10 Facts About Our Favorite Celebrities You Probably Missed

It seems like we know everything about famous Hollywood stars. But as ordinary people, they too have their own skeletons in the closet. For example, Katty Perry used to carry locks of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus’s hair, and in the old days, Ryan Gosling missed his chance at becoming one of the members of the Backstreet Boys.

1. Michael Jackson wanted to buy Marvel.

In the late ’90s, Michael Jackson considered acquiring Marvel Comics and intended to make a Spider-Man movie. The creator of the famous superhero, Stan Lee, met with Jackson at his estate and discussed the possibility of buying. However, Lee never figured out if Jackson wanted to direct or star in the Spider-Man movie.

2. Ellen DeGeneres is related to Kate Middleton.

Ellen DeGeneres is a distant relative of Kate Middleton’s. The American TV comedian and the British duchess are fifteenth cousins, and their common ancestor is Sir Thomas Fairfax and his wife, Anne Gascoigne, who lived in Britain in the early sixteenth century.

3. Katy Perry used to carry a lock of Taylor Swift’s hair (and Miley Cyrus’s).

Katy Perry used to carry a lock of Taylor Swift’s hair in her purse. At one of the Grammy ceremonies, Perry shared a dressing room with Miley Cyrus and Swift. “I asked each of them to cut a lock for me and carried their hair in my purse. Yes, I’m a freak!” said the singer.

4. Leonardo DiCaprio was named after Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother came up with the name for her son when she was looking at a painting by Leonardo da Vinci in a gallery in Florence while she was pregnant. At that moment, the child moved for the first time.

5. Ryan Gosling turned down the chance to be in the Backstreet Boys.

In the ’90s, Ryan Gosling refused to be a part of the Backstreet Boys. The future actor was renting an apartment with one of the band members, who invited him to sing along in a new group. But Gosling thought the band wouldn’t be successful, and it turned out later that he was wrong.

6. Nicolas Cage’s real name is different.

Nicolas Cage’s real name is Nicolas Kim Coppola, as the actor is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola. But at the beginning of his career, Cage did not want to be associated with his famous relative and took a pseudonym in honor of his favorite comic book hero, Luke Cage.

7. Tilda Swinton and Princess Diana were classmates.

Tilda Swinton and Princess Diana were in the same class. The British actress comes from an ancient Scottish family. Swinton was 10 when her parents sent her to boarding school in Kent, where the children of British aristocrats, including the future Princess of Wales, studied.

8. Elvis Presley is naturally blond.

Elvis Presley’s classic appearance, tall and dark, is not really how he actually looked. The singer was a natural blond until late adolescence. He dyed his hair black because he thought it brought out his facial features better on film.

9. Brad Pitt had his front teeth chipped off for a role.

Brad Pitt agreed to voluntarily chip his front teeth for a role in Fight Club. “Brad is willing to go to great lengths for the character,” Pitt’s publicist said at the time. And indeed, this made is character way more believable.

10. Gwendoline Christie is the tallest actress in Hollywood.

The actress’s height is 6’3″ (1.91 m). Although Gwendolyn Christie felt isolated because of this in childhood, it helped her to build a career in acting. Now, the actress is well-known for her role as warrior Brienne of Tarth in the series, Game of Thrones.

Which point was surprising to you? Do you also know any curious facts that you would like to add to this list?