Here are eleven textbook examples of "per aspera ad astra" celebrities. In most of the cases you have to go through your share of hardship to reach stars, and these people started at the rock bottom - as strippers!
Reconnecting with his widely publicized stripper past, 21 Jump Street’s Channing Tatum next stars in the highly anticipated Magic Mike, which also showcases Hollywood hunks Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, and Alex Pettyfer. The new teaser trailer for the June film, unfortunately, leaves much to the imagination. From Lady Gaga (danced to Guns N’ Roses in black leather) to Brad Pitt (part of the Dancing Bares), see more stars who strutted in the buff.
Beginning her dirty dancing career at the freshly legal age of 18, Dita Von Teese was a maverick of her time. To spice things up on stage, the retro Burlesque dancer and model added a beehive hairdo, stockings, gloves, and other vintage embellishments to her panty-dropping act.
Before running on the beaches of So-Cal in slow motion, Baywatch starlet Carmen Electra made money showing off what her mama gave her (er, what plastic surgeons gave her) on a smaller scale: in strip clubs. She even has her own line of stripper poles, which apparently is a hot trend—Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson also created her own stripper pole accessory.
No Country for Old Men star Javier Bardem worked a number of odd jobs before landing roles on the big screen. As a joke, Bardem did a striptease for some friends at a bar, but when someone in the business spotted his moves, he was hired as a bona-fide stripper the next day. “I was so bad,†he has said. “I did it to ‘Leave Your Hat On,’ and I had to get my mother and sister to cheer me on.†Needless to say, Bardem quickly turned in his birthday suit for serious roles and a life with fellow actor Penelope Cruz.
Academy Award winner and Juno writer Diablo Cody was working as a secretary when she entered an amateur stripper competition and was instantly hooked. “I’m a textbook adrenaline junkie, I was at a place in my life where I felt underestimated,†she has said. “I just figured I would rather do something reckless than spend the rest of my life in a vanilla prison.†Her 2006 Internet series, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, landed her a book and film deal—and, eventually, an Oscar
A few surprising things about the rapper Eve: she’s good buddies with Sean Penn, as proved when he offered to bail her out for a DUI. Oh, and she was an exotic dancer. The paw-print tatted star worked as a stripper for “about a month,†she told Rolling Stone. “Rappers talk about drug dealing before they made it and it’s not a big thing, but me stripping is?†She added, “It was depressing—a lot of those girls have three or four kids. I’d sit there and be like, ‘Eve, you don’t belong here, this is not your world.’â€
“Born This Way†singer Lady Gaga is known for her bold fashion moves—meat dresses, ensembles composed entirely of Kermit the Frog stuffed animals, and every kind of vintage lingerie. But what might surprise many is that before she made her mark in the fashion world, Gaga earned money for wearing nothing at all. “I was working in strip clubs when I was 18. My act was pretty wild. I’d wear black leather and dance to Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, and Faith No More,†the singer has said. “Very rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t like to talk about it too much but there were drugs, serious drugs.â€
Before claiming any rights to the Kurt Cobain jewels, Courtney Love worked at a variety of venues as a full-fledged stripper. From Japan to Alaska, Courtney showed off her love on an international level.
Mother of 14 and Angelina Jolie enthusiast Nadya Suleman was coy about her stripper experience during a radio interview. “The only thing I’m going to say is we all have a past,†she said. But she did indeed once take to the pole, professionally speaking, playing up her similarity to a certain Mr. and Mrs. Smith star and, appropriately, dubbing herself “Angelina.â€
Back in his college days at the University of Missouri, Brad Pitt was part of an all male Chippendales-esque club, the Dancing Bares. The group specialized in stripping down and performing for female students on their birthdays. Former Bares member and Pitt fraternity brother Thomas Whelihan said, “When a girl from one of our sister sororities turned 21, the Bares would put her in a chair and come out butt-naked with pillowcases on their heads and do a choreographed dance for her.†Yes, please.
Like many Hollywood hopefuls, Oscar winner Renee Zellweger got her start waiting tables while waiting to make it big. The Bridget Jones’s Diary star earned cash as a cocktail waitress in a Texas strip club, but has been quick to clarify any misunderstandings, “It was a classier club where the waitresses kept their clothes on,†she has said.
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