© Getty Images

Jessica Chastain -

Jessica Chastain is such a talented and gorgeous actress that it's hard to picture the real truth of her upbringing. “When people see me, I think they expect a different background than I have,” she told the Times in 2022. Chastain was the product of a teenage pregnancy, and grew up with four siblings, a single mom, and much financial hardship. She only got into acting by working at a performing arts school and with help from others because “there was no way my family could afford it.” She also credits her access to birth control "because it gave me a choice," explaining "I’m the first person in my family to not be pregnant when I was 17."

'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' star added, "It makes me sick to even say this, but I never think in terms of ‘How do I get more things in this industry?’ I have a rebellious streak because I grew up with a lot of resentment, because we didn’t have things, like even food." 

But Chastain has never flaunted her incredible success story, and instead just wants to help others. “I don’t talk about it much, but it was really, it was not what you would expect,” she said. “So because I come from that place, I know what it’s like. And it makes me angry. And I don’t [want] anyone else to be denied anything. In terms of a voice, being seen, being acknowledged and valued.”

© Getty Images

Keith Urban -

Keith Urban revealed where he was when he first heard his own song on the radio. Being a country music artist, he was naturally in Nashville, driving in his terrible "rust bucket" of a car. He stopped to get gas which he could barely afford, when he heard his song playing on the gas station speakers. This moment is a rite of passage for any musician, but you imagine they'd be in slightly better circumstances when it happens! 

© Getty Images

Richard Madden -

Before starring as Robb Stark on 'Game of Thrones,' Madden told Jimmy Fallon that he was living off of US$5 a day. "I had two options: I could either buy one meal, or a newspaper and a pint," he said. He's since landed roles in 'Cinderella,' BBC's 'Bodyguard,' and 'Rocketman.'

© Getty Images

Selena Gomez -

The singer was raised by a single mother. Her mother was 16 when she had her, and the beginning of her life was not financially easy, she told Elle magazine.

© Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez -

The famous singer grew up in a small apartment in Castle Hill in the Bronx, New York. J-Lo doesn't forget where she comes from, as she shared details about her past with E!.

© Getty Images

Jim Carrey - When he was younger, the actor and his family lived in a van after his father lost his job.

© Getty Images

Justin Bieber - Just like Selena Gomez, Bieber was also raised by a single mother in a low-income household. The singer has already revealed in interviews that he and his mother shared meals in restaurants.

© Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey -

Raised by a teenage single mom, Oprah lived in poverty for several years as a child, and her life was filled with struggles.

© Getty Images

Mariah Carey -

The singer grew up on Long Island, and she revealed in her show, Mariah's World, that her family didn't have much money throughout her childhood.

© Getty Images

Leighton Meester -

The actress told the Huffington Post that she didn't grow up in a regular family. She was raised by her grandmother, who struggled financially, while her mother was in jail for drug possession.

© Getty Images

Jay-Z - The rapper grew up in a social housing in Brooklyn and was raised by a single mother who struggled financially.

© Getty Images

Tom Cruise -

Tom Cruise had a difficult upbringing.  Money was short in his household, and he was the victim of an abusive father, the star told the Daily Mail in 2006.

© Getty Images

Mike Tyson - The former boxer grew up in a poor family in Brownsville, New York and was orphaned at age 16. It's safe to say that boxing changed his life.

© Getty Images

J. K. Rowling -

The famous author was never wealthy, and even when she became a mother, she stopped eating to feed her daughter, she told the Daily Mail.

© Getty Images

Leonardo DiCaprio -

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the famous actor revealed that his life hasn't always been easy. He was raised by a single mother who had to work several different jobs to be able to live in Los Angeles.

© Getty Images

Sarah Jessica Parker - The actress reportedly grew up in a modest family in Cincinnati.

© Getty Images

Nicki Minaj -

In her biography, released by USA Today, the rapper revealed some details of her early life. She shared a room with 10 people as well as her pets.

© Getty Images

Kate Winslet - The actress has revealed that she grew up in a family of modest means. Her mother was a bartender and her father was a pool salesman.

© Getty Images

50 Cent - Like Eminem, his poor background is also publicly known, mostly because it was portrayed in his biopic. He grew up poor in Queens, New York, and his mother had to deal drugs to support the family.

© Getty Images

Naomi Watts - The actress was reportedly raised by a single mother without much money. However, she and her mother lived with her grandparents, who helped them financially.

© Getty Images

Missy Elliott -

Missy revealed in a VH1 Behind the Music  episode that she grew up in a troubled family with financial problems, and was even sexually abused when she was younger. Now she's one of the most legendary rappers.

© Getty Images

Shania Twain -

In an interview with Nightline, the singer revealed that she grew up in poverty and had to spend some time at a homeless shelter in Toronto.

© Getty Images

Rose McGowan -

The actress was raised in Children of God communes. She told the Daily Mail how she managed to leave the cult and work towards a better life.

© Getty Images

Demi Moore - The actress' life was not easy at first. Her stepfather reportedly changed jobs constantly which put her family under constant pressure financially.

© Getty Images

Celine Dion - The singer grew up in a family of 14 siblings. It's easy to see how they struggled financially.

© Getty Images

Mark Wahlberg -

The actor revealed to Esquire magazine that he tries to give his children the life he never had. This is because he grew up in a family where his parents had to worked very hard support their family.

© Getty Images

Stephen King - The writer's father reportedly left the family when King was only two years old, and his mother struggled to support the family.

© Getty Images

Eminem - Eminem's difficult upbringing is no secret to anyone. He was raised by a single mother who was also a drug addict.

© Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson -

The singer told CBS how she had a difficult childhood, being raised by a single mother in Forth Worth, Texas.

© Getty Images

Elvis Presley - The singer's biography tells how he grew up surrounded by poverty in Mississippi, and how often he needed monetary aid from the government to support his family.

© Getty Images

Olga Kurylenko - Olga grew up in a poor family in the Ukraine, but after being discovered by a modeling agency her life completely changed.

© Getty Images

Shia LaBeouf -

The actor grew up in a poor family that had little money to buy food. Movie Pilot details the challenges Shia had to face, growing up in poverty.

© Getty Images

Snoop Dogg - Snoop has touched on the subject of poverty in his early years in some of his songs. The rapper lived in Long Beach, California, and his family struggled financially.

© Getty Images

Tyler Perry - Poverty and an abusive parent marked Perry's childhood. However, he managed to turn his life around and make an enormous legacy. 

© Getty Images

Joaquin Phoenix -

The actor grew up in a poor family who traveled with the Children of God cult through South America.

© Getty Images

Hilary Swank -

The actress told the Daily Mail that she and her family once lived in a trailer park in Washington.

© Getty Images

Selma Blair - Despite growing up in a financially stable family, at the beginning of her 20s, she required help from the charity Salvation Army.

© Getty Images

Viola Davis -

The actress told CNN how she grew up in poverty in a dysfunctional home.

© Getty Images

Sean Combs - The famous producer and musician grew up in a social housing estate in Harlem, New York, where his family struggled financially.

© Getty Images

Mary J. Blige - Mary J. Blige was born into a large family with financial difficulties. She grew up in Yonkers, New York, and lived in small apartments with her five cousins, two aunts, and her parents.

© Getty Images

Wesley Snipes - The actor grew up in a very poor family in the Bronx, New York.

© Getty Images

John Travolta - John Travolta's biography reveals that the actor grew up in a poor family in Englewood, New Jersey.

© Getty Images

T.I. -

The rapper was raised by his grandparents in Atlanta and didn't have much money.

See also: Riches to rags, the celebs who died broke

© Getty Images