6 Celebrities Who Worked Random Jobs In Ontario Before They Became Famous

These celebrities didn't always live glamorous lives. In fact, many of them worked super-relatable jobs right here in Ontario before their rise to fame.

Flipping burgers at McDonalds and cleaning factories are just some of the ways these celebrities supported themselves during their younger years. Who knows, maybe you've been served a Happy Meal by a now-famous movie star!

Jim Carrey

Before he became a world-famous comedian and actor, Carrey spent his days cleaning at a factory in Scarborough to help support his struggling family. According to IMDb, Carrey's family "took security and janitorial jobs in the Titan Wheels factory, Jim working 8-hour shifts after school let out."

Eventually, he made his stand-up debut at Yuk-Yuk's in Toronto and moved to Los Angeles a few years later.

Shania Twain

The country singer spent her early days performing at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario. In her recent Netflix documentary, Twain revealed that she took the job in order to support her siblings after her parents' tragic death.

"I was able to support my brothers, I was able to make enough money to put food on the table singing at this resort," she said.

It was here that Twain learned about Vegas-style shows and "how to sing and wear high-heel shoes at the same time."

"Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I learned to respect and appreciate that I did have a talent that would be a shame to throw away and not pursue," she said in the Netflix special.

She also worked at McDonald's before her rise to fame. In an interview with ET Canada, the singer recalled her days at the fast food chain, saying, "I like to make people happy. The drive-thru was always particularly fun because you could speak to the people on the other side without seeing them."

Elon Musk

These days Musk is known as a billionaire and "Technoking" but in the early '90s he spent his days travelling around Southern Ontario as a sales intern at Microsoft Canada before studying at Queen's University.

A story by Toronto Life revealed that Musk would "do card tricks" to break the ice with dealers and "was fearless, excitable and wildly enthusiastic" during his internship. He'd also "circle every company he met with and scrawl his observations next to each."

Rachel McAdams

Imagine being served a Happy Meal by Rachel McAdams! TheNotebook and Mean Girls star worked at a McDonald's in St. Thomas for three summers before her rise to fame.

In an interview with Glamour, McAdams recalled that she had her struggles while working at the fast food chain.

"I was not a great employee; I broke the orange juice machine one day," she admitted.

"It was a great place to work, but I had a little bit of an OCD thing with hand washing and just didn't have time. They were like, 'hey, the drive-through's backing up. Stop washing your hands!'"

Drake

Before he became a pop-music sensation or television show star, Drake spent his teenage years doing something a little less glamorous.

The rapper used to help out at a now-closed Toronto furniture factory owned by his grandfather Reuben Sher, according to iHeartRadio.

Simu Liu

In the days before stardom, Liu worked as an accountant at Deloitte but was let go after eight months, according to HuffPost.

He also worked at Abercrombie & Fitch in Mississauga's Square One Shopping Centre. In an interview with Narcity, the Marvel star explained how he had wanted to be an Abercrombie model and hoped to get scouted.

"So I would go to the mall, and I would walk into the store and look at some clothes, but I'd always look around, I was like, 'Am I, am I getting? Am I getting scouted? Am I getting scouted,'" he laughed.

His attempts proved unsuccessful and eventually Liu submitted a resume and asked for an interview.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.