1. Before Vera Wang was a fashion designer, she was a figure skater. In 1968, she competed in the US National Championships in Philadelphia.
After college, she became an editor at Vogue and worked there for 17 years until she became a designer in 1987.
2. In 2003, Brie Larson pivoted from acting to writing and recording music. She caught the attention of some record executives and signed a record deal with Casablanca Records.
In 2005 she released her debut (and only) album, Finally Out of P.E.
In 2006, she returned to acting after being cast in Hoot.
3. After Wizards of Waverly Place ended in 2012, Jennifer Stone went to nursing school and is now officially a nurse.
Jennifer had been acting since 2003, when she was cast in Secondhand Lions.
Jennifer went into nursing because in 2013 she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and didn't have a good experience with healthcare professionals.
4. After starring in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 1971, Peter Ostrum turned down a three-film contract. He is now a veterinarian.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is his first and only acting role.
After filming Willy Wonka, Peter worked on a stable and became fascinated with veterinarians. He considered going back to acting, but decided to get a degree in veterinary medicine instead.
5. Actor Jamie Dornan was a model for years before he transitioned to a career in acting.
In 2001, he started modeling and was part of reality show called Model Behavior.
In 2006, he was cast in his first acting gig with a role in Marie Antoinette.
6. Before becoming an actor, Whoopi Goldberg once worked as a funeral makeup artist in the 1970s.
7. After starring in Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta in 2012, Kay Panabaker retired from acting, and she is now a zoologist and works at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Kay's first acting role was in 2001, voicing the Garbage Monster in Monsters, Inc.
8. In 1993, Michael Jordan announced he was retiring from basketball, and in 1994 he signed a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox.
Michael had been playing for the NBA since 1984.
He played baseball from 1994 to 1995 and then quit. That year he announced his return to basketball and started playing with the Chicago Bulls again, and his playing career ended in 2003.
9. In 2017, Gwyneth Paltrow announced she would be taking a break from acting to focus on her wellness and lifestyle company, Goop.
Gwyneth Paltrow has been acting since 1989, when she debuted in the film High.
She is the founder and CEO of Goop.
10. In 2017, singer-songwriter Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, her cosmetics brand, and has been on a hiatus from releasing solo music since her album Anti in 2016.
Rihanna's music career started in 2005 with the release of her debut single, "Pon de Replay."
In 2018, she also launched Savage X Fenty, a lingerie brand. In 2019, she launched Fenty, her fashion brand and in 2020 she launched Fenty Skin, a skincare brand.
11. In 2006, former acting duo Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen launched The Row, their luxury fashion label.
The duo started acting at 9 months old in 1987, when they were cast as Michelle in Full House.
Ashley is the CEO of The Row and Mary-Kate is the creative director.
12. In 2012, actor Jessica Alba launched The Honest Company, which sells eco-friendly household goods, diapers, and body care products.
Jessica had been acting since 1994, when she had a small role in Camp Nowhere.
In 2013, she released her bestselling book The Honest Life, which is about her creating a natural, healthy, non-toxic environment for her children. In 2015, she released Honest Beauty, a collection of skincare products.
13. In 2006, while he was still part of the main cast of Degrassi, Drake released his debut mixtape Room for Improvement. In 2008, he left the Degrassi cast and released his debut album, Thank Me Later, in 2010.
Drake had been acting since 2001, and his first main role was on Degrassi in 2002.
14. In 2015, John David Washington started pursuing an acting career after playing football professionally.
He played football professionally from 2006 until the United Football League folded in 2012.
His first major acting gig came in 2015 as a main role in the show Ballers.
15. Before Ava DuVernay was a filmmaker, she was a film publicist. She worked at 20th Century Fox and other PR agencies and then opened her own firm in 1999 called The DuVernay Agency.
In 2005, she made her first movie, a short film, called Saturday Night Life, and in 2011, her first feature film, I Will Follow, was released.
16. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson started to transition to a career in acting while he was still wrestling.
He started his professional wrestling career in 1996, and he also started acting in 1999. In 2004, he took his first retirement from wrestling and started focusing on his acting career full time.
His first acting role was in 1999 in an episode of That '70s Show.
17. Nnamdi Asomugha starting his acting career while he was still playing professional football.
Nnamdi's professional football career started in 2003, when he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders.
Nnamdi's first acting role was in 2008, when he guest starred on an episode of The Game. He officially retired from football in 2013.
18. And lastly, In 2006, professional wrestler John Cena also started his acting career.
John Cena started acting in 2009 in the film The Marine. He still wrestles professionally today.
