For most celebrities out there, acting, singing, rapping, or modeling aren’t the only things they like to do. They have hobbies and ambitions outside of the things that made them famous .
To the point where a lot of celebrities have actually ventured out and tried their various side projects. For the celebs in this list, some of them worked, and others really didn’t.
Jada Pinkett Smith’s metal band.
In 2002, the actress, who was heavily influenced by nu metal bands in her youth, decided to give it a try. From there, Wicked Wisdom was born, and Pinkett Smith left acting for a time to pursue work with the band.
They’re no longer active these days.
But for Mother’s Day 2021, Willow Smith reunited the band to perform their song, “Bleed All Over Me.” The performance was pretty touching. Well, as touching as listening to a metal song can be.
Brad Pitt started a skincare brand.
Acclaimed actor Brad Pitt might be the last person you’d expect to start a clean, gender neutral, scientifically focused skincare brand, but Le Domaine exists , and it’s priced at exactly how much you’d expect (too much).
The brand launched in September, and is the result of years of research.
When talking about possible business ventures, Pitt said, “I get sent stuff all the time and… ugh . It’s just all the same for me. But this last year we have been testing Le Domaine and I was really surprised by the results , and that for me, made it worth going forward.”
At one point, 50 Cent tried to launch a line of… condoms.
Say what you want, but his heart was in the right place. As he said in an interview back in 2007, “The kids become immune when you constantly beat them over the head — read a book, read a book. We have to be a little more creative about it.”
“It’s the same with safe sex.”
“As opposed to being part of a safe-sex campaign, I’m going to make condoms and donate a part of the proceeds to HIV awareness .”
Though, it doesn’t seem like the idea really went anywhere.
Scarlett Johansson opened a popcorn shop in Paris.
The actress and her then-husband Romain Duriac had the idea for a gourmet popcorn store, and Yummy Pop officially opened its doors in 2016. ” It has been a dream of mine and my family for several years to bring our favourite American snack to our favourite European City!” Johansson said.
Though she and Duriac have since split, the store is still open.
The store is located in the Marais in Paris, and might just be worth going to if you ever find yourself in the city.
Daniel Day-Lewis enjoys making shoes.
Back in the ’90s, the Oscar-winner literally disappeared from the public eye for years. Why? Partially to take a break from acting, and partially to apprentice with Italian shoemaker Stefano Bemer, who had a store in Florence.
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It took five years before Day-Lewis returned to acting.
Though, he only apprenticed with the cobbler for 10 months . Still, that’s a really long time to do nothing but make shoes, especially when that isn’t your day job.
Rob Lowe starred in an unsolved mystery show with his sons.
Actor by day, ghost hunter by night? Well, not quite, but Lowe and his sons did briefly have a show on A&E. Airing back in 2017, The Lowe Files followed Rob, John Owen, and Edward Matthew Lowe.
They went around the United States, investigating unsolved mysteries.
It’s like Ghost Hunters or Unsolved Mysteries , but objectively less interesting. No kidding, the show was cancelled after its 9-episode first season. But you can probably still find the full episodes online if you really want.
Francis Ford Coppola designed a hotel suite in Paris.
Because celebrities love Paris, here’s another one who had a side project in the city. In 2019, he designed a luxury penthouse suite in Paris’s Hotel Lutetia, a century-old building that had recently been refurbished.
The legendary director added a lot of personal touches to the design.
“When the hotel was preparing to reopen, I was given the chance to make this space my own, a place where I could come and feel at home again” he said. ” I sent over a number of personal items , from family portraits to scripts and decorative items.”
Susan Sarandon is really into ping-pong.
Actress, activist, and ping-pong player. Susan Sarandon can do it all, apparently. She found herself part owner of a Manhattan bar called SPiN in 2009 . The bar has, you guessed it, ping-pong tables in it.
By 2013, she was basically the ping-pong queen.
SPiN has several locations, including Los Angeles, Toronto, and the newly open one in Boston. The club definitely seems to attract celebrities, too. This is all probably thanks to Sarandon’s love for the brand.
Seth Rogen is making pottery nowadays.
Actor and comedian, Rogen can now add potter to his resume. Not to sound shocked or anything, but he’s actually really good at making interesting, unconventional pieces. And don’t worry, he sells them too.
He also has the brand Houseplant under his belt.
Cool pottery and “smoking” accessories, you can actually buy some of the interesting things Rogen has made (but keep in mind, you have to be 21 or older to shop from his site).
Jeremy Renner and… Jeremy Renner.
In 2017, Jeremy Renner launched an app where he could chat and interact with his fans. It was very fittingly named Jeremy Renner, so you wouldn’t get it confused with some other actor’s app or something.
While it was initially described as “groundbreaking,” it was actually more of a disaster.
From people impersonating Renner himself (as well as other notable figures), to the app actually being a huge cash grab , there were a lot of reasons why Jeremy Renner (the app) had to shut down by 2019. Tragic.
