When they’re not busy making movies or attending glamorous events, many Hollywood A-listers have fascinating and unexpected hobbies. From beekeeping to knitting to playing the ukulele, the pastimes of the rich and famous are often just as interesting as their day jobs. Here’s a look at the surprising hobbies of 20 major celebrities.
1. Angelina Jolie – Knife Collecting
Angelina Jolie is known for her edgy persona, so it may not come as a total shock that one of her hobbies is collecting knives. The actress and humanitarian became fascinated by knives while training for her role as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies.
Jolie’s collection includes a wide variety of blades, from antiques to modern tactical knives. She appreciates the craftsmanship and history behind each piece. Jolie has said, “I’ve collected knives since I was a little girl. I love the art of it.” In addition to building her collection, she has also learned how to throw knives with impressive accuracy.
2. Tom Hanks – Vintage Typewriter Collecting
Tom Hanks has a passion for collecting antique manual typewriters from the 1930s and earlier. The beloved actor owns over 250 vintage typewriters and even wrote a book of short stories called Uncommon Type featuring the machines.
Hanks loves the tactile experience and permanence of typing on his old-school devices. “I write without caring about typeovers, XXXX’d out words, gloppy gobs of Wite-Out,” he has explained. “It’s like a version of faith—believing that what you write, and how you write it, will be good enough.” Hanks often gives typewriters to friends and even sent one to the White House Press Corps.
3. Julia Roberts – Knitting
Julia Roberts picked up knitting needles for the first time while filming 2006’s The Mexican with Brad Pitt. She found the hobby to be a great way to pass time on set. Since then, the Pretty Woman star has become an avid and skillful knitter.
Roberts frequently knits garments for family and friends and even made a scarf for Tom Hanks while shooting Larry Crowne. She finds the repetitive activity of knitting to be therapeutic. “I love it,” Roberts has said. “It’s very soothing, and it’s relaxing. It’s a great way to keep your hands busy and keep your mind quiet.”
4. Johnny Depp – Playing with Barbies
Johnny Depp has an unusual hobby – playing with Barbie dolls. But it’s not as strange as it sounds. The quirky actor uses the fashion dolls to work out characters and scenes before filming a movie.
Depp has said he started using Barbies to prepare for his role as Edward Scissorhands and has employed the technique for many other films since then. “I’m not embarrassed by it,” Depp has stated. “I think it’s a really smart way to approach a character.” He keeps his “character Barbies” after filming wraps as mementos from his movies.
5. Meryl Streep – Knitting
Like her fellow actress Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep is a dedicated knitter. She learned the craft from her mother-in-law and finds it very relaxing. Streep almost always has a project with her, even knitting during interviews and on movie sets.
The multi-Oscar winner has gifted many of her hand-knitted creations to co-stars over the years. While filming Doubt, she made a scarf for Philip Seymour Hoffman and a cap for Amy Adams’ then-newborn daughter. Streep’s skills are so advanced, she can knit without looking – allowing her to watch takes while working on a project.
6. Daniel Day-Lewis – Shoe Cobbling
To prepare for his role as a ruthless oil tycoon in There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day-Lewis took up an old-timey hobby: shoe cobbling. He became so proficient at making and repairing shoes that he considered pursuing it professionally if acting didn’t work out.
Day-Lewis apprenticed under the late master cobbler Stefano Bemer in Florence, Italy. He spent 10 months learning the craft, working 12-hour days. “It was just a wonderful time,” the actor recalled. “It’s very, very hard, very exacting work. But I really enjoyed it.” Day-Lewis can add his cobbling skills to his list of method-acting feats, alongside learning to track and skin animals and mastering butchery.
7. Nicole Kidman – Beekeeping
Nicole Kidman has a sweet side hobby: beekeeping. The Australian actress took up the pastime in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. She installed two hives in her Los Angeles backyard with the help of a professional beekeeper.
