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Rachel Bilson and Rami Malek -

Few people knew actors Rachel Bilson and Rami Malek attended high school together until the 'O.C.' actress revealed in March 2021 that she had posted a throwback photo in 2019 of the pair in their days at Notre Dame High School in California, but soon after received a private message from Malek asking her to take it down! 

The awkward story went viral, even appearing on CNN, and speaking on the LadyGang podcast on April 27, Bilson opened up about the aftermath. "I was so mortified though. Like, I was having a panic attack," she shared. "I had to go to therapy that day, and I was like, ‘I am having anxiety. I did not want this to resurface in this way. I feel so bad.'"

Fortunately, the old friends have since spoken and straightened things out. "He connected with me, and we're all good," Bilson said. "He was so gracious, and I totally understood where he was coming from and he understood me. And I was just so happy we were able to squash it and, like, move on." She added, "He knew I wasn't doing it with any ill intention," and explained that the whole fiasco actually offered them a chance to reconnect.

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Cameron Diaz and Snoop Dogg -

Though Snoop is older than the actress, the two attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California, and Diaz said he knew all her cheerleading friends, adding that she was "pretty sure" she'd bought weed from him.

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Zach Braff and Lauryn Hill -

Fans went crazy when Zach Braff revealed Lauryn Hill attended his bar mitzvah, but it turns out they were friends when they were young, having both attended Columbia High School in New Jersey.

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Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, and Prince William -

The British actors were born less than a year apart and were classmates at Eton College, a boarding school for boys in England, along with none other than Prince William. Redmayne remembers being on the rugby team with William and said he was sorry for him because all the competing teams always singled out William for bragging rights.

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Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts -

Nicole Kidman moved to Australia at the age of four, and she attended North Sydney Girls’ High School, where she met Naomi Watts. The pair have been friends ever since.

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Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Biggie -

It's hard to wrap your head around, but these three iconic rappers went to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn, New York. Busta even said he lost to Jay-Z in a speed rapping battle there, which inspired him to become the incredibly quick-tongued talent he is today.

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Adele, Jessie J, and Leona Lewis -

These vocal powerhouses were all classmates at the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in London.

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Adam Levine and Jonah Hill -

The Maroon 5 front man is about five years older than the actor, but they were neighbors in their teenage years, and used to carpool together to attend the same school, Brentwood, together before Hill transferred. The two have remained close, however, and Hill even officiated Levine's wedding.

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Timothée Chalamet and Ansel Elgort -

The young actors have remained friends ever since they both went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. They even played on the same basketball team!

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Tupac and Jada Pinkett Smith -

The iconic friendship between the actress and the late rapper kicked off on their first day of school at the Baltimore School of Arts in Maryland. Apparently Tupac simply walked up to Jada and introduced himself.

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Jennifer Aniston and Chaz Bono -

The stars were good friends back in their teens when they both attended the High School of the Performing Arts in NYC. Aniston said she would go over to Bono's regularly, meaning she spent a good amount of time in her younger days at Cher's house. No biggie!

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Liv Tyler, Kate Hudson, and Zooey Deschanel -

Longtime friends Liv Tyler and Kate Hudson became friends from a young age at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, which Zooey Deschanel also attended at the same time. Hudson and Deschanel both auditioned for the school’s production of ‘Don Quixote.’

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Kerry Washington and Gwyneth Paltrow -

Paltrow also went to Crossroads but transferred to the Spence School in New York City, where Kerry Washington was a student. Washington eventually became a member of the Goop founder's a capella group!

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B.J. Novak and John Krasinski -

'The Office' alums B.J. Novak and John Krasinski attended Newton South High School in Massachusetts together. Novak actually convinced Krasinski to try acting, and he cast him in an original satirical play he'd written about their senior year.

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Ed Helms and Brian Baumgartner -

There was a lot of history coming together on 'The Office.' The actors behind the characters Andy and Kevin both attended the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Robert Downey Jr., Sean Penn, and Charlie Sheen -

These actors have some scandals in common, but they also all had class together at Santa Monica High School back in the '80s. Downey Jr. dropped out and Sheen was expelled a few weeks before graduation, but Penn graduated.

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Scarlett Johansson and Jack Antonoff -

The actress actually dated the musician when they were both students at the Professional Children's School in NYC. They reportedly even went to prom together!

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Lenny Kravitz, Nicolas Cage, and Slash -

Beverly Hills is home to many Hollywood stars and has one major public high school, so it's no wonder that many celebs have attended it. It's where Lenny Kravitz, Slash, and Nicolas Cage met in the early '80s.

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Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand -

Long before they each became stars in their own right, Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand were singing through the halls of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York. "We were two poor kids in Brooklyn," Diamond recalled of their friendship, adding that they used to hang out and smoke in front of the school.

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Rashida Jones, Kim Kardashian, and Paris Hilton -

The 'Parks and Recreation' actress revealed on 'Watch What Happens Live' that she went to school with Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. They were a few grades below her at Buckley School in California, but they were apparently very "cute."

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Freddie Prinze Jr. and Neil Patrick Harris -

Though Harris is a couple years older, both actors attended La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the same time.

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Justin Trudeau and Matthew Perry -

Matthew Perry was born in the US, but he was raised in Ottawa, where his mother worked as the secretary for Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s then-prime minister. That's where the 'Friends' star attended school with the politician’s son, and now current prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

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Lady Gaga and Nicky Hilton -

Gaga has said that her high school days weren't the greatest, but little do many people know that she attended the all-girls Catholic school Convent of the Sacred Heart with Nicky Hilton in NYC, though Gaga is a few years younger.

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Rami Malek and Kirsten Dunst -

Along with Rachel Bilson, Rami Malek and Kirsten Dunst also shared the classrooms of Notre Dame High School. Malek admitted he used to have a crush on the actress who, by that time, had already appeared in a few films.

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Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong'o -

The 'Black Panther' and 'Us' co-stars actually go way back. They attended Yale University's School of Drama at the same time, and Nyong'o even gave Duke a tour of the campus on his first day of school. “[Lupita] and I became really close because we shared that immigrant experience,” Duke told Esquire.

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon -

It's well known now that these actors have been friends since they were in elementary school. They attended the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, located just a few steps away from Harvard University, and they both knew for a long time that they wanted to make movies.

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Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson -

The famed actor-director attended the University of Texas together and one of their adventures, which involved breaking into their shared Austin apartment, inspired Anderson's first feature film.

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Britney Spears and Alicia Keys -

Two of the biggest names in music of the early 2000s, Britney Spears and Alicia Keys also attended the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City at the same time when they were teenagers. Keys graduated as her class' valedictorian at age 16.

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Christopher Reeves and Robin Williams -

The late actors met on their first day at The Juilliard School in 1973, and they remained very close friends for the rest of their lives.

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Val Kilmer and Kevin Spacey -

The actors were classmates at Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles. Apparently Kilmer had recommended that Spacey attend The Juilliard School in New York to develop his career as an actor.

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Claire Danes and Morena Baccarin -

The 'Homeland' co-stars actually went to  junior high, at the New York City Lab School, at the same time. They had been friendly, which made working together decades later a sweet surprise.

Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Bright Side) (InStyle) (Marie Claire)

See also: Celebrities who went back to school after they became famous

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