Famous people's normal jobs: Jennifer Aniston as a bike messenger to Madonna at Dunkin'


Farah Andrews
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We know Jennifer Aniston best as one of the US’s most famous actors of the last 25 years, but the Friends star’s CV has its fair share of regular jobs on it, which predate her 10-year run on the sitcom.

Speaking to Jimmy Fallon, Aniston, 52, revealed that before she was famous, she had a much less glamorous jobs, such as as a bike messenger.

“I was a bike messenger for a day in New York City,” Aniston said during her The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon interview.

“I worked at an advertising agency after school. My mum actually worked there. So, to make extra money, I would do odd jobs. And one day their bike messenger just didn’t show up … I just boldly said yes and they gave me this bag, and they put all these cylinders in this bag.”

The job wasn't without risk. “I don’t know how I survived the day,” she said, “... to be on Fifth Avenue with traffic, and all that I was holding.

“I think I might have gotten into a cab just to finish the day.”

Aniston is far from the only star to have worked a regular day job before making it big. Here we round up some jobs A-list Hollywood celebrities had before they were famous …

1. Harrison Ford was a carpenter

Harrison Ford is best known as Han Solo in 'Star Wars' but was a carpenter before he made it big in Hollywood. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
Harrison Ford is best known as Han Solo in 'Star Wars' but was a carpenter before he made it big in Hollywood. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd

When Harrison Ford, 79, was first starting out in Hollywood, he was making extra money as a carpenter, and it was down to a woodwork job that Star Wars director George Lucas considered him for a role.

“I was working on an elaborate portico entrance to Francis Ford Coppola’s offices, working as a carpenter, when George walked in with Richard Dreyfuss to begin the first of the interviews for Star Wars," Ford told Rolling Stone magazine. "Somehow that rang a bell with George, and I became, eventually, Han Solo.”

Hollywood casting director and producer Fred Roos recalled, as mentioned in Chris Taylor's How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise: “Harrison had done a lot of carpentry for me. He needed money, he had kids, he wasn’t a big movie star yet. The day he was doing it, George happened to be there. It was serendipitous.”

2. Angelina Jolie trained to be a funeral director

Angelina Jolie was preparing to be a funeral director if her Hollywood career didn't work out. AFP
Angelina Jolie was preparing to be a funeral director if her Hollywood career didn't work out. AFP

It’s no secret that Angelina Jolie has a fascination with the more macabre things in life (and death), so it perhaps comes as little surprise that she had a stint as a funeral director.

The Maleficent star, 46, revealed in a 60 Minutes interview that the job was her backup plan, should Hollywood not work out for her.

"It sounds like this very strange, eccentric, dark thing to do but in fact I lost my grandfather and was very upset with his funeral," she said. "How somebody passes and how family deals with this passing and what death is should be addressed in a different way.

"If this whole acting thing didn't work out that was going to be my path."

In her bid to train for the role, she took an at-home embalming course.

3. Tan France was a flight attendant

Queer Eye’s Tan France, 38, is known for his on-point fashion advice, but he’s also trained to keep his cool at 30,000 feet, as he had a short stint as cabin crew.

The British-Pakistani television personality revealed in his autobiography, Naturally Tan: A Memoir, that he was a flight attendant for Britannia Airways in the early 2000s when he was 19.

"It was meant to be a six-month seasonal job, but I only lasted two months," he wrote. "The 30-day training included some of the hardest moments of my life. It was very difficult, and many people failed ... I felt like a glorified waiter."

4. Madonna worked at Dunkin' Donuts

Madonna was fired from her job at Dunkin' Donuts. Reuters
Madonna was fired from her job at Dunkin' Donuts. Reuters

The Material Girl, 63, may be worth an estimated $850 million now, but in the late 1970s, when she was starting in the music industry, Madonna got a job at Dunkin' Donuts to try and make ends meet after she moved to New York City.

Speaking to Howard Stern in a 2015 interview, she was asked about the stint. “Were you fired because you squirted jelly over everyone?” Stern asked.

“I was playing with the jelly squirter machine, yeah,” she replied. She said the management accused her of not “taking the job seriously”.

5. Danny DeVito was a hairdresser

Before he was famous, Danny DeVito, 76, followed his sister into hairdressing.

