Instead of pursuing the post limelight job hunt in reality television judging panels, branded fragrances or taking profiles offshore to the lucrative Japanese advertising market, a trend is emerging for celebrities to find their second calling in more unlikely fallback career options.
Peter Andre has enjoyed fame and fortune as singer, songwriter, and reality TV star, but a year ago he revealed his true passion lay in an entrepreneurial blend of caffeinated beverages and a love for serving people, declaring a dream to open his own chain of coffee shops called “Andre’s”.
In just under ten weeks, Andre will add coffee-shop owner to his entertainment-heavy CV, although he has settled on a chain of “New York Coffee Club” cafes rather than blessing the new venture with his name.
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While this return to the grind is a significant and unlikely career change for the star, he’s not the first celebrity to take the plunge in a different line of work. Here are some others who have tried their hand in a field other than fame:
Daryl Hannah: Actress Daryl Hannah made a splash in the board game business when her joint venture with fellow actress Hilary Shepherd hit family living rooms in 2005. But this was not Daryl’s first dalliance in board game design — LIEbrary, described as a literary version of Balderdash was preceded by her first creation “Love It Or Hate It” in 1995.
Susan Sarandon: Another actress who loves to play is Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon. She’s been part of the ping-pong society for years and while she claims to be highly skilled in the sport, she also finds playing ping-pong a great way to relax. Sarandon opened America’s premiere ping-pong social club New York in 2009 and has been rumoured to be working on a reality TV show based on the sport.
Paul Mercurio: Strictly Ballroom star Paul Mercurio says his love for beer led him to decide to become a brewer at age 20. His first brew, Merc’s Own Peach Ale, was released in 2005.
Gary Coleman: The late Gary Coleman was well-known and often ridiculed for downshifting from child-star fame to mall cop when it was discovered he had been operating as a security guard in suburban California shopping centre.
Oprah Winfrey: While the latest celeb to make a career change, Oprah Winfrey, is never one to settle for the ordinary. It seems the queen of TV talk shows doesn’t list dramatic job shifts among her favourite things. She’s settling for presiding over a new TV network.
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James Franco: James Franco is dabbling in writing while completing his PhD studies at Yale, among a host of young celebs choosing to go back to school.
Natalie Portman: Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard with a BA in psychology in 2003 and has gone on to take graduate courses, declaring “I’d rather be smart than a movie star,” while Harry Potter star Emma Watson couldn’t handle the pressure, recently dropping out of her Brown University course saying she was in denial of being too famous to seek out normality.
Your say: If you could choose a ‘fall-back’ career, what would it be?
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