Margot to front one of its adverts – with the actress revealing she was paid "like 20 times the amount" she ever earned in the shop.

Hugh Jackman – Children's Party Clown

Hugh Jackman worked as a children's party clown during his younger years but confessed to being "really bad at magic". The Les Miserables star performed tricks like juggling eggs – even smashing them on his head – for just $50 (£37) a gig. Recalling one memorable party, he told The Daily Beast: "I remember a six-year-old standing up at a party saying, 'Mummy this clown is terrible, he doesn't know any tricks' – and he was right."

Beyonce – Hairdressers' Assistant

Beyoncé has revealed her very first job was sweeping hair at her mum's salon long before she became a global superstar. The singer said Destiny's Child also got their start there – performing for customers while they had their hair done. Beyoncé turned that childhood influence into her own haircare brand years later, saying she had "always dreamed of carrying on" her mother's legacy.

Jennifer Aniston – Bike Messenger

Jennifer Aniston hustled through a string of odd jobs while chasing her Hollywood dream – including a last-minute stint as a bike messenger when a worker failed to turn up. Recalling the bizarre gig on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the actress admitted she confidently told her boss, "Yeah, I can ride a bike" – but had no idea how she would handle the chaos of New York's busy streets. "In my brain, I don't know how I survived the day," Jennifer said – revealing she may have eventually jumped in a cab to finish the job.

George Clooney – Shoe Salesman

George Clooney dealt with "very old women's" foot corns before becoming a Hollywood megastar. The 64-year-old actor worked as a shoe salesman when he was 18 and recalled how "a lot of 80-year-olds" would stick their feet in his face before pointing out they had a "hammertoe". Appearing on Live with Kelly and Mark, George said: "I sold ladies' shoes at a department store. For those of you ladies [in the audience], it's a miserable job for us!"

Dwayne Johnson – Dishwasher

Speaking to Oprah Winfrey about his first job, Johnson said: "My first job was working in a pizza shop called Emilio's Pizza. My pay was $3.45 (£2.56) per hour and my job was a dish washer. I worked every day from 3pm in the afternoon until 11:30pm at night. I have learnt from that, such a great appreciation for hard work and putting in hard work. It sounds crazy, but still to this day I never use a dishwasher and I wash every dish by hand."

Victoria Beckham – TV Educational Character

Long before she found fame with the Spice Girls, Victoria Beckham appeared on TV dressed as a sperm on roller skates. The future pop star donned the unusual costume for the BBC sex education programme Body Matters where she took part in a segment explaining human reproduction.

Danny Devito – Corpse Hairdresser

Before landing his big break, Danny DeVito worked as a hairdresser in his sister Angie's beauty salon in New Jersey. The actor revealed many of her clients were "old ladies" – with some even arranging for him to do their hair after they had died. Recalling the unusual job, Danny said: "I used to go in there… the mortuary, it's a little morbid; anyway, there she would be, it was only women's hair I did and it was usually [a] really old lady." He later joked: "She didn't talk back. She didn't say, 'Oh, I don't like the way that hair's curled.'"

Christopher Walken – Lion Tamer

Hollywood icon Christopher Walken worked in a circus at just 16. The star revealed the circus's "big act" featured "a dozen big cats", and he would occasionally step into the ring as an amateur lion tamer. Recalling the experience, Christopher told Indie Wire: "He would send them all out at the end and just leave this one old girl. I would come in with my whip and I'd go like that and she'd sit up – but she was really more like a dog."