Hollywood Stars With Surprising Hobbies

Celebrities are usually known for the thing that made them famous.

They act, sing, direct, write, host, model, or perform. But outside the spotlight, many stars have hobbies that feel surprisingly normal, oddly specific, or completely unexpected.

Some collect vintage machines. Some build furniture. Some make pottery. Some garden, knit, paint, play video games, restore cars, keep bees, or build miniature worlds. These hobbies can be funny, calming, creative, technical, nostalgic, or deeply personal.

The best part is that they make famous people feel a little more human.

Here are Hollywood stars with hobbies that fans may not expect.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks has one of Hollywood’s most famous niche hobbies: vintage typewriters. He has spoken often about his love for them, and CBS described him as having a personal collection of more than 100 typewriters in nearly every style, make, and year. His fascination even influenced his short story collection Uncommon Type, where typewriters became a recurring creative thread.

Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart’s model railway hobby is not a casual weekend project. The Guardian reported that Stewart spent more than two decades building a huge model railway inspired by mid-20th-century New York and Chicago, complete with skyscrapers, bridges, city scenes, and long stretches of track. He has also been personally involved in constructing and painting much of the scenery.

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman’s woodworking hobby is so strong that it has become part of his real-life identity. He is an actor, author, humorist, and woodworker. Offerman Woodshop, based in East Los Angeles, is a collective focused on custom fine furniture, traditional joinery, slab rescue, canoes, and handmade goods.

Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen’s pottery hobby became one of the most unexpectedly charming celebrity side passions.

Vogue reported that Rogen’s pottery journey grew alongside his Houseplant brand, and that his interest in ashtrays, rolling trays, and handmade objects helped shape some of the brand’s most recognizable pieces. Houseplant also sells ceramics designed by Rogen, noting that the pieces come from his love of ceramics and are made to his specific guidelines.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts has long been associated with knitting. It is one of those hobbies that feels surprisingly calm for someone with such a huge movie-star career. Roberts has been known to bring knitting supplies to sets and even taught Cameron Diaz how to knit while they worked together on My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Gigi Hadid

Gigi Hadid may be known for fashion, modeling, and red carpets, but she has also spoken about hands-on creative hobbies. Teen Vogue reported on Hadid discussing her hobbies, including art, gardening, yoga, cooking, ceramics, cake decorating, bouquet making, and even building chairs. She described experimenting with a wood frame and resin while exploring that side of her creativity.

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum’s jazz piano hobby became a real part of his public career. People recently highlighted Goldblum as a lifelong pianist who performs with his jazz ensemble, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. That detail makes sense once you know his personality: playful, stylish, unpredictable, and full of rhythm.

Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu is widely known as an actor, but she is also a serious visual artist. People included her among celebrities with surprising side pursuits, noting that she is an established fine artist whose work has been shown in galleries and museums.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman’s surprising pursuit is not a light hobby in the usual sense, but it is deeply unexpected. People reported in 2026 that Kidman began training to become a death doula after the loss of her mother, with the goal of offering support around end-of-life care.

Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd’s hobby-adjacent side venture is wonderfully wholesome. People reported that Rudd, along with his wife and friends Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, co-owns a nostalgic candy shop.

Steve Carell

Steve Carell has also stepped into a surprisingly down-to-earth side venture. People reported that Carell and his wife Nancy revived a beloved Massachusetts general store. That feels far removed from Hollywood, but very close to the kind of small-town warmth fans associate with him.

Teyana Taylor

Teyana Taylor’s creative interests go well beyond music, acting, and choreography. People reported in 2026 that she enrolled in culinary and pastry arts, adding another skill to her already wide creative résumé.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is best known as a tennis legend, but her design work has become a serious passion. People noted that Williams runs V Starr, an interior design firm known for luxury projects. That side of Williams is not just a hobby in the casual sense. It is a full creative business.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé’s beekeeping hobby surprised many fans when it became public. Celebrity hobby roundups have repeatedly highlighted that she keeps bees and produces honey, partly for family use. It is an unexpected contrast to her stage image: one of the most polished, powerful performers in the world also tending bees.

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis has been publicly linked to gaming, especially World of Warcraft. Celebrity hobby coverage has repeatedly noted her interest in the online role-playing game, placing her among stars whose hobbies are more nerdy than glamorous. That makes the hobby appealing because it cuts against the usual celebrity image.

Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert has a hobby that is both specific and charming. People reported that Lambert revealed she enjoys painting folk art chickens, even joking that she is “terrible” at it and does not plan to show many people. She described the activity as cute, fun, and fulfilling.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie has one of the more mischievous celebrity hobbies. She became known for giving small tattoos to friends and castmates, especially during the Suicide Squad era.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp has long been associated with unusual collecting habits. Celebrity hobby roundups have noted that he has collected strange or highly specific items, which fits the offbeat image fans often connect to his roles and public persona.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s hobbies have often matched her storytelling personality. Celebrity hobby coverage has highlighted her love of making snow globes and handmade gifts. That fits the side of Swift fans know well: sentimental, detail-focused, nostalgic, and fond of hidden meaning.

Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill’s surprising hobby has made him a favorite among gaming fans. He has publicly spoken about gaming, and fans still remember his connection to The Witcher not only as an acting role, but as a world he already loved.

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