"I did enjoy it, I loved it," he said in a 2012 Guardian interview. "I can joke about the fact that I was thrust into a bevy of beauties every day and I was one of the straight ones … But kidding aside, I seriously enjoyed it."

6. Margot Robbie worked at Subway

She has starred in The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad and I, Tonya, but the Australian actor started out in Subway.

Speaking to Delish, the Oscar nominee, 31, made it clear she took the role seriously, saying: “I actually don’t go that often anymore, because I watch them make it badly, and I’m upset."

7. Meghan Markle was a calligrapher

To anyone who has seen cards signed by the Duchess of Sussex, 40, it will come as no surprise that she had a stint as a calligrapher, because her handwriting is flawless.

The royal, who was an actress before marrying Britain’s Prince Harry, worked at Paper Source stationery store for a year, from 2004.

She said in a post on her now-closed blog, Tig: “If given the option between fingers to keyboard, or pen to paper, I will always choose the latter. Because amongst the throwback things that I love… what trumps all is my love of writing (and receiving) a handwritten note.”

In the past, she has also revealed that she penned the invitations for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s 2005 wedding.

8. Beyonce worked in a salon

Before the days of Destiny’s Child, Beyonce, 40, was kept busy in her mother Tina Knowles-Lawson’s Texas salon.

Looking back on the time in the salon, she said: “From 6 to 9 years old, I would sing and put on little shows by myself for the women who wanted a hot press and curl and some good conversation.

"I helped sweep hair off the floor for tips to pay for my season pass to Six Flags."

9. Eva Longoria worked at Wendy’s

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, 46, is open about her love for cooking, but it may well have started at a Wendy’s.

Speaking to Rachael Ray about Wendy’s burgers, she said: “What we learned at Wendy’s was mayonnaise goes on the bun first, to seal the bun, so the bun stays nice. Then you put the ketchup. And [then] mustard goes on the meat, because it brings out the flavour of meat."

10. Dwayne Johnson was a dishwasher

Long before he was a wrestler, the second most-followed person on Instagram and in-demand movie star, Dwayne Johnson, 49, was a dishwasher.

"My first job, I started working in a pizza shop called Emilio's Pizza," he says in a Masterclass promotional video. "My pay was $3.45 per hour and my job was that of a dishwasher."

He since tweeted about the role, saying: “First job at 13 years old [was] washing dishes from 3pm-11pm daily. Yup, these days I still wash every dish.”

11. Tiffany Haddish worked as airport ground staff

Comedy star Tiffany Haddish, 41, brought the same energy to her role on the ground staff team for Alaska Airlines as she does to her hit films, it seems.

“I would like to think of myself as one of the best customer service agents,” she told Stephen Colbert in 2019. “I worked at the gates and my goal was always to bring happiness and joy to people – still to this day.”

She said that she was particularly good at bringing flair to the Tannoy announcements.

“We would have a flight delayed to Mexico or something, people have bad attitudes and stuff,’ she said. Then when the gate opened, she said she would shout out, “It’s time to go to Mexico!”

12. Brad Pitt was a chicken mascot

Proof that he would take any role in Hollywood at the beginning of his career, Brad Pitt, 57, started out as a chicken mascot at an El Pollo Loco restaurant.

He would stand outside the eatery in the costume to attract customers and, today, the exact restaurant is pointed out on celebrity tours of Los Angeles.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10

RESULTS

Main card

Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision

Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision

Lightweight 60kg:  Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3

Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision

Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision

Light heavyweight 81.4kg:  Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
 

The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

About Proto21

Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

NBA FINALS SO FAR

(Toronto lead 3-2 in best-of-seven series)

Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109

Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109

Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123

Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105

Game 5 Raptors 105 Warriors 106

Game 6 Thursday, at Oakland

Game 7 Sunday, at Toronto (if needed)

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
MATCH INFO

Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)

UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Aryan%20Lakra%2C%20Ashwanth%20Valthapa%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20CP%20Rizwaan%2C%20Hazrat%20Billal%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%20and%20Zawar%20Farid.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

SPEC%20SHEET
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M2%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206%2C%20Bluetooth%205.0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%2C%20midnight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%20or%2035W%20dual-port%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C999%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

Updated: September 23, 2021, 4:38 AM`