Just what were the stars like back when they were hitting their books and sharpening their pencils? Perfect teeth? Immaculate hair and nails? We think not... they were just as goofy as everyone else, although what’s the betting there were some uber cool cats amongst the famous?
BRITNEY SPEARS
Troubled singer Britney Spears attended a private school until 1994, but she already had showbiz aspirations aided by dance classes and gymnastics. The paid education and classes resulted in her becoming a Mouseketeer on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club in 1989. Spears was destined for stardom from an early age. “I performed at mum and dad’s party when I was four. Oh my gosh, I was singing a Madonna song and I peed myself I always wanted to be a singer, it’s what I wanted to do since I was little. I’m doing it now and I couldn’t be happier.”
The star doesn’t regret choosing Disney over Diploma saying: “You can’t change it, I know what I want out of life and my morals are really strong.” So will you be saying to your boys — who needs school son?
JENNIFER LOPEZ
Diva, singer, actress and now mother of twins Jennifer Lopez went to an all-girls Catholic school in The Bronx, a borough of New York City. She played softball and tennis in high school and also was a gymnast. J-Lo even believed these to be a test of her strength saying: “You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them.”
Lopez left home and quit college to pursue a show-business career and doesn’t think she could do anything else: “I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it’s all just one thing. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. But I don’t think I would have been very happy. I’d be in front of the jury singing.”
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
Mother of one and pop star Christina Aguilera’s singing talent was evident at a young age, but her liking for outrageous outfits and edgy behaviour was still many years away from her elementary school. She appeared on Star Search at the age of 8 and lost. So she focused on school work and believes the early part of school played an important role. She said: “I do have a brain... I’m no bimbo. I’m opinionated and it scares people if we [singers] go beyond the boundaries sometimes.”
JOHNNY DEPP
Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp seemed to be a segment of the man he is today. At school he was so timid to show his talents that he could not wait to drop out. “As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because he never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. And that thought took away all my ambition too” he remembered. So Captain Jack walked the plank of shyness out of high school instead of the graduation march!
AVRIL LAVIGNE
Edgy rock star Avril Lavigne was already writing and performing her angst-ridden music that was to fast track her to fame. “My dream was always to hop up on stage in front of my fans every night and perform” said Lavigne. The teen star dropped out of school when she got a record deal during a trip to New York City. “I was only 17. I was right out of high school, I didn’t even finish.” Perhaps there’s regret there Lavigne? Rock star hubby, famous lifestyle... perhaps not.
JESSICA ALBA
New mum Jessica Alba was bullied and branded a slut when she was in school after developing her full bosom at a young age. The actress revealed that the main culprits were her classmates who made her life miserable. She recalls: “The accusation still ricochets. They think I’m a slut?”
Revealing her first kiss was at the age of 7 she believed: “I thought it was my job to give all the boys their first kiss.” Alba also hands out advice to teenage girls, “Boys are awful. They are made of nothing but hormones until they’re about 20 or 21,” she wrote in her forthcoming book. “It’s fun to have a crush, but don’t think it’s forever,” she added. I hope you pass it on to baby Honor, Jess.
It wasn’t a life about bullies and boys though, there was always something missing for the beauty. “My whole life, when I was growing up, not one race has ever accepted me... So I never felt connected or attached to any race specifically. I had a very American upbringing, I feel American, and I don’t speak Spanish. So, to say that I’m a Latin actress, OK, but it’s not fitting; it would be insincere.”
VANESSA HUDGENS
High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens began performing at an early age, appearing in musicals starting at age eight. The pretty actress landed roles many TV roles, but it is her role as the shy, intelligent student Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel film series High School Musical that has brought her fame and success. Hudgens was homeschooled and claims that she has “never experienced the ‘school drama’ of which she acts.
Hudgens is now the face of the funky school fashion label Sears. “I like to make a fashion statement by changing my look with different styles,” said Hudgens. “Sears is a great place for those heading back to school this year because you can find an entire wardrobe of fun looks to suit any mood or fashion sense. Plus, since the clothes are so affordable, you can easily switch styles and really get noticed when you arrive back at school.”
JESSICA SIMPSON
Although her public persona is as a ditzy gal, Employee of the Month star Jessica Simpson is reported to have a very high I.Q. and did well at school, where she was elected homecoming queen — twice. The superstar even perfected her musical skills in a local church, where her father was the minister. Although the gal does have her ‘blonde’ moments she recalls “On my first day of Junior High I was in Geography class, and the teacher asked us if anybody knew the names of the continents. And I was so excited. I was like, Damnit! It’s my first day of 7th grade, I’m in junior high and I know this answer. So I raised my hand I was the first one and I said A-E-I-O-U!” How funny, Jess!
However, school wasn’t all jokes and laughs for the singer who was cruelly bullied. She said: “I would walk down the school halls and hear people talking about me. Some of them would throw toilet paper at my house or throw eggs at my door. They would also write things on the sidewalk in permanent marker. They really hated me.”
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
Blood Diamond actor Leonardo DiCaprio ‘sank’ his high school days to act. He announced that his school days were not a huge impact on his life: “School, I never truly got the knack of. I could never focus on things I didn’t want to learn.” And talented DiCaprio is exactly where he wants to be in life. “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you’re further along in life than most people.”
ASHLEY TISDALE
The girl voted ‘Most Likely to Be a Movie Star’ in her 2003 senior year at school has fulfilled her classmates’ prediction. High School Musical 2 star Ashley Tisdale has quickly made a name for herself with her school days not so far behind her.
A high school friend says “Ashley’s real hair is naturally curly and a striking, auburn shade of red” not the blonde we’re used to then?
Unlike Sharpay Evans — the high-strung, high-maintenance character Tisdale plays in the High School Musical movies — her feet were firmly on the ground at school. The actress was a member of the school council and “she was focused on going to casting calls and advancing her acting career.”
“It’s funny to see her playing Sharpay, Ashley was not a drama queen at all,” says the friend. “She was fun and outgoing, normal in every way. She was an accomplished English student and also loved photography class — though she wasn’t very good at athletics.”
PAMELA ANDERSON
The Canadian beauty Pamela Anderson had dark locks when she posed for her sophomore photo at her school in British Columbia. Anderson’s modelling career got its start when she was snapped among a group of kids at a library. A library? We never knew models ‘did’ reading! But then as Anderson says “It’s great being blonde — with such low expectations it’s easy to impress.” She was later discovered and launched her career in the pages of Playboy magazine.
TAYLOR SWIFT
Country singing sensation Taylor Swift’s graduation from high school is exciting stuff. “Graduating high school is really, really cool,” she says. “I’m so proud of it because I stopped going to high school in 10th grade, but I started home-schooling. It’s really good to know you don’t have to give up on your dreams to graduate high school, and you don’t have to quit your education to live your dreams.” Well said, Swift! You definitely deserve a pass.
SOPHIA BUSH
The One Tree Hill starlet Sophia Bush loved school and would jump at the chance of returning to do something unusual. The actress said: “I was a total education geek. I loved school. I loved learning. I loved doing homework. All of my books and notebooks from high school are underlined and highlighted and there are notes all over the margins.”
For Bush, acting was not the priority on her list. “I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid, but I started doing theatre in high school because it was a requirement. At first, I was completely irritated. You know, at the time I was playing volleyball, and I just thought it was a major inconvenience. But I ended up loving it. I made a decision to follow through with it because I never enjoyed anything as much as being up onstage and being someone else. So I decided to pursue it, and voila!” We bet it’s certainly not something you regret.
JORDIN SPARKS
The number one singer Jordin Sparks knows just how hard school can be, growing up in a bi-racial household with a famous footballer as a father taught her a valuable lesson. “Amazingly, I never felt singled-out. Even at school, we were always treated with respect, never out of the ordinary, which when I look back, is really an incredible thing. I try to be that accepting whenever I encounter a new or difficult situation.”
Now Sparks wants to give kids who can’t afford basic stationary, just what they need to start school in September making life a bit easier for them. Back-to-school time will be extra special thanks to a national school supplies drive.
The American Idol singer Jordin Sparks, office supply giant Staples and DoSomething.org have teamed up in an attempt to help teens get the stationary they need to head back to the classroom. “There are so many kids in America that need school supplies that don’t have them and all somebody has to do is donate them,” Jordan said in a statement. “It’s so easy.”
Then there are some stars who just can’t get enough of their school days and are thinking of going back to their English, Maths and Science days.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
Pop singer/songwriter Justin Timberlake had to be one of the coolest guys at school. He admitted his perfectionist ways got him to where he is right now: “I’m a perfectionist. I can’t help it, I get really upset with myself if I fail in the least.” Timberlake made it onto the Mickey Mouse Club, where he met Spears and Christina Aguilera.
The star believes in his music and founded the Justin Timberlake Foundation —– an organisation to inspire people to pursue music. The first grant went to his elementary school in Tennessee, which he regularly supports.
MISCHA BARTON
Youthful actress Mischa Barton has admitted to being a ‘dork’ in school — and a lover of learning. The OC lovely has not been to college herself, and will often sit in on various lectures at New York University with friends.
“I loved school so much. I was a real dork! I was massively into English literature, psychology, things like that. In fact, as I still have a lot of friends my age, I’ll still sit in their classes in New York at NYU sometimes and check out their lectures.” So that’s where you spend your spare time is it Mischa?
KIRSTEN DUNST
Acclaimed actress Kirsten Dunst was already a child model and actress by the time she hit play school. In fact, she was only a couple of years away from her breakthrough in Interview with a Vampire. Born in New Jersey, Dunst moved to California with her mother after her parents divorced. It was her mum that pushed the budding beauty to stardom, through to graduating high school. “My mum raised me so wonderfully. She gave me self esteem and made me appreciate my flaws, as well as my strengths.”
However, now the Hollywood star wants more from life than fame and money. “Right now I want to go to art school,” says Dunst, whose mother ran an art gallery. “It’s important to do other things. I’m not the type of actress who likes to do movie after movie after movie. It doesn’t feel like you have much of a life. You’re just taking on a new identity in a way.” Go for it girl!
