Actors and musicians working behind the bar to pay the bills while looking for a big break isn’t uncommon. Liquor.com compiles a list of celebrities who were once drink-slingers, although it “can’t vouch for the quality of their drinks and or the bar-side manner.”
Before Speed, Sandra Bullock used to bartend in New York where she apparently learned the art of speaking in accents. Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo was also working behind the bar when she was approached by a casting director. Maria Bello got practice as a bartender before her role as the bar owner in Coyote Ugly. Dave Matthews worked at Miller’s in Charlottesville, VA, which has since become a travel destination for his worshipers. Other notables include Bill Cosby, Jon Stewart and Bruce Willis.
The one we most wish we could sit down in front of is Elle DeGeneres. Having grown up in New Orleans, she was shaking and stirring drinks before her comedy career took off. She once spoke at a graduation ceremony at the National Bartender School in Sherman Oaks, CA, where she imparted this wisdom; “[Vermouth] is like a cheap perfume: A little goes a long way.” [Liquor.com] [Photo: Flickr/Vratislav Darmek]