Paving the way for future generations
Eva de la Caridad Méndez, who is better known by her professional name Eva Mendez, spoke to the Daily Mail in 2001 about how her first ambition in life was to be a nun.
He once said in an interview: "I spent five years in the seminary and I suppose it was assumed that one had a vocation. I realized subsequently that I didn't."
Chinese film director John Woo, whose works in Hollywood include 'Face/Off' (1997) and 'Mission: Impossible 2' (2000), had early aspirations to become a priest. He was raised by Christian parents in Hong Kong.
Then in 2006, she became Sister Andrea, an Anglican Dominican nun. Sources suggest, however, that she quit the order just three years later in 2009.
Although Woo initially wanted to be a Christian minister, sources suggest that the fathers discouraged him because they thought he was too artistic to be a minister.
Canadian actor and director Dan Aykroyd was raised in the Catholic Church and intended to become a priest until the age of 17.
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest directors in film history, nearly went down a rather different path.
TV personality Carson Daly had early aspirations to become a man of the cloth. He has spoken publicly about the importance of faith to his life and his near decision to become a priest.
Musician Jack White, who is best known for fronting the White Stripes, has previously spoken in interviews about how he nearly chose a very different career path.
Gabriel Byrne, who is an Irish actor, director, and film producer, was raised by devoutly Catholic parents and apparently had serious aspirations to join the priesthood.
In actual fact, however, he went to university after high school to study criminology and sociology. He dropped out before graduating and began to work as a comedian.
In 2005 on '60 Minutes,' he said: "I'd got accepted to a seminary in Wisconsin, and I was gonna become a priest, but at the last second I thought, 'I'll just go to public school.'"
However, she continued: "But my sister informed me that nuns didn’t get paid, so I soon went off that idea. Then I wanted to be an opera singer and an astronaut."
He grew up in Michigan with Roman Catholic parents, and he went to parochial primary school before attending seminary school for year. After that year, he attended a regular high school.
Actress Anne Hathaway, whose films include 'The Princess Diaries' (2001) and 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010), has previously spoken about wanting to be a nun when she was a child.
In 2012, she told the Daily Mail: "I went to a convent school where I was a bit of a peculiarity because my father, who was an atheist, told the nuns I was not to be indoctrinated. But I longed to be indoctrinated."
The former actress is one aspiring nun who made her dream a reality! In the early 1960s, she left Hollywood and entered the Abbey of Regina Laudis monastery in Connecticut.
Sources: (Ranker) (The Daily Mail) (Today)
During a 2019 episode of 'Today with Hoda and Jenna,' he told Hoda Kotb: "I was willing to take an oath of poverty. I almost was gonna become a priest. I really was. I really thought about it."
Nowadays Tom Cruise is best known for two things: acting in films such as 'Rain Man' (1988) and being a devout member of the controversial Church of Scientology.
Andrea Jaeger is a former tennis star, who after her retirement from the sport in 1987 decided to devote her time to philanthropic endeavors of many kinds.
However, sources suggest that back in the day Cruise was a devout Roman Catholic and that he attended seminary school with a view to becoming a priest.
After graduating high school, young Scorsese attended preparatory seminary school for a year. It was only when he failed after the first year that he opted to study film instead.
The actress was raised Roman Catholic, but she also prioritized acting and her relationship with the Church changed somewhat when her brother came out as gay.
Film director Michael Moore, famed for his documentary films, has previously spoken about wanting to become a priest.
He has spoken, however, about the priest who persuaded him otherwise: "Whether he was saving me from the priesthood or the priesthood from me, I don't know. But quite soon after, I started doing drama."
Actress Anjelica Huston attended convent school as a youngster and wanted to become a nun, despite the fact that her father was an atheist.
English film director Danny Boyle, who made the hit film 'Trainspotting' (1996), was brought up in a Catholic family. He was an altar boy for eight years and his mom wanted him to become a priest.
Dolores Hart is a former actress who made her Hollywood debut with Elvis Presley in the film 'Loving You' (1957). After that she made 10 films over the span of five years.
When it comes to celebs, some always knew they wanted to be famous, while others had different ideas about what they wanted to do with their lives. One of the more different routes not taken is the religious one. Indeed, it is quite uncommon to want to be a priest or nun, let alone to want to become one and then decide to go into show business!
Check out this gallery to find out which celebs almost became priests or nuns.
Famous people who nearly became priests or nuns
And a few who actually did!
CELEBRITY Religion
When it comes to celebs, some always knew they wanted to be famous, while others had different ideas about what they wanted to do with their lives. One of the more different routes not taken is the religious one. Indeed, it is quite uncommon to want to be a priest or nun, let alone to want to become one and then decide to go into show business!
Check out this gallery to find out which celebs almost became priests or nuns.