Kidman shared a photo on Instagram of herself tending to her bees while wearing full protective gear. She captioned the pic “My bees 🐝 🐝 🐝.” The Big Little Lies star hasn’t shared many details about her new hobby, but learning about bee behavior and collecting fresh honey seems to appeal to her. Maybe she’ll follow in the footsteps of famous beekeeper Morgan Freeman and convert her whole property into a bee sanctuary.
8. Jared Leto – Rock Climbing
When Jared Leto isn’t touring with his band 30 Seconds to Mars or starring in movies, he can often be found scaling cliffs and boulders. The multi-hyphenate entertainer is an avid rock climber and frequently shares photos and videos of his climbing adventures on social media.
Leto has conquered climbs rated 5.12 in difficulty (out of 5.15) and bouldering problems up to V12 (out of V17). He even celebrated his 48th birthday by tackling a challenging route in Yosemite National Park. Leto has said climbing helps him stay fit and focused. “It’s meditative,” he explained. “There’s something about the mental aspect of climbing that I really appreciate.”
9. Susan Sarandon – Table Tennis
Susan Sarandon is a serious table tennis player. The Thelma & Louise actress began playing ping pong in her 40s and quickly became hooked. She has said the fast-paced sport is “like chess on steroids.”
In 2009, Sarandon co-founded a table tennis club and bar called SPiN in New York City. The venture has since expanded to locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and several other cities. Sarandon can often be found playing at SPiN when she’s not working on a film. She has faced off against her good friend Jimmy Fallon and has played doubles with the likes of Jamie Foxx and Justin Bieber.
10. Nick Offerman – Woodworking
Nick Offerman shares a hobby with his Parks and Recreation character Ron Swanson: woodworking. The actor and comedian has been a professional carpenter and woodworker for over 20 years. He runs a Los Angeles woodshop called Offerman Woodshop, where he and a team of fellow craftsman make custom furniture, boats, and ukuleles.
Offerman has released instructional DVDs about woodworking and wrote a New York Times bestselling book called Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop. In the book, he offers step-by-step guides to projects like a mustache comb and a slingshot. Offerman sees woodworking as a respite from the craziness of Hollywood. “I love acting, I love my job,” he has said. “But the woodshop is a much more sane place to spend the day.”
11. Cara Delevingne – Beatboxing
Supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne has a secret talent: beatboxing. She learned how to create beats and rhythms with her mouth as a kid and has continued to practice and hone her skills as an adult.
Delevingne has shown off her impressive beatboxing abilities during interviews and on social media. She can even do it while solving a Rubik’s Cube. The Suicide Squad star says beatboxing helps her blow off steam and express her playful side. “I’m generally quite good at it,” Delevingne stated. “It’s a pretty good party trick.”
12. Leslie Mann – Unicycling
Leslie Mann is a woman of many talents. In addition to her acting chops, she can ride a unicycle. The Knocked Up star learned how to unicycle as a child and picked the hobby back up again as an adult for fun and fitness.
Mann has said she tries to ride her unicycle every day, often with her husband Judd Apatow and their two daughters in tow. She even taught her This Is 40 co-star Paul Rudd how to ride. “I’m really good at it,” Mann has bragged. “I can go backwards. I can go down stairs. I’m a professional.” No word on whether she can juggle while unicycling, but she likely can!
13. Pierce Brosnan – Fire Eating
Here’s a hobby that’s both surprising and dangerous: fire eating. Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan learned how to extinguish flames in his mouth while attending a workshop at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in his early 20s.
Brosnan has busted out his fire eating skills a few times over the years, including on The Muppet Show in 1996 and during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2003. But he saves the risky trick for special occasions these days. “I don’t do it too often,” Brosnan has said. “I like my mustache the way it is.”
14. Mila Kunis – World of Warcraft
Mila Kunis used to be a hardcore World of Warcraft player. The actress got hooked on the massively multiplayer online role-playing game in 2008 while dating Macaulay Culkin, who was also an avid player. Kunis has said she would spend up to 16 hours a day immersed in the fantasy world.
