Source: ign.com
Although most of us are judged by what we do for a living, our hobbies can sometimes be even more revealing about who we are and what we stand for. This is particularly true of public figures – while we often catch a very edited glimpse of our favorite celebrities on social media, the field or the silver screen, finding about what they enjoy doing in their downtime can give us completely different insights into their personalities. And these five celebrities have pastimes that might come as a particular surprise.
Tom Hanks
Source: Wikimedia
Hanks is one of America’s most beloved actors and a man of many talents. He has breathed life into characters as diverse as the loveable Forest in Forest Gump and the heroic yet modest Captain Sullenberger in forthcoming movie Sully. If you’ve seen his seminal movie Big, you already know that Hanks can dance out a tune on a piano – yet you may not have known that Hanks’s fingers are equally agile for tapping out snail mail, scripts and poems on vintage typewriters. While the actor concedes that he uses a computer for many of his work-related tasks, he says that he uses a typewriter almost every day, preferring its grand sound to the mousy taps of laptop keys.
Hanks was infamously seduced into appearing on a Nerdist podcast when one of the team surprised him with a gift of a 1934 Smith Corona portable typewriter complete with a typed invitation to the show.
Mila Kunis
Source: Wikimedia
The now ubiquitous Kunis is glamorous on screen as That 70’s Show’s Jackie Burkhart and Jupiter Ascending’s intergalactic heroine Jupiter Jones. In real life, Kunis is a bit of a geek and has confessed to harbor a secret passion for gaming. Her games of choice? World of Warcraft – although she would never turn down the chance squeeze in an hour of Call of Duty between auditions.
Kunis suggested that she had enjoyed playing a mage, joining a guild and interacting with other players via her headset, however when a player recognized her voice on Ventrilo she dipped out of the game and in her own words, “that was the end of that.” While she said she has temporarily quit World of Warcraft, the actress was able to hold her own while discussing geek favorites like Settlers of Catan.
Denílson de Oliveira
Source: Goal
If you’re a soccer fan, then you know Brazil’s Denílson for his masterful dribbling and admirable coordination, as well as being one of the most expensive soccer players in the world after getting signed by Real Betis. But what you may not know about Denilson is that he is an avid poker player.
Denílson, who calls poker “a sport for the mind”, became the first celebrity ambassador for 888poker in March of 2016. Denilson praises 888poker as one of the “biggest and best” platforms in the world. He suggests that the sport has similarities to soccer, noting the need for patience and concentration in both.
Amanda Seyfried
Source: Wikimedia
In teen comedy Mean Girls where she made her screen debut, Amanda Seyfried plays a classic Valley ditz, but off-screen the actress has revealed a rather kooky streak by revealing her lifelong hobby of collecting taxidermied animals and birds, many of which were bought from celebrated taxidermist Deyrolle in Paris. Among her stuffed pets are a stuffed raccoon named “Kevin Sparkle” and a stuffed colt she calls “Antoine Woodberry.” Seyfried also owns a stuffed Owl called Beatrix and a deer she calls “Sha’ Dynasty.”
If you’re wondering what prompted Seyfried’s passion for taxidermy, she told talk show host Jonathan Ross that she “loves animals” and are much easier to look after when they’re dead. “When taxidermy is done well it’s an amazing piece of art,” she declared.
Salma Hayek
Source: Wikimedia
You may know Salma Hayek from any number of cult films, or more recently as Ugly Betty’s feisty Sofia Reyes. What you might not know about the Mexican-American actress is that she is a fan of eating insects. Among her favorite insect-centric meals are fried ants with guacamole and smoke grasshoppers. She has also suggested that there are a variety of good recipes that include worms.
While some critics voiced shock over Hayek’s choice of diet, Hayek herself is unabashed. The star filmed herself eating a cricket and posted it to Instagram, saying, “These are crickets from Mexico, from Oaxaca, and they are eaten.” Hayek, however, is reported to not be such a fan of other flora and fauna, particularly snakes.
Whether you enjoy knitting Smurfs or collecting railroad ties, hobbies not only offer a great way to disconnect from work but are a chance to follow a passion outside of the constraints of a day job. And if you have an unusual hobby, know that you’re in good company!
