Hollywood’s biggest stars may be known for their blockbuster films, chart-topping hits and red carpet fashion, but it turns out that many of them are hiding unexpected skills that would shock even their most loyal fans.
Whether it’s a side hustle as a magician or being a virtuoso behind the piano, some celebrities prove that their talent comes in spades.
Jennifer Tilly
She earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Bullets Over Broadway, but some of Jennifer Tilly’s best performances happen at the poker table.
The actress, 67, has had a side hustle as a professional poker player for years and has earned millions in tournament winnings.
She even holds a coveted World Series of Poker bracelet, which is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win.
In a 2012 interview with NY Mag, Tilly compared playing poker to taking drugs.
‘You start off playing 25, 50 cents at the kitchen table, and then you play one dollar, two dollars, but you just want more and more thrills,’ she said.
‘I love theater, and I love acting. I just kind of forgot about it for, like, eight years. I was just in this crazy sort of vortex where I thought that poker was the most important thing in the world.’
Hugh Laurie
He was once named the most-watched leading man on television by the Guinness World Records, but Hugh Laurie’s true love is music.
Outside of acting, the English star is a gifted pianist and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for jazz and blues.
He’s released two albums so far, both of which reached the top three on the UK charts.
The House star has also toured Europe as a musician, performing in Russia, Germany, Scotland and more.
In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, Laurie admitted that he prefers music to acting.
‘There’s a sensual pleasure involved in making sounds, harmonious sounds, that I just can’t get, and I don’t think anyone can quite get, from acting,’ he said.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman famously played astrophysicist Jane Foster in the Thor franchise, and it turns out that she’s just as intelligent in real life as the characters she plays on screen.
Not only is the 44-year-old a Harvard graduate, she’s also had papers published in scientific journals.
The actress has previously said that she uses her psychology degree ‘all the time’ when it comes to her career.
‘There’s always studies that I’ve read or something I’ve read in college that I’ll remember when I’m reading a script about a certain disorder, like “this person might be a little bipolar or associative”, those kinds of things,’ she said.
Neil Patrick Harris
When he’s not wowing audiences in one of his hit sitcoms or blockbuster movies, Neil Patrick Harris is turning tricks as a magician.
The star is a talented illusionist who once served as the President of the Academy of Magical Arts, the organization behind the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.
Harris, 52, has been performing magic his entire life, and memorably appeared on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in 1990 to wow the late host with his skills.
Pierce Brosnan
As James Bond, Pierce Brosnan performed all kinds of crazy stunts on screen.
And it turns out that the English actor also has a daredevil streak that rivals 007.
Brosnan, 72, is a fire-eater who learned the unique skill in the late 1960s at a theatre company.
At the time, he was trying to expand his repertoire as an actor with some specialized talents.
After Goldeneye was released, Brosnan even showed off his fire-eating on an episode of The Muppets –– only to end up with an unfortunate injury.
‘It was like rocket fuel. I blew it, and it all came back into my mouth and my mouth blew up. I had blisters for the rest of the show,’ he said in 2012.
Vanilla Ice
He’s one of the most famous one-hit-wonders of all time, but there’s a lot more to Vanilla Ice than just Ice Ice Baby.
After his career took a downturn in the early ’90s, the rapper, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, turned to jet skiing and motocross riding.
By 1995, Van Winkle was the world’s No. 6-ranked jet ski racer and had a major sponsorship deal with Kawasaki.
He also made inroads in the Motocross world in the early 2000s and was included in the PlayStation game Championship Motocross as a character.
Outside of music and sports, Van Winkle is a house flipper who once boasted his home renovation show on HGTV, which ran for nine seasons.
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