Before they were famous, they were in high school. If you’ve ever wondered what the early pre-fame days were like for some of your favourite celebs, we’ve done the digging for you. Was Blake Lively’s high school experience anything like Gossip Girl? Was Zac Efron also a bit of a jock-turned-theatre-kid like in High School Musical?
Keep reading for a deep dive through some very revealing internet threads about what these stars were like before they were famous.
Of course, as with anything on the internet, we’re taking these details with a little grain of salt—especially the anecdote about someone cancelling a date with Brad Pitt.
Shawn Mendes
According to one post, singer Shawn Mendes was a “nice kid” in school. “We all used to make fun of him a bit but I guess the jokes on us now,” they wrote.
Ian Somerhalder
“Went to the same high school as Ian Somerhalder,” shared one user about the Vampire Diaries actor. “Everyone said he was really chill and no one believed him when he said he had a modelling contract.” 😂
Taylor Lautner
There were a couple of anecdotes about the former Twilight star Taylor Lautner.
One user described him as a “kinda weird kid”, who they remembered “rolling around on the floor in his video production class.” That user also added there was a time “the Elephant Bar was mobbed with paparazzi in town cuz [sic] he went there with his then gf Taylor Swift.”
Another wrote, “Went to school with Taylor Lautner. Super chill guy I was actually surprised to see him get so famous.”
Meanwhile, a semi-conflicting account shared a slightly different version of the actor, “Friend of mine also went to school with Taylor. Said he was fine, but cheated off her in math sometimes, but they would have friendly conversation and joke around also. But once graduation happened he was done with everyone and ignored them when they tried to say hi.”
Zac Efron
Our “adopted Aussie” Zac Efron had a couple of people confirm that he was a chill guy.
“Zac Efron went to a neighbouring high school. He dated a girl from my school for a while, I remember him coming to some school dances. My wife was also in his grade at his school. He was a bit nerdy, but a nice guy,” wrote one user. “Pretty much just a normal dude from nowhere that ended up mega-famous,” they continued.
Someone else chimed in and added, “I went to high school with him and wouldn’t say he was nerdy, but just a normal dude.”
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa was apparently singing her heart out long before she was an international pop star. “I went to the same school as Dua Lipa for a year. Even back then she seemed very down to earth and friendly and she was always singing at our school events,” one person recalled. “I always had the feeling that sooner or later, she will get worldwide famous cause she just had that inner star in her.”
Timothée Chalamet
“Timothée Chalamet was a year above me,” wrote one user. “He was pretty popular and was known for doing this hilarious rap/dance gig for our annual school talent show as “Tiny Tim”.”
Cameron Boyce
The late actor Cameron Boyce was remembered very fondly by his old classmates. “He was really nice and we talked a few times. More acquaintances than friends but I still knew him. R.I.P buddy,” they wrote.
Another person added, “A friend of mine is in the acting scene now and knew Cameron Boyce pretty well. According to my friend he was a totally stand up guy, super welcoming to my friend when he was just starting out. His death hit him hard.”
Joe Keery
Stranger Things star Joe Keery is apparently not at all like his character! “I went to high school with Joe Keery. I wasn’t personally friends with him but had a few classes here and there and he was relatively well known in our class (then again, in a class of 150 people it’s more unusual NOT to know somebody),” shared a former classmate.
“He was always very nice and friendly, the complete opposite of Steve at the start of S1 of Stranger Things. I’m really glad to see him succeed as much as he has and wish him all the best in his career (which we will watch with great interest).”
Kit Harington
“Kit ‘Jon Snow’ Harington went to the same Sixth Form College as me, year below me,” revealed one user. “Super quiet and shy. Literally the last person you’d think would end up being famous.”
Demi Lovato
While these aren’t accounts we can corroborate, some users have said Demi Lovato was something of a bully in high school.
“I went to jr. high with Demi Lovato. I let her cheat off my biology homework once,” the person shared. “She was always super popular and had a reputation for being a bully. Some girl was always crying over something she did. But it was jr. high, so we were all assholes.”
Halsey
According to one former classmate, the singer Halsey “was always very outgoing and artistic so it’s not a surprise that she became what she is now.”
Lady Gaga
2020’s VMA queen Lady Gaga sounds like she was an utter gem from the get-go. “I went to school with Lady Gaga,” shared a former classmate.
“She was very bright and probably the nicest girl at our school (most were stuck up rich snobs). She got bullied a lot because her parents weren’t rich and because she wasn’t as pretty as some of the other girls. That made her become quite rebellious. I remember one day I forgot my lunch and she shared hers with me, even though I’d hardly even spoken to her before. I was friends with her after that until we parted ways when I went to college. She was absolutely lovely, and I am so please for her success.”
Blake Lively
“She was pretty cool,” recalled one classmate of Blake Lively’s. “I always ended up seated next to her so it became kind of a running joke through the years. She seemed down to earth and not stuck up.”
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