As I delve deeper into the fascinating lives of these extraordinary individuals, it’s simply astounding to see how their humble beginnings at McDonald’s have played such a significant role in shaping their eventual success. From D.L. Hughley’s early appearances on beloved sitcoms like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Scrubs,” to Keenen Ivory Wayans’ groundbreaking work on “In Living Color,” these gentlemen have undeniably left indelible marks on the world of entertainment.
There’s been quite a stir in the media recently about who exactly has and hasn’t worked at McDonald’s, with Vice President Kamala Harris frequently discussing her past at this fast-food chain. In response to claims that she didn’t work there, former president Donald Trump made an appearance at a McDonald’s franchise in Pennsylvania during a campaign event, serving meals to pre-screened customers. Given the political drama surrounding McDonald’s, let’s set aside the major party candidates for now and focus on: who are some other well-known individuals who held jobs at McDonald’s before they became famous actors or performers?
It might surprise you to learn that several well-known politicians, such as former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, have held jobs at McDonald’s in their past. And it turns out, a group of actors also spent time flipping burgers and serving fries! Here is a list of 10 performers you probably didn’t know worked at McDonald’s.
James Franco
In a 2015 op-ed piece for the Washington Post, actor James Franco shared his story of moving to Los Angeles with aspirations of a career in acting. However, he lacked employment and a place to live to pursue these opportunities. After leaving UCLA, Franco applied to numerous jobs before landing one at McDonald’s. He was quickly hired after submitting an application. As Franco put it, “McDonald’s was there for me when I needed them, and no one else.” He utilized his late-night shift at the drive-through to hone his skills by practicing various accents.
Franco’s persistence eventually led to success, as he landed a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, boosting his morale until he gained broader recognition. Most people are aware that Franco’s career took off after his early appearances on Judd Apatow and Paul Feig’s short-lived cult classic “Freaks & Geeks,” in the movie “Never Been Kissed,” and as Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” films alongside Tobey Maguire. Since then, Franco has been featured in numerous projects like “Pineapple Express,” “This is the End,” “The Disaster Artist” (which he also directed), among many others. However, his reputation suffered a significant blow in 2021 due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Rachel McAdams
Speaking to The New York Times Magazine in 2008 for her movie “The Lucky Ones” promotion, Rachel McAdams openly admitted that she found it surprising she was allowed to work behind the counter at a McDonald’s in Canada. For three years, she confessed to being a bit of a dreamer and procrastinator, which likely contributed to them only assigning her the role of the cheerful voice that greeted customers upon entry. Despite working at a fast-food restaurant, she admitted to wanting everything to be perfectly organized, even while organizing sweet-and-sour packets in takeout bags as the line grew longer.
McAdams may not have excelled as a McDonald’s employee, but she has proven to be an exceptional actress who has graced some truly outstanding productions. It’s fortunate that she landed her breakthrough role in the 2002 comedy “The Hot Chick.” Following this, “The Notebook” and “Mean Girls” came swiftly, catapulting her to great heights, and McAdams has since maintained a steady pace in her career. In more recent times, McAdams has been seen in projects such as the heartwarming adaptation “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the “Doctor Strange” films, displayed her comedic prowess in “Game Night,” and made her Broadway debut in “Mary Jane” in 2024.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the multi-award-winning actor and writer behind hits like “Hamilton” and “Moana”, once held a job at McDonald’s. In 2017, he shared a new song called “Delivery” on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which was inspired by his time at McDonald’s. He wrote in the post, “My first job was working the cash register and handling deliveries for McDonald’s. It was all worth it for this song I created years later.
Even if you only know him from social media memes making fun of him — and there are plenty — Miranda is a bonafide member of Hollywood’s A-list, largely thanks to the success of his musical “Hamilton.” A Tony and Grammy-winning smash hit that reimagined the Founding Fathers and their stories — with Miranda himself as Alexander Hamilton in the original cast — “Hamilton” was one of the biggest theater sensations in recent years, even surpassing Miranda’s previous Tony-winning musical “In the Heights.” He went on to work on soundtracks for “Moana,” “Encanto” — including the massive song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — and the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.” Miranda also won a Pulitzer for “Hamilton,” which might make him the first former McDonald’