Ahh, Hollywood — the place where dreams either fail spectacularly or come true in the best possible way. While some may focus more on random celebrity facts to enrich their knowledge, it’s important to know one or two things about the place they live and work in. Any new rising and ambitious person might ask an interesting question — why is it important to know one or two facts about Hollywood and celebrities too?
The reason is simple — if you are there, you should know what you are talking about. Nobody wants to work with a person who doesn’t know the interesting facts about the center of entertainment. As far as Hollywood is concerned, the place is rich with history and details. After all, it’s where the greatest movies in cinema history were made. Some of the random facts that you might encounter about this place might involve the tourist-loved Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s a place dotted with celebrity names. On the other hand, you might want to catch up on some image-changing celebrity weird facts. They vary in their strangeness, as do we all, and some of them even might involve legendary actors and actresses. It might be useful to pick out the most interesting ones and mention them the next time you are in Los Angeles with your friends.
As far as random fun facts about these two things go, you don’t have to look for them on IMDB or Wikipedia ’cause we decided to compile some of the best ones for your convenience. From the Hollywood sign to how Hal Roach boosted creativity in his writers’ room, be sure to upvote the facts you liked the most. On the other hand, if you have your own fun facts about celebrities and Hollywood that you would like to share, you can do so in the comments below.
#1
Music changes over time, so it’s important to recognize this evolution through awards, especially the big ones. The first rap song to win an Oscar for Best Original Song was “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. However, instead of attending the ceremonies like every other nominee, Eminem fell asleep while watching cartoons with his daughter at home.
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76points
#2
Rowan Atkinson is not only the face behind Mr. Bean, the childhood hero of many children and adults, but also quite an intelligent comedian. Not only did he receive top grades in his A classes, but he got a master’s degree in electrical engineering. So, if his acting career were to take a dip, he would have something to go back to.
69points
#3
Yoda is strange creature with his complex speaking abilities. The Cookie Monster is funny with the jokes it says. Miss Piggy is a diva star that uses French phrases to sound more fancy. What do these three have in common? They were all voiced by the talented Frank Oz, who you might recognize from the movie "Knives Out."
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53points
#4
Charlie Chaplin might have been eager to make fun of the German dictator, Hitler, but Hollywood wasn’t too keen to do so. When he presented a plan for a movie that mocked the dictator to Hollywood producers, they weren’t too eager to finance it. So Chaplin decided to produce it himself.
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51points
#5
Being a brilliant actress is one thing, but almost making it into a US archery Olympics team is maybe an even more important achievement. Upon taking up the activity in her 40s, Geena Davis came close to making the United States Olympic archery squad in 1999. In the US, she got ranked as the 13th-best female athlete.
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48points
#6
Elvis Presley might be the king of rock ’n’ roll, but his style is much more memorable. Greaser clothes, cool-guy attitude, and shoe polish-filled black hair? Elvis Presley, known for his iconic black hair, was blond. He used shoe polish to darken his hair to look more handsome to the audience.
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38points
#7
In 2005, Benedict Cumberbatch got kidnapped in South Africa. When their car tire exploded as they were traveling at night, they had to stop at the side of a road. At that moment, they were surprised by armed guys. The situation was resolved when Cumberbatch handed over the money and bank cards he had.
36points
#8
“Whoopi Goldberg,” the name known around the world, is made up. Caryn Elaine Johnson, who named herself Whoopi Goldberg for the Hollywood business, came up with the surname because it sounded “Jewish” enough for the industry. The “Whoopi” part pays tribute to the whoopee cushion.
32points
#9
The Oscars ceremonies happen every year and can catch the eyes of the whole world. However, not a lot of people know why they got created. Due to actors and writers asking for more money for their work, Hollywood producers decided to calm them down by giving them awards. The first ceremony took place in 1929.
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31points
#10
Phobias are natural and vary in severity and the subject of the fear. When talking about Nicole Kidman, her phobia involves the innocent butterfly. Known as lepidopterophobia, the fear of butterflies and moths is common. So, if you get scared around these flying creatures, you share one thing with Kidman.
30points
#11
Whitney Houston was not only a pop singer and actress in movies like "The Bodyguard," but she also dabbled in the production side of Hollywood. Whitney Houston served as a producer for "The Princess Diaries" movies. She also helped produce the 1997 "Cinderella" live-action movie, where she had a role.
29points
#12
Bryan Cranston wasn’t always the comedian and drama actor we know today, ’cause at one point, he was a suspect in a homicide case. While working in Florida, the staff at a restaurant Cranston and his brother were working at joked about “taking care” of the chef. When they left town, the chef passed away and they thus became suspects for the police.
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29points
#13
Celebrities flex their muscles to other people by outbidding on the important stuff. While some do so in donations, Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage decided to bid on the same Mongolian dinosaur skull. Cage got it for $276,000 but had to return it to Mongolian authorities when they said it was stolen.
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28points
#14
Writing is a complex process, no matter if you’re a novice or a veteran of Hollywood, so it’s no wonder some screenwriters sometimes suffer from writer’s block and are beaten by ideas. So, Hal Roach, a Hollywood filmmaker, usually brought a drunkard or an insane man that would spew random ideas in his writers’ room.
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27points
#15
Some "Friends" fans might have noticed that there was something wrong with Chandler’s right hand. For those that might not know, Matthew Perry is missing a part of his middle finger in real life. According to some sources, Perry lost it when he was three. The cause was a car door slam.
26points
#16
A wonky eye is a common sight, but what about a finger? The pinky finger of Denzel Washington is inherently misshapen. The actor’s pinky has been dislocated so frequently that it periodically slips out of its place every time he moves his hand. Luckily, this hasn’t impacted his acting abilities.
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26points
#17
A joke landed the legendary comedian Bill Murray under the scrutiny of the law. According to reports, Murray got arrested in 1970 for carrying 10 pounds of an illegal substance, nicknamed “grass,” at an airport. Jokingly, he said he was carrying a bomb, a ticket counter employee heard it, and US Marshals then inspected his bag. Murray got a sentence of five years’ probation.
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26points
#18
At 22 years old, Angelina Jolie tried to hire a hitman that would make her “disappear” in a bad and wrong way. Luckily, the person she tried to hire was kind enough to refuse the job and instead offered her some help. Jolie claimed that the hitman convinced her to live, but said if she still wanted to go through with it, to call him two months later.
25points
#19
The Apollo 11 crew sent shockwaves when they successfully landed on the moon and managed to return. To commemorate this occasion, Hollywood decided to give the three astronauts stars of the Walk of Fame. Their “stars” are unique because their names got written on a moon symbol.
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23points
#20
Writing is a process that can vary in length. Probably the majority of writers take years to create a single song, while others can do it in just a few minutes. Lady Gaga, one of the most prominent pop singers and songwriters, belongs to the minority for the most part. She was able to write “Just Dance” (with RedOne) and “Born This Way” each in just ten minutes.
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23points