We may forget this sometimes, but celebrities weren’t always celebrities. They were normal people living normal lives (unless they’re children of celebrities) from all over the country and even the world.

We find it fascinating learning about celebrities before they were famous. It’s interesting knowing where they grew up, how they got their big break, and how becoming famous has changed their lives. Some celebrities have even chosen to drop out of the spotlight because they decided they liked “normal” life better.

Have you ever wondered what it must be like to know someone before he or she became famous? Obviously they had friends, neighbors and family members who knew them really well when they were just an average Joe or Jane. Reddit user RogueWolf300 was curious just how much being a celebrity changes people.

“People of Reddit who knew celebrities before they were famous, how different do they act now?”

The answers to this question are very eye-opening. Scroll down to learn some inside info about 14 celebrities.

1. Wesley Snipes

   Written by Reddit user Shaka-Zulu1:

   My Grandpa(RIP) owned a grocery store in Miami in the late 70s. Wesley Snipes and his friends once stole some candy from his store and when he caught them he let them have it. Since then Wesley and his friends were regulars. Once, Wesley left his bike in front of the store and it got stolen (was a pretty bad area). My grandpa gave him his old bike that he kept in the back of the store. My uncle took over in 2001 when my grandpa died. In 2007 he came back to the store while my uncle and cousin were there, to ask about my grandpa. My uncle said they talked for a little over an hour about how he my grandpa treated him like a son. When he found out my grandpa passed he felt guilty he didn’t visit sooner. He embraced my uncle and cousin and left. My uncle said he told him they plan on having the building repainted while they talked. About a week later a crew of painters arrived and told my uncle they were already paid to have the building repainted. Such a genuine dude.

2. Sandra Oh

   mgov999 shared:

   I went to high school with Sandra Oh. She was funny, dynamic, smart, outgoing, and very into drama. In one school play, she played what I will call sort of a mime character – she didn’t have lines but was still a big part of the action, commenting on what was going on through her actions. Anyhow, in one scene as she was exiting the stage she banged her head on one of the props – you could hear the loud bang- but she was a pro and just carried on. It has been great to see her have such success, and I love that she has kept in touch with her close friends from high school (you can spot them at awards show sometimes).

3. Ed Sheeran

   Shared by lizziexo:

   This is real late and second hand but I knew someone who went to ACM with Ed Sheeran. He said he was lazy in class, skipped classes and just wanted to smoke weed, and my acquaintance was mad when Ed started getting more and more famous when Ed didn’t even bother with his music courses. I thought that was funny.

4. Rachel McAdams

   Pymm wrote:

   Work in a restaurant about 15 years ago as a manager. Rachel McAdams walked in for an interview. She was still in acting school and serving table to pay for it. She worked at my restaurant over the course of the next 2 summers, serving on our patio. Still friends to this day. She hasn’t changed a bit. Still bikes to get groceries.

5. Joe Keery

   Shared by piggieees:

   I went to college with Joe Keery aka Steve Harrington in Stranger Things. He was my college boyfriend’s suite mate and just the nicest guy. His hair has always been dreamy and amazing. Last time I saw him was at a viewing of the Hateful Eight after we graduated and he still made a point to come over and say hi!

6. Tom Hanks

   Written by ScottishHeat:

   Friend of mine was friends with Tom Hanks in high school and went to prom with him. He still writes her personalized BDay cards on one of his typewriters.

7. Norah Jones

   From imbackwards:

   I went to Junior High with Norah Jones. She was the most sincere and serene person. She was fun to talk to and she never gave a hint of who her father was. The night she won all those Grammys was very telling that she hadn’t changed a bit.

8. Mark Ruffalo

   vman4402 wrote:

   I went to high school with Mark Ruffalo. He was nice. He was “one of those thespians”. Our high school had an acting group that challenged the students to get out of their shell and do things in front of strangers like introducing yourself as the wild fairy of the woods and presenting them with a flower.We didn’t talk much, but like I said, he was a good guy.

9. Megan Fox

   Written by binnygeo:

   Went to middle school with Meagan fox for a bit. She rode my bus and she mostly kept to herself. Most of the guys would fight over who was going to sit next to her but she was very shy and didn’t really have much to say.

10. Dolly Parton

    2ndbestguyyouknow wrote:

    I live in the town where Dolly Parton grew up, and practically everyone above the age of 50 who grew up here claims to either be a distant relative of Dolly’s, or they claim to know her in some way. Everyone has their story of the time they met Dolly. It’s pretty obvious, but regardless of who you talk to, Dolly has always been sweet and generous, but everything has simply grown exponentially due to her fame. Examples are the millions of books she gives out for free to children around the globe each month, or how she gave out $10,000 cash to many of my close friends after their houses burned in a fire a couple years back. Thousands of people are employed here and work for one of the businesses she owns, and it’s a tad strange to see when you walk in, but the birthing center at the local hospital is funded by and named after her. I honestly can’t think of one person I know who doesn’t like her. Dolly’s heart has only gotten bigger because of fame.

11. Jack Nicholson

    From detroit_smash_ur_dad:

    My grandfather taught Jack Nicholson in High School math class. Said he was rebellious but wasn’t too bad at math.

12. Mel B

    Written by BigPP_man:

    My mum knew Mel B from her high school. Apparently she always copied other peoples work.

13. Kesha

    From TheOftenNakedJason:

    Kesha.Total nerd. 1600 on her SATs. Quiet. A bit of a social outcast. Nice, though. You could tell she cared about others and wouldn’t ever hurt a flea.

14. Jennifer Lawerence

    Written by cg42069:

    Jennifer Lawerence. I moved to Louisville middle of 7th grade year. She was my first friend, and the first person I had a sleepover with. We hit it off. She was very different from me, a cheerleader, came from a lot of wealth, but her family was really awesome and we were both kinda weird and outgoing so we become good friends very fast. Her family owned a farm that had a children’s summer camp (Hi-Ho) and we went to it a couple of times, she had one of her birthday parties there! I remember her kissing our friend Jon under a trampoline. We talked about it for way too long! We hung out fairly often until she moved to NYC a year and half after we met….I will say, what you see with her is what you get. She was always very quirky, kinda weird (which was funny because she was so preppy presenting, but really wasn’t like that), she was very loud, made her presence known. It’s been bizarre seeing her in interviews because she acts the exact same.