Remember when your teacher would ask the entire class about what they wanted to be when they grew up? There were always a few kids who’d say that they wanted to become adventurous astronauts, charismatic rock stars, and legendary athletes. They were shooting for the stars! And though life happens and we have to let go of some of our ambitions, not everyone gives up on their dreams. Some of them turn theirs into reality.
Maybe you didn’t know it at the time, but the person sitting next to you in class and at the cafeteria was going to become wildly famous in the future. Maybe they were the kids of famous parents and it wasn’t a secret to anyone. Well, that’s exactly what internet users discussed in an insightful thread on r/AskReddit.
Redditors revealed who they or their relatives went to school with who’s famous now, and spilled the beans about what they were like back then. It’s amazing to learn how fun, kind, and down-to-earth many beloved celebrities were… though it’s not the case with everyone. Check out their stories below and let us know which ones resonated with you the most, Pandas!
We got in touch with entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle expert Mike Sington for a chat about recognizing who will go far while they're still in school. "Many people have talent, very, very few have star quality," he told Bored Panda. We also asked Hollywood's Ultimate Insider about the potential pitfalls that celebrities ought to be aware of, how to stay grounded, and how to behave at your next school reunion if your classmate is famous. You'll find the full interview below.
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#21
My father grew up with Neil Young. They were basically best buds & they stole that hearse together. Neil Young tells of that s**t in his biography.
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#22
My aunt made out with, and then proceeded to puke on Michael J. Fox.
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#24
My Mom went to school with Madonna(Rochester, Michigan), she said she was a total s**t which I was not surprised by at all.
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#26
I'm classmates with Princess Mako of Japan (the emperor's granddaughter) in 2 classes in college. Apparently there are bodyguards dressed up as students near her at all times.
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#27
My Aunt went to school with Ewan McGregor. She said he was a pretty nice guy, and I guess they still keep in touch. She also knows someone immediately related to Clint Eastwood.
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#28
According to legend, my mom's friends strung Rob Schneider's underwear up a flag pole at their band camp when he was a Freshman...I brought it up with him a few years back when he was visiting town and he jokingly scolded me for "bringing up that painful memory". In high school he was supposedly a dorky, goofy, kind of annoying but lovable kid...from my own experiences more recently, he's silly and loves to make jokes and everything but mostly he's just laid back and very kind. He funded our town's band program and tries to come home for concerts and to stop by and say hello once in a while. He's a real genuine good guy.
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#29
I went to high school with LeBron James. In high school, he was pretty humble and down to earth, even when he (and the rest of the school) knew he was going to be an NBA superstar, he kept his class and played it cool through graduation. IMO, his ego didn't blow up until after high school.
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#30
My mom went to the same school as Christopher Reeve, she said he was one of those smart jock type of guys, nice too
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#31
My friend's dad went to high school with Neil Patrick Harris, and apparently used to bully him.
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#32
My dad went to college with Bruce Willis. He told me stories of them listening to records in their dorm rooms, and Bruce being a real drunk. Apparently he dropped out because he was an alcoholic... Apparently when he went out to Hollywood he asked one of my dads friends to be his accountant but he thought Bruce wasn't gonna make it.
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#33
Dad went to school with Hugh Grant. Very popular dude. Got all the ladies at the neighboring girls schools.
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#34
Well I went to high school with one of the Jonas Brothers. Had class together and whatnot. He was a pretty cool dude, but really into Jesus.
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#35
My gym teacher always tells this one story about how she went to high school with Nathan Fillion, and he bought an election for a friend of his by promising almost all the girls in the school he'd go out with them if they voted for his friend.
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#36
My cousin went to high school with Natalie Hershlag (Portman) in Syosset, NY. I believe she said she was very nice and quiet. She wasn't around much due to star wars filming.
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#37
My friends dad punched Bono when they were in school. The full story: So I'm slightly hazy about the exact details but the story goes Bono wrote a song (or sang a song) to my friends dad's girlfriend, as you can imagine he didn't take kindly to this creepy and d******d move. So the the next day he punched him right in the money maker! Friends dad eventually married his girlfriend and they settled down on a very successful lettuce farm. Where they live happily married. tl;dr Protects his woman by punching Bono in the sweetest thing and lives like a king on his farm, growing 2 kids and a lot of lettuce.
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#38
I went to high school with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I would see him once in a while walking to class or chilling with his friends. He seemed pretty laid back.
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#39
Marilyn Manson went to my elementary and a rival high school of mine. He was much older than I but I have talked to people that knew him. They always said he was quite but very intelligent. They said he was a pretty normal kid.
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#40
I went to high school with Nina Dobrev. She was really sweet to all her friends, but a total b***h to everyone else. And as soon as she got her break on Degrassi she got her head up her a*s and treated everyone like garbage. Everytime I see her in magazines etc it fills me with rage because of how big a b***h she is.
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