The stars' first jobs: from janitor to giant banana

Now he's an unreachable celebrity, but in earlier days you wouldn't be able to get rid of him on the phone. Johnny Depp sold feathers by telemarketing. "The beauty of this job is that I had to call strangers, make up a name, and tell them they were eligible to receive an antique watch or a trip to Tahiti," he says on Bang Showbizz. "You promised them all those things if they bought a lot of feathers, and it was terrible, but in fact it was my first experience with acting."

Megan Fox was an employee of a smoothies store. Since then, she knows how important tips are and never leaves less than $20. "I usually worked at the cash register, but once a week, usually on Fridays, someone had to dress up like a fruit and stand on the street. I was a banana, a giant banana," she once told Ellen DeGeneres. "The bad thing about it was that your face wasn't hidden, so everyone could see who you were."

Brad Pitt did everything in order to survive in Hollywood before he got famous. He studied journalism and worked as fridge delivery guy and limousine chauffeur. Pitt even wore a chicken costume for El Pollo Loco, a Mexican restaurant, just to make a buck.

Imagine buying a donut from Madonna! Before becoming one of the greatest singers in the world, Madonna worked as a chorus girl and a vendor in Dunkin' Donuts, where she served customers donuts, coffee and soda.

Read about Madonna's beginnings and her career

Although it's difficult to visualize, Gene Simmons from Kiss was a sixth grade teacher. Comparing teaching versus singing, he says: "In both professions you're the center of attention. In one, you're in front of an audience that probably doesn't want to be there, and in the other, you're in front of a group that loves you," the singer told Parade.

Hugh Jackman was a teacher of physical education but also worked as a clown. "I was Coco, the Clown and didn't have any magic tricks," he says to the Daily Mail. "I remember a 6-year-old boy who got up during a party and said, 'Mom, this clown is terrible, he doesn't know any tricks. And he was right."

(Photo: 'The Greatest Showman,' 20th Century Fox)

Many celebrities lived a normal life before achieving success. At times they had the weirdest jobs. You'll be surprised to know what the lives of these celebrities were like before stardom. For example, Beyoncé helped her mother in her beauty salon as a stylist's assistant.

Although you wouldn't believe it, Tom Cruise was a paper delivery boy for several years. He made money to afford things like "$50 for my first Go kart and $75 for my first motorcycle," as he told Sports Illustrated.

Sandra Bullock was a waitress in different restaurants in New York. "I always thought I'd end up being a waitress in a town somewhere. The oldest waitress, the one who knew everyone," she told Glamour magazine. "I liked making everyone comfortable, because that made me feel more comfortable. Strangely enough, I'm an introverted person," she added.

Ashton Kutcher not only studied biomedical engineering, but to make a living he worked cleaning a cereal factory and sold his blood every two months.

Daniel Craig, who grew up in Liverpool, England, didn't always have money. It got so bad at times that he had to sleep on a park bench, The Independent reports.

Orlando Bloom worked at a target shooting center. "I used to put the clay discs in the machines and make them fly. People would shoot them high up. I didn't get paid very well, but I was young and it was my first job, so any money was good," the actor told Access Hollywood.

Eva Mendes used to sell hotdogs: "I worked at the Hot Dog on a Stick store at the Glendale Galleria shopping mall in Los Angeles, she told Female First. "It really wasn't that long ago."

Gwen Stefani worked at a Dairy Queen ice cream store. "When I started working there, my uniform fit, and when I stopped working there, the uniform had gotten too small," the singer recalls in 'The Voice'.

Nicole Kidman was once a cinema usher, not knowing that she would later become a major figure on the silver screen.

Whoopi Goldberg said in 'The View' that she used to get extra money working as a "seductive" phone operator. She also had the remarkable job of makeup artist in a funeral home, preparing dead bodies for their funerals.

George Clooney wanted to be a baseball player but never got to make that dream come true. He also wanted to be a TV host but left school before graduating. So he made a living as a shoe salesman before finally becoming one of the best paid actors in Hollywood.

Before being a famous Hollywood actress, Angelina Jolie appeared in several music videos. One of them was 'Anybody Seen My Baby' by The Rolling Stones.

Jon Bon Jovi was a janitor in the same record studio where he would end up recording his first single: 'Runaway'.

Kanye West is now a famous singer and husband of socialité Kim Kardashian, but at the age of 15 he was folding clothes in a GAP store. West admits that he stole clothes there sometimes. "The clothes were very expensive for me, and I didn't work enough hours to get a discount because I was a part-time employee going to high school at the same time," he told Paper Magazine.

Silvester Stallone is known in the world for his role as Rocky, and although has done many sports-related things, we can also say that the actor at some point was a caregiver of lions in the zoo.

Before becoming the desired James Bond, the late actor Sean Connery was a coffin polisher and milk distributor in Edinburgh.

Before becoming a famous actress, Demi Moore worked as a model and a debt collector. "I had to call people and tell them all those bad things to make them pay," she told Independent.

As a child, Charlize Theron sang in her hometown square to earn some money. She then wanted to be a dancer, but a knee injury prevented her from living that dream. Finally, she tried her luck in the world of acting, a decision that has certainly been very wise for her.

Patrick Dempsey was a professional juggler. "I did a juggling routine when I was 15 and that's how I made money. I did shows for birthday parties in the weekends," the actor told Entertainment Weekly.

Rachel McAdams probably eats at many exclusive restaurants now, but she must still be familiar with fast food, as she worked at a McDonald's for three years.

Chris Pratt was a coupon seller and had no home for a while, so he lived for more than three years in his truck. He ate whatever he caught in the wild, as he lived in Maui, Hawaii.

Before becoming famous, Brendan Fraser was a salesman in a department store, so surely many people were served by him. What a luxury!

Harrison Ford was a scout counselor at a camp, as well as a carpenter and sports commentator at his school.

When Adrien Brody played the magician Houdini in a television series, few knew that in real life he had also dreamed of being an illusionist. Brody even had a show where he performed as The Amazing Adrien. "Not only did I have a fascination with magic, but I also had aspirations to become a magician," the actor told Deadline.

Gerard Butler is one of those celebrities who studied for an alternative career. He has a law degree and practiced some time as a lawyer. In the end he found his job so boring that he decided to shake things up and start acting.

Jim Carrey had a very difficult time with his family, as they ran out of money and had to sell their house and live in a van. Before becoming one of Hollywood's most beloved comedians, he worked in a tire factory.

Sting studied pedagogy, so before becoming the vocalist for The Police, he taught English in a primary school.

Channing Tatum was an exotic dancer before entering the world of acting. He also worked as a showbiz dancer, for example in Ricky Martin's videoclip 'She Bangs.'