Celebrities with surprising skills and hidden talents

Steve Martin has been playing the banjo for around 60 years. But it's not just a fun hobby. The instrument was a big part of his early comedy routins and his playing has even won him multiple Grammy awards!

Not only is he an accomplished musician, he has even launched his own prize: the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo & Bluegrass to recognize excellency in the field, awarding players with $50,000 of his own money. "I was talking to a guy who was a master banjo player — he was one of the top players — and he told me he’s still paying off his banjo. I thought, ‘Somehow, we’ve got to help these people,'” Martin told Rolling Stone.

Nicole Kidman, known for her stunning performance in Moulin Rouge, can not only sing, dance and act, but she is also an avid skydiver. Kidman is a Hollywood star, “But I’m also a person who jumps out of a plane: I have those strange dichotomies in my personality,” she said.

The actress has a skydiving license although she finds the high-adrenaline activity also terrifying. She said in an interview, “Standing there, just going, ‘I want to,’ and then ‘Oh, no, no, no’ and just jumping anyway.” Sounds exhilarating? Kidman has encouraged other women to take it up.

Image: HBO, Big Little Lies

Not a talent you hear every day, but yes, Keira can play her teeth like a musical instrument. She revealed this hidden talent while on Graham Norton's New Year's Eve episode in 2018.

Photo: BBC, The Graham Norton Show

How does it work? The actress taps her teeth with her fingers, each of which produces a different tone. Put that together, and you have a beautiful, toothy melody. On the show, she performed 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head' much to the shock and delight of the other guests. Not long after, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and performed 'Despacito.'

Photo: NBC, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

While on set filming for the indie film, 'Lars and the Real Girl', the star of 'The Notebook' learned how to knit, thanks to one of the scenes which included a group of women knitting. They taught him the basics and Ryan hasn't stopped since, describing the activity as incredibly relaxing.

"If I had to design my perfect day, [knitting] would be it. And you get something out of it at the end. You get a nice present. For someone who wants an oddly shaped, off-putting scarf," the actor explained in an interview with GQ.

The idea was to combine nappies with wipes. As described in its patent, the item is "a disposable infant garment which takes the form of a diaper including, on its outer side, a sealed, but openable, moisture-proof pocket which contains one or more clean-up wipers."

Mum on and off-screen, Jamie Lee has two adopted children and, in her life, spent a lot of time changing nappies. But we feel this garment has more to offer than just a nappy with a pouch for wipes: perhaps it could also be used as a safe store for valuables?

Photo: public record, USPTO

Chris Evans, AKA Captain America, surprised fans in 2020 when the star posted a video of himself playing the piano. Quite well. He was practicing a piece by Italian composer Fabrizio Paterlini and the reactions and appreciation came flooding in from fans.

Photo: Getty/ Instagram @Chrisevans

The video was posted on his Instagram story, during which he occasionally glances as the camera, melting hearts. The composer was also incredibly vocal about the post, expressing his gratitude for the exposure and how the clip 'made his day'.

This down-to-earth A-lister has, on many occasions, surprised audiences with her honest words and frankness. Even once professing that her disgusting habit is that she doesn't wash her hands after going to the bathroom! That aside, we love the 'Hunger Games' actress' ability to say (and do!) it how it is. But we didn't know she had a bizarre hidden talent.

In a 'Get Crazy at Camp Hunger Games' special from MTV, Ms. Lawrence decided to see how many marshmallows she could stuff in her mouth. For the record, it's ten. Kudos. That's a lot.

Image: MTV, Get Crazy at Camp Hunger Games

Many may not know that Hugh Laurie, who was one of the highest paid actors in the world for his role in 'House', is an accomplished jazz musician. In fact, he closed the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in 2011 with music from his debut album, 'Let Them Talk'

Described as a 'a lifelong early-jazz and blues fan', both his first and second albums reached number one in the US blues charts. The Oxford-born actor uses his talents to perform when he can - at a variety of concerts, as a special guest on TV shows and at charity events. He's one multi-talented guy.

Eva Longoria is an actress, businesswoman, and a great cook. In fact, she has opened a couple of restaurants and wrote the book 'Eva's Kitchen.'

