There are a few names right at the top of the list of Hollywood movie directors who you associate with success at the highest level. Spielberg is one. Ridley Scott is another. Francis Ford Coppola is another. With movies like 'Apocalypse Now,' and 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' under his belt, Coppola's work has made millions at the box office, large swathes of which went straight into his bank account. Despite that, it was the movie business which made him broke.
Coppola truly believed in a movie called 'One from The Heart,' so much so that he decided to make it with his own money when he couldn't find a studio willing to invest in it. It turned out that the judgment of the studios was better than his. It was a box office bomb in every imaginable way. Coppola had poured $27m into making the film, and made less than $4m back. His debts spiraled to a massive $98m, and in 1992 he had to file for bankruptcy protection. A few box office sensations since then have helped him get back on his feet.
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.