“Let’s just say I had to quit the game,” Kunis revealed in 2021. “I’m really good, and I can’t stop playing.” The Black Swan star enjoyed the social aspect of the game, often teaming up with friends or her guild to go on quests and raids. She still has a soft spot for World of Warcraft but limits her play time to avoid getting sucked back in.
15. Kobe Bryant – Playing the Piano
The late basketball legend Kobe Bryant was a man of varied interests off the court. One of his hobbies was playing the piano, which he took up as an adult. Bryant started learning the instrument to help strengthen his fingers and hands after suffering injuries.
He took lessons from the famed pianist Lynette Fay and became quite accomplished. Bryant composed several original pieces, including a tune called “Kobe” that he performed at a 2011 benefit concert. He said playing the piano was a great way to relax and express himself creatively. “I love the piano,” Bryant once stated. “It’s a very soothing instrument.”
16. Beyoncé – Beekeeping
Beyoncé is crazy in love with bees. The superstar singer revealed in a 2021 British Vogue interview that she has two beehives on her property that house around 80,000 bees. She started beekeeping after her daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi developed bad allergies.
Consuming local honey is said to help alleviate seasonal allergies. So Beyoncé decided to produce her own honey at home. “I know it’s random, but I have two beehives,” she told British Vogue. “I’ve had them at my house for a while now. I have around 80,000 bees and we make hundreds of jars of honey a year.”
17. Mike Tyson – Pigeon Racing
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has been fascinated by pigeons since he was a child growing up in Brooklyn. He got his first pigeon when he was 10 years old and has been raising and racing the birds ever since.
Tyson’s love of pigeons was chronicled in the Animal Planet reality show Taking on Tyson. The series followed Tyson as he trained and raced his prized birds. “They’re fascinating animals,” Tyson has said of pigeons. “They’re so intelligent. They have an unbelievable sense of direction. I just love them.” The Hangover star reportedly spends hours every day tending to his feathered friends.
18. Demi Lovato – Knitting
Singer and actress Demi Lovato picked up knitting during the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became obsessed. She started an Instagram account called @madewithlovebydemi to show off her creations, which include colorful blankets, sweaters, and stuffed animals.
Lovato has said knitting helps her stay centered and focused on her sobriety. “Knitting has become a form of meditation,” she explained. “It’s been so therapeutic for my mental health during quarantine. It keeps my mind busy and gives me a sense of accomplishment.” The “Cool for the Summer” singer often gifts her handmade items to friends and family.
19. Katy Perry – Collecting Celebrity Hair
Katy Perry has one of the strangest celebrity hobbies around: collecting locks of hair from her famous friends. The pop star has amassed a stash of strands from the likes of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Kristen Stewart.
Perry keeps her collection in labeled plastic bags to preserve the hair. She has said she started collecting as a way to remember people and moments. “I have a lot of their hair,” Perry revealed in a 2013 interview. “I put little bows on them individually and put them in my purse. That way I always have a piece of them with me.” No word on whether she has added fiancé Orlando Bloom’s hair to her collection yet.
20. Will Smith – Fencing
Will Smith has studied several unique skills for movie roles over the years, including boxing and golf. But one hobby he picked up on his own is fencing. The Men in Black star began taking fencing lessons in the early 2000s and became quite proficient with a saber.
Smith has said he was drawn to the elegance and strategy of the sport. “I love the discipline that it takes, the mental aspect of it,” he explained. “It’s like physical chess.” The actor often fences with his son Jaden, who also enjoys the sport. The father-son duo even faced off in a friendly match on a 2016 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
So there you have it – 20 surprising hobbies of major Hollywood stars. From beekeeping to beatboxing to collecting celebrity hair, the interests of the rich and famous are often just as fascinating as their day jobs. These hobbies provide a glimpse into the personalities and private lives of some of the biggest names in entertainment. Who knows what other surprising pastimes will be revealed next?
