Mike Tyson & Pigeon by Toglenn & Dori (CC BY-SA)
Have you ever wondered what your favorite celebrity does when they're not on-screen, behind the microphone, or walking the runway? From collecting celebrity locks of hair to jumping out of planes, we've rounded up some unexpected celebrity hobbies.
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Outside of his intense method acting on set, Daniel Day-Lewis loves shoemaking and woodworking. He studied woodworking way back in his boarding school days, which nearly led him to become a cabinetmaker. As for shoe making, just like his acting career, he traveled to Italy to learn and train under an authentic Florentine shoemaker.
One of the world's most famous actors, Tom Hanks, has been a collector of typewriters since his teen years. Why the fascination? Hanks believes typewriters are "brilliant combinations of art and engineering." He owns more than 100. Hanks has several favorite typewriters and is known for exchanging typewriter-written letters with folks worldwide.
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When she was ten years old, Leslie Mann was given a unicycle, and riding it became a hobby. She not only learned to use it, but she told Oprah during an interview that she taught herself lots of cool tricks, too, like riding backward. She can even jump off of a curb on her unicycle.
Known for his role in the “Fast & Furious” movie franchise, Vin Diesel is an avid Dungeons & Dragons player. He's been playing for years and even wrote the foreword for the book “Thirty Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.” Vin Diesel isn't the only nerdy celeb who loves a good game of D&D. Jon Favreau, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Joe Manganiello do, too.
Superstar Beyoncé is known as Queen Bey by her fans, who are affectionately called the Bey Hive, but did you know she also makes her own honey? In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed she has about 80,000 bees at home and makes hundreds of jars of honey each year. She started making honey to help her daughters deal with their allergies.
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Angelina Jolie has been collecting knives and daggers for most of her life. Her mom introduced her to this hobby before Jolie was even a teenager. She started collecting them because she was fascinated by the difference in weapons across the globe and the historical significance of knives. While no one knows the exact size of her collection, it is rumored that some of her knives are worth more than $20,000.
Along with being a five-time Oscar-winner, Nicole Kidman is also a licensed skydiver. Kidman started skydiving while married to actor Tom Cruise — a known adrenaline junkie. Friend and actor Hugh Jackman recalled, "I think one day she did it like six times." Kidman says it terrifies her, but she's more determined than scared.
After working together on the 2019 movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio started meeting up to make pottery together. The two enjoy their arts and crafts hangouts at Brad Pitt's house. Pitt provides his in-house sculpting studio, and DiCaprio provides the sandwiches from a favorite L.A. restaurant, Fat Sal's.
An actor and a daredevil, Cameron Diaz is an avid snowboarder. She loves to get her adrenaline pumping and called being out on the slopes with friends "the best feeling in the whole world." But it's not always a great time — she's broken her wrist and nose while on the slopes. She's also been seen skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding in Chile.
Mike Tyson is notoriously quirky, so it makes sense that his hobbies would also be odd. In the documentary, "Taking on Tyson," the boxer says that his first love was a pigeon and that the birds bring him peace. At the time of airing, he owned about 2,500 birds and was preparing to become a pigeon racing champion.
Working on a movie can seem fun and exciting, but there is a lot of downtime between setups, leaving plenty of time for a hobby. Julia Roberts is known for being an avid knitter and bringing a bag of knitting supplies to set with her to work on between scenes. She even taught Cameron Diaz how to knit when they worked on “My Best Friend's Wedding” together in 1997.
Gordon Ramsay isn't just intense on the hit series Hell's Kitchen. The world-renowned chef also brings his intensity to fitness. Ramsay started his fitness journey to stay healthy after his dad died at 53. Over the years, Ramsay has run 15 marathons, competed in five ultramarathons, and done multiple Ironman Triathlons.
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Jennifer Garner became a social media sensation throughout lockdown in 2020 for her homespun approach to cooking. Even after lockdown, her baking show, "Jennifer Garner's Pretend Cooking Show," continued and has 39 YouTube episodes. She also frequently posts shorter reels to her Instagram account.
Rod Stewart has been a railway modeler for years. It's not the most practical hobby for a touring musician, but when you're Sir Rod Stewart, accommodations can easily be made. When he's on tour, he's been known to request an additional room to set up and construct his models. He has even put together an entire model city in his attic. He did most of the work himself, only asking for help regarding the electrical work involved.
During the premiere of the 2008 superhero movie "Hancock," Will Smith revealed that he loves fencing. He isn't the only celebrity who enjoys the sport, though. His fencing sessions often involve Tom Cruise and David Beckham. Tom Cruise has a room for training where the three would often meet up to fence and hang out.
Known for her extensive acting resume and being a political activist, Susan Sarandon is also a ping-pong star. She has turned her hobby into a booming business venture as a part-owner of SPiN New York, a ping-pong social club which opened in 2009 and has several locations across the United States.
Fans of the hit show “Parks and Recreation” know that Ron Swanson was a woodworking wizard, but it may be surprising to learn that in real life Nick Offerman has been a carpenter for years. He built the beautiful 50-foot canoe shown in the series. He even has a website for all his creations and an impressive woodworking portfolio.
Rosario Dawson is a “Star Trek” super fan. As a Trekkie, her biggest dream is to get a part in the franchise. In an interview, she said she would be happy to be a background actor on the show, perhaps costumed as a Vulcan or Romulan. It appears Dawson's whole family loves the franchise because her father jumped in and said he wanted her to play Q.
When Katy Perry was promoting her third studio album, “Prism,” she shared that she collects locks of hair from other celebrities. At the time of the interview, Perry even had locks of hair from Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus with her. She likes to put little bows on her curated hair collection and keep them in her purse.
It's no secret that Taylor Swift loves Christmas, but did you know she also enjoys making snow globes? She has posted photos of her Christmas creations in the past, calling them "Christmas in a jar, with glitter." Her love of snow globes can be seen in the Lover remix video, where the story takes place inside a snowglobe.
Seth Rogen has been sharing pictures and videos of his brightly colored pottery for quite some time. He's shared many ceramic creations on social media and, like Jennifer Garner, went viral, in his case for wholesome and happy pottery posts. His Instagram is filled with photos of his ceramic orbs, vases, and candles.
Phil Collins has been obsessed with the Alamo's history since childhood. His love of all things Alamo started when he was just five years old and saw the film, “Davy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier.” In 2014, the singer donated his Alamo artifacts collection to the state of Texas.
Have you ever heard of anyone paying their bills as a full-time guitarist while doing astrophysics on the side? In 2007, the world-renowned member of the rock band Queen earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics at Imperial College London. He is considered an authority on 3D stereoscopic photography and co-founder of Asteroid Day.
She's not seen in the news too often since her days as a child star on Full House, but Mary-Kate Olsen was recently spotted in Paris competing in the 8th Longines Paris Eiffel Horse Jumping competition. This annual event involves only the best horses and their riders. Good thing Mary-Kate's been training since she was just six years old.