15 Celebrities Who Tried Something New, God Bless 'Em

Look, we’re not saying don’t try new things. Of course not. What if you’re playing a wheelchair bound student in a Canadian teen drama, and you become one of the most successful hip hop artists of all time? It has happened! So, other celebrities, please keep trying. There are plenty of successful crossover stories, but we’re just saying, because you’re already well known, your possible flop will definitely be newsworthy.
Successful people don’t want to be pigeonholed. And good on 'em, these lovable sweeties. They gave it a go. They’ve found success in, say, singing or acting, so why wouldn’t they think they could recapture that magic in, say, politics? It could happen. Well, except that in this case, it didn’t. But it totally could! So from politics to fashion to sports, here are 15 celebrities who tried something new (and then went right back to what they knew they were good at.)
Robert Downey Jr. tried adult contemporary music.

ILya Soldatkin/Shutterstock, Sony Classical
Maybe she could just sing about acting.

Subs… In a Sub! Get it?!

From private jets to riding the bus.

Natalie Portman was a vegan shoe designer.

Andrea Raffin/Shutterstock, Te Casan
Mick Jagger as an actor.

United Artists
Check out Scarlett Johansson’s Tom Waits covers.

ATCO Records
Mandy Moore wanted it all.

Blake Lively might’ve been the next Jeff Bezos.

’The Hulk’ was not ’The Rock.’

New Line Cinema
Tom Hardy was a rapper.

50 Cent couldn’t portray 50 Cent.

Paramount Pictures
Garth Brooks tried a whole new identity.

Sterling Munksgard/Shutterstock,
Capitol Records
American Idol. Not an American Congressman.

Alyssa Milano’s music career.

Jamie Lamor Thompson/Shutterstock,
Pony Canyon Inc.