Celebrities in school: An education 📚
Imagining your favourite celebrities in school, in the middle of their formative years and pre-dental work, is sometimes difficult. But before all the fame, there was once a time when the stars of today were just struggling to complete their GCSEs like you and I did.
But like in any school class, the types of pupils varied. Were they the class clown or the wallflower type? Were they in and out of detention or the goody two shoes of the class? Did they reign as the popular kid or did they suffer under the wrath of bullies?
From Cara Delevingne's prankster reputation to Brad Pitt's jock days, we look at what today's A-listers were like in school...
Want more? See the celebrities that went to university and what they studied.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift hasn't been shy about admitting that her high school years were tough for her. She once told GQ a story about when her 'friends' bailed on the shopping trip they'd planned only for Taylor to go with her mum instead and find them all mucking about in Victoria's Secret without her. Ironically, a few years later, Taylor performed at the VS fashion show and killed it. We bet they're scrambling to be her friend now...
Brad Pitt
At school, Brad Pitt was your typical American high school jock. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Brad spoke about the sports he took part in: "Baseball and I didn't get along that well. I wrestled one year [in high school]. I dove one year. Everything but baseball."
Blake Lively
It's little surprise that Blake Lively was a star student. The actress was class president and in the cheerleading squad. For her end of school awards, she was voted 'Class Clown'. We bet everyone wanted to be in Blake's gang.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid is the girl that everyone wants to be friends with, and it was no different in her Malibu High School days when Gigi was the captain of the varsity volleyball team.
Victoria Beckham
Like Taylor, Victoria Beckham is another celebrity who has spoken about their struggles with bullying at school. "I just stood there on my own. I didn’t have any friends. People would push me around and say they were going to beat me up," the mum-of-four told OK. Victoria said she wanted to become famous because "that would make them sorry". We hope they are kicking themselves now. Literally.
Jennifer Aniston
Speaking about how she used to look in school, Jennifer Aniston told People "[I rocked] a mini-Mohawk just above my ears, and lots of liquid eyeliner. I did liquid eyeliner better than anyone in history." We would KILL to see a pic of Jen-An in this look.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck had a high school BFF in the form of fellow Hollywood actor Matt Damon (a few years older), but when he left, Ben went off track. “Matt was definitely more… of a kind of achiever. It was inconceivable to him that you wouldn’t get an ‘A’ or do really well," Ben told ABC News. “So I did really well my first two years in high school and then when Matt left, I would cut class and… get in all kinds of trouble.”
Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick once revealed that she wasn't always the stunner she is today (WHAT, right?). Speaking to Marc Maron, the comedienne and actress said: "I had a totally normal high school experience . . . boys really liked flat-chested theatre nerds, let me tell you. I wasn't, like, socially comfortable, that's for sure. I mean, I don't want to say I'm nerdy for cred." We've all had our ugly duckling days, Anna.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz was a tough girl in school... but it was boys rather than girls who she used to get in scuffles with. Speaking to George Lopez, Camera Diaz said: "I used to get in fights with boys more than girls. For some reason boys liked to fight me."
Cameron also had a famous classmate in Snoop Dogg (random, right?) and once admitted that she used to buy marijuana off him. Best fact ever.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio admitted that he was a fighter in school, and it was a lot to do with him being small for his age. "I was much smaller than I am now. I didn’t go through my growth spurt until I was 15 years old," Leo told ShortList. "So I always sort of had to fight my way to have credibility in school and ended up with other, tougher guys."
Cara Delevingne
It's no surprise that Cara Delevingne was the school prankster. "I used to play a lot of pranks," she told The Sun. "I loved setting off fire alarms a lot at school. What else? Just leaving horrible things in people’s shoes, such as eggs". But despite her pranking, Cara managed to stay out of trouble. “I wasn’t someone who got caught at school, ever. I was very much a ninja. Someone else would also get caught.”
Angelina Jolie
We totally expected Angelina Jolie to be a rebel in school. Speaking to Parade magazine, Angelina said: "I was the punk outsider nobody messed with. I was fearless. At 16, I graduated and moved out."
WennMeryl Streep
As well as being one of Hollywood's most celebrated actresses (three Oscars and 18 nominations, no less), Meryl was also Head Cheerleader and Prom Homecoming Queen at her New Jersey high school. We probably would have hated her then, natch.
Rex FeaturesKate Winslet
Our Kate was elected Head Girl at her Maidenhead theatre school - her former teacher has since said they always thought she was an "extremely good actress", as well as being a "natural leader".
WennRobert Pattinson
R-Patz was suspended from school - aged six - for trying to rescue snails from some wayward children in the playground. "I had a strange compassion for snails. Everyone used to chuck snails at each other at school and I used to try and save them... I kept about four or five hundred of them at the back of the class[room] - in Snail Land." Lovely.
WennSandra Bullock
Sandy was a sunny cheerleader at her Virginia high school, famous for doing the splits, and even voted Most Likely To Brighten Your Day by her peers. Ah.
Splash NewsNatalie Portman
Despite being discovered by a model scout in a pizza parlour at the age of 11, Natalie was determined to stick with her studies. and for good reason. Beauty and brain incarnate, she not only has a BA in Psychology from Boston’s much-celebrated Harvard University, but also speaks Hebrew and Japanese fluently, as well as conversational French and German. Phew!
WennBritney Spears
You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about Brit’s pre-fame schooling – after all, once she’d donned that school uniform in the Baby, One More Time vid, a pHD was never on the cards. But did you know that the pop princess was elected ‘Most Beautiful’ by her peers at her Kentwood High School?
Splash NewsAmy Adams
The face of modern-day Hollywood would be very different had Amy decided to pursue her love of ballet. The Oscar-winning actress had aspirations of become a ballerina and even hoped the talent would obtain her a college scholarship. However, it was not to be, and after deciding ballet wasn't for her, Amy quit schooling after high school and signed up for musical theatre, slipped into her short shorts and worked at Hooters (yes, Hooters) to support herself.
Rex FeaturesEva Longoria
As well as being a cheerleader, natch, the diminutive Latino beauty boasts a degree in Kinesiology – the study of human movement, which applies scientific-based medical principles towards the analysis, preservation and enhancement of the body. And we're not even sure what that means.
Rex FeaturesLiam Payne
One Direction's Liam originally auditioned for X Factor aged 14, but crashed out of the Judges' Houses stage when Simon Cowell told him to get his GCSEs out of the way and have another go. Liam did, leaving with 11 GCSEs, including 4Bs, 4Cs and 1D (haha, geddit?). He's also now dating the girl he fancied throughout his school years.
Rex FeaturesElizabeth Hurley
Liz received a scholarship for a prestigious British boarding school aged 12 - but rather shockingly, she was later expelled! Still, who needs grades when you've got a safety-pinned dress...?
Rex FeaturesOrlando Bloom
Always of the arty persuasion, Orlando secured grade A’s in both art and sculpture and photography, and even won several poetry recitals as a young'un. But he was bitten by the acting bug upon moving to London and shortly after graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he bagged the role of nimble elf Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
PA PhotosEmma Watson
Despite joining the ranks of Hogwarts at just ten-years-old, Emma didn't let acting interfere with her studies. The starlet managed a clean sweep of straight A grades in all her GCSEs and A Levels English Literature, Geography and Art. She graduated from stateside's prestigious Brown University this year.
