When you think of cool Hollywood stars, it's hard not to come up with a list that doesn't include Robert Downey Jr. From portraying billionaire tech-whiz Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, RDJ has been on a high-flying (and well-paying) ride since the early-2000s. In fact, between 2012 and 2015, Forbes magazine named him Hollywood's highest-paid actor. In the 12 months between just June 2014 and 2015 alone, he earned a whopping $80 million!
But it wasn't always big pay days and big blockbuster - for a number of years, Downey was in and out of rehab for addictions to cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. At one point, he even waltzed into a neighbor's home and passed out on one of the beds while under the influence of drugs. Fast forward past that dark time in Downey's life, and you'll find a committed, dedicated, and passionate professional who takes his craft (and his personal disciplines and convictions) very seriously.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.