MAKING it big in the world of entertainment is a tough ask and many wannabe actors, singers and dancers never realise their dreams.

It’s no surprise creative types have plan B careers or back-up day jobs to make ends meet while they try to crack the industry.

These are the occupations some of our biggest stars held before they found fame and fortune.

CATE BLANCHETT

Numbers interested Blanchett before drama did and she was enrolled in economics and fine arts at Melbourne University before taking off on a gap year.

It was while in Europe that she stumbled across a film set and was invited to be an extra, revealing in her a passion for acting.

Blanchett came home, dropped out of uni and enrolled instead at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

BRAD PITT

During the final year of his journalism degree, Pitt dropped out and moved from Missouri to Hollywood to chase his dreams of stardom.

While trying to find his big break, he made ends meet by delivering refrigerators and dressing in a chicken suit to promote a local restaurant.

GEORGE CLOONEY

This film megastar also had a passion for news and media and studied broadcast journalism at Northern Kentucky University.

To fund his studies, Clooney also sold women’s shoes, stocked shelves at a supermarket, did odd construction jobs and hawked insurance door-to-door.

HUGH JACKMAN

Long before he was Wolverine, this Aussie star was teaching physical education at a high school in Britain while on a gap year.

It was 1987 and a young Jackman’s job was to put the pupils of the Uppingham School through their paces.

Another pre-fame job was dressing as a clown for parties.

JON HAMM

Before he was a television and film star, Hamm cut his teeth as a set decorator — for pornography films.

But the Mad Men star is quick to insist the adult films were softcore, not X-rated, and he essentially moved furniture around and not much else.

NICOLE KIDMAN

Kidman was just 17 when her mother Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer, so she put her education on hold and got a job.

She worked as a massage therapist to help provide financially for her family. When things settled down, she quit and enrolled in the Victorian College of Arts.

JENNIFER ANISTON

Long before her starring role in Friends and the long list of film credits that followed, Aniston worked as a telemarketer — for a grand total of two weeks.

The actress also took jobs as a promotions model and a waitress to make ends meet.

SHARI SEBBENS

She starred in the critically acclaimed Australian film The Sapphires and has enjoyed a number of TV and theatre roles since.

But up and coming actress Sebbens still holds down a part-time job at JB Hi-Fi in Sydney while she auditions for roles.

RACHEL MCADAMS

Before she ruled the high school roost in Mean Girls, McAdams spent her summer holidays flipping burgers at McDonald’s to earn pocket money.

She’s not the only celebrity to work beneath a set of golden arches. Before fame, actor James Franco, singer Pink and Australian television presenter Sarah Harris did too.

JON BON JOVI

When he was 17, Bon Jovi would wag school and make some extra money by cleaning his cousin’s recording studio in New York.

He managed to weasel his way into the booth and lay down his first single at 18, paving his way to global music stardom.

KYLE PRYOR

He studied media and sports science in the UK and is a martial arts expert, with a black belt in taekwondo.

The hunky Brit cut his teeth in entertainment as a film and television stuntman, before trying his hand at acting.

While spending a few months in Sydney, he was convinced to audition for Home And Away and landed the role of Nate Cooper.

JENNIFER HAWKINS

Before she was Miss Universe, Hawko was a cheerleader for the Newcastle Knights rugby league team.

She also worked as a dance choreographer and did some modelling on the side.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL

He spent two years studying Eastern religion and philosophy at the prestigious Columbia University in New York.

When the acting bug bit, Gyllenhaal dropped out and went to film school.

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

This southern gentleman has conquered the acting genres of both romantic comedy and drama but there was a time when he wanted to dominate the courtroom.

McConaughey spent two years studying law at university in Texas before deciding to focus on acting.