"I love to cook. I'm one of my family's great cooks so the restaurant is somehow an extension of my home. I feel like everyone is going to be in my dining room," Longoria told People when she opened her restaurant Beso in Hollywood.

Bruce Willis loves music, and beside acting he has a parallel career in this art form. He even has his own band, 'The Accelerators'.

The protagonist of films like 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Armageddon' is especially fascinated by playing the harmonica.

No one would believe that Pierce Brosnan, protagonist of a number of James Bond movies, has learned to be a fire-eater.

The actor explained that he learned this dangerous hobby in the late 1960s from a man who did it professionally. Brosnan even did some fire-eating shows back then, but now he no longer practices it.

Margot Robbie, actress in the film 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,' as a great hidden talent: she is an amateur tattoo artist.

In an interview with The Cut, the actress said she has done more than 100 tattoos, including those with her peers in the supervillain movie where she played Harley Quinn. Among others, she tattooed her colleague Cara Delevingne and director David Ayer.

Geena Davis, nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in the film 'Thelma & Louise,' learned to shoot with a bow and arrow a few years ago.

In fact, the actress wanted to participate in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, but in the U.S. classification games she finished 24th out of 300 participants. While it was not enough to make it to Sydney, this position wasn't bad at all.

Elliot Page, protagonist of films like 'Juno' and 'X- Men: Days of Futures Past,' has a great juggling talent.

The actor has shown his talent as a juggler in several television shows.

Photo: Instagram, Elliot Page

Read more about Elliot Page's life path: from Ellen to Elliot

Neil Patrick Harris, who starred in the series 'How I Met Your Mother,' is a lover of magic. He even won an award for it in 2006.

"I was small, very small, when I became fascinated by the magic tricks my grandfather would show me. They were more scientific tricks than cards or coins, but they led me to look for my own repertoire," the actor told 'El País.'

Justin Bieber is not only good at singing and songwriting, he also has great skill in solving a Rubik's cube.

Bieber solves a Rubik's cube in a little over a minute and a half. So the singer is good at other things besides getting into trouble.

Mark Ruffalo, who plays the fearsome Hulk in the Avengers saga, is a unicyclist.

The actor has shown his skills in several television shows, where he won the audience's admiration and applause. Here you see him in The Graham Norton Show.

When Susan Sarandon isn't filming something, she's probably playing ping pong, because she loves the sport.

In fact, Sarandon has opened a ping pong sports complex in New York City. Table tennis must be her second passion after acting.

Taylor Lautner gained a lot of popularity as one of the protagonists of the 'Twilight' saga, but few know that he is a lover of martial arts and parkour.

What's more, as a child, the actor represented the United States at the World Karate Association and won three gold medals.

Jack White, of the rock group The White Stripes, used to do something else before music: he was a furniture upholsterer.

He studied this trade for three years when he was a teenager, and in the 1980s he upholstered sofas in Detroit.

Bob Dylan, one of the most influential musicians, seems to be great at anything. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2016 (or his lyrics), and he is a great sculptor as well. Dylan especially enjoys creating art with metal.

In 2013, Dylan exhibited his works in London. One of his great creations is called "Portal." It's an iron entrance of eight by four and a half meters, which he designed and forged for the MGM National Harbor Casino in Maryland, United States.

As much as we would all love to see Rebel Wilson in a high-action movie, we didn't know that she could actually wield some weapons - rather well. More specifically, a set of nunchucks which she can be seen swinging around her on her Instagram.

Photo: BBC, The Graham Norton Show

The actress, who made headlines in 2020 for her incredible weight loss, posted a video of herself with friends, dressed up as the 'Nun-Chicks', a group of femme Fatales with one goal: to eradicate COVID-19.

Image: Instagram, Rebel Wilson

What many people don't know about this hip-hop icon, is that he is an accomplished jet skiier. But it's not just a hobby. In 2015, he was ranked sixth in the world!!

Chris “The Flyin Fish” Fischetti, one of the greatest jet ski riders, told Motor Action Media, what it was like to compete alongside the rapper. “We would roll into a local club after a race and the DJ would always put ‘Ice Ice Baby’ on and Vanilla would rap to it.” He said. “It was our own private jetski racer concert! It was totally legit!”