Who knew? Surprising celebrity facts

ONE celebrity refuses to have her feet photographed, while another once had a job as a lion tamer. Here’s some fascinating — and amusing — little known celebrity facts.

Don’t hire Nicki Minaj as a waiter.

HERE are some surprising facts you might not know about your favourite celebrities.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj went through several jobs before hitting it big as a singer. The “All Eyes On You” singer told PEOPLE she was fired from “every Red Lobster you could think of.” She even chased one customer out of the restaurant. “I swear to God I was bad.” It’s a good thing her singing career worked out!

Mariah Carey

There’s a lot we didn’t know about Mariah. For example? The singer revealed she is a beauty school dropout. “I started beauty school in the 11th grade, and a year later I was officially a beauty school dropout,” she told Us Weekly. Carey also said she swims in evening gowns and heels and also thinks that “elevator lighting is toxic.”

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen, not a fan of feet.

The supermodel is known for her willingness to bare all, but there is one thing she isn’t comfortable showing. At Captain Morgan’s RumDay bash in Miami, she dished, “I have it written into some contacts that I will not allow my feet to be shown. I like to bury them in the sand if I am in a swimsuit shoot or something. I’m just not a big Chrissy foot fan, and I don’t need that out there.”

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson isn’t the first in his family to achieve fame. While the actor is known for his roles in “Zombieland” and “The Hunger Games” series, his father is famous for very different reasons. Charles Harrelson was convicted of assassinating federal judge John H. Wood, Jr.

Steve Buscemi

Before he became an actor, Steve Buscemi was served the state of New York as a firefighter. He even returned to duty during 9/11 to help out his old squad.

Christopher Walken

Actor Christopher Walken, one time Lion Tamer.

None of Christopher Walken’s movie roles have been as intimidating as his former job … as a lion tamer! Walken joined a travelling circus as a teen, and co-starred with a lioness. “It was a female named Sheba, and she was very sweet,” he told Vanity Fair. “Like a dog, really. I would wave the whip, and she would run and sit up and roll over and do things.”

Sylvester Stallone

Before he was Rocky, Sylvester Stallone got his start in acting in a 1970 porn film called “Party at Kitty and Stud’s.” He played Stud. Does Adrian know?

Bradley Cooper

The actor, who is adored by ladies across the globe, was somewhat of a wacky kid. “I thought only ninjas understood the meaning of life and death,” he recalls of his childhood. “So I begged my father to send me to Japan until I was 21, so I could train to become a ninja.”

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence once played a spoiled brat for MTV.

She has come quite a long way in just a few short years. A 14-year-old Jenn earned her SAG card (became a member of the Screen Actors Guild) after portraying a spoiled and rich high school teen for a commercial for MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16.”’’

Jerry Springer

Before he was busting baby daddies on daytime TV, Jerry was mayor of Cincinnati. Springer, a democrat, was elected to the city council in 1971 and resigned in 1974 after admitting to getting much more than a massage at a “massage parlour” in Kentucky. However his political career survived and he became mayor in 1977.

Russell Crowe

The Oscar winner is set to start filming the part of Jor-El, Superman’s dad, for “The Man of Steel” this month. It’s a role that was made popular by someone he once sang a song about — Marlon Brando. Yes, in the 1980s, under the moniker “Rus le Roq,” Russell recorded a song called “I Want to Be Like Marlon Brando.” Looks like his wish is coming true.

Blake Lively and Penn Badgley

Penn Badgley and Blake Lively from way back in their Gossip Girl days.

Many think that these two met and fell in love on the set of “Gossip Girl,” but they were actually first introduced at age 11 when Blake’s mum was Penn’s acting coach. The romance has since dwindled and Blake is now married to Ryan Reynolds.

Emily Blunt

The “Looper” star had a stutter as a child until acting came into her life. “I’d try to push the words out, but it was frustrating,” she recalls. “My parents took me to speech coaches and relaxation coaches. It didn’t work. Then one of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, ‘Why don’t you speak in an accent in our school play?’ I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage.”

Shailene Woodley

“The Descendants” star may seem perfectly poised at all times, but she actually suffers from scoliosis of the spine. It was diagnosed when she was 15 and she tried not to get too bummed about it. “We were getting ready to go swimming and I was in a bikini,” she recalls. “My best friend was like, ‘Shai, your spine is weird’ ... It wasn’t until the fourth week of wearing a brace that I said, ‘Whoa, this is a bummer.’” Luckily, the chest-to-hips plastic brace helped straighten her spine.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe celebrated in style age 11.

He may have made millions from playing “Harry Potter,” but when he first found out that he landed the part, there were hardly any perks. He recalls the day he got the call at just 11 years old. “I was in the bath when I found out,” he says. “And then I was allowed to stay up an extra half-hour and watch ‘Fawlty Towers.’” How unexciting!

Daniel Craig

The “Skyfall” star was apprehensive about becoming James Bond at first and “wasn’t deeply enthusiastic” about the role. Former Bond star, Pierce Brosnan, egged him on by telling him, “Go for it — you’ll have the ride of your life.”

This story originally appeared on Foxnews.com