The stars earning from beyond the grave
In 2011, Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie revealed a childhood aspiration to be a funeral director. In an interview with The Telegraph she said her dream stemmed from disappointment with the way her grandfather's funeral was handled.
According to a 2019 interview with The Times, as a child British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had the humble dream of becoming "World King."
As is evidenced by his contribution to 'Design e2,' the PBS television series about sustainable architecture, Angelina Jolie's ex-husband Brad Pitt had early ambitions to be an architect.
As a young buck the award-winning actor Denzel Washington hoped he would become a journalist. In 1977 he earned a BA in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University.
The idea of becoming an actress came to 'Desperate Housewives' actress Eva Longoria quite late on. She originally planned to become a physical therapist and even went to Texas to study for it.
Whether or not she dreamed of becoming a full-time pilot, British TV personality and braniac Carol Vorderman has always dreamed of flying solo around the world.
When he was starting out, Francis Ford Coppola had to choose between two different disciplines: stories and science. In the end, of course, he opted for the former.
Like millions of boys across the US, little George Clooney dreamed of being a baseball player. He must have had a shot since he even tried out for the Cincinnati Reds.
Until a near-fatal accident convinced him otherwise, George Lucas, the man behind the 'Star Wars' franchise, wanted to be a race car driver.
On-screen doctor James Earl Jones had a dream to be the real thing. He was a pre-med major at the University of Michigan, but soon discovered that being a doctor wasn't for him.
According to a 2001 article in The Guardian, the six-year-old Mr. Amazon wanted to be an archaeologist just because he had learned to spell the word.
As a kid, author John Grisham wanted to be a baseball player. In the end he used his royalties from writing to support young hopefuls trying to pursue the same dream.
When, as a child, actress Goldie Hawn was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she simply replied, "Happy." When pressed for an answer that was a career or profession, she stuck to her guns.
In a 2013 CNN interview, the 'Hunger Games' actress told Piers Morgan that as a child she had plans to be a doctor. Apparently she didn't pursue the career path because she feared she didn't have the focus.
If it weren't for becoming a world-renowned actress, 'Pretty Woman' star Julia Roberts may have become a home economics teacher.
As a little one, the fourth sister in the Jenner-Kardashian outfit fantasized about becoming a vet. In a 2016 interview with Harper's Bazaar she also revealed dreams of being a horseback rider.
As a child, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar wanted to be a baseball player. In the end, of course, he pursued and achieved greatness in another sport.
In 2013, actress Kerry Washington told Jimmy Kimmel that her childhood dream was to be a whale trainer and be in the Shamu show with a killer whale at Sea World.
Celebrity chef and TV personality Martha Stewart had dreams of becoming a teacher. And in a way she fulfilled that dream, although a home-ec teacher is perhaps not what she had in mind.
Actor and producer Matthew McConaughey had an early dream of becoming an attorney. By the time he had graduated college, however, he realized he was no longer interested.
Journalist and TV personality Mike Wallace was another whose childhood dream was to become an attorney.
'Legally Blonde' star Reese Witherspoon reckons that if she hadn't been an actress, she would have been a pediatric surgeon. In 2017 she told WSJ Magazine that she thinks she would have been great.
According to a 2011 interview with She Knows, Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara originally wanted to be a doctor. In the end it was the idea of studying for 10 years that put her off.
As a child, Indian actress and model Priyanka Chopra dreamed of becoming an engineer. In 2018 she admitted that in the end it was her attraction to glamour that got in the way.
The young Ted Turner had ambitions to become a naval officer. In the end, the TV mogul settled for becoming a billionaire media proprietor.
Early on, the 'Anchorman' actor Will Ferrell wanted to become a sports broadcaster. He studied sports broadcasting at the University of Southern California.
Award-winning actor and TV personality Tony Danza always dreamed of becoming a teacher. In 2009 he even had a crack at it at Northest High School, Philadelphia.
Source: (People) (Fatherly)
See also: Iconic childhood experiences that kids today will never get to have
Actress and model Megan Fox once told MTV that as a child she wanted to be an archaeologist. Apparently she even had plans to go on a few digs.
According to Scottish actor Gerard Butler, his first passion is the forest and all things associated with it. In 2014 he told InStyle he would like to be a forest ranger.
When she was growing up, Miley Cyrus had hopes of becoming a wedding planner. Clearly she has always been a party girl.
We like to think that those who make it big have been gunning for it since day one. We imagine that the George Clooneys of this world always wanted to be actors, that the Jeff Bezos types always wanted to be billionaire businesspeople.
But that's not necessarily the case. In fact, plenty of famous faces had childhood dreams that were wildly different from what became their reality. Check out this gallery to see the childhood dreams of the rich and famous.
30 celebrities and their childhood dreams
One celeb aspired to be a whale trainer and join the Shamu show at SeaWorld
CELEBRITY Aspirations
We like to think that those who make it big have been gunning for it since day one. We imagine that the George Clooneys of this world always wanted to be actors, that the Jeff Bezos types always wanted to be billionaire businesspeople.
But that's not necessarily the case. In fact, plenty of famous faces had childhood dreams that were wildly different from what became their reality. Check out this gallery to see the childhood dreams of the rich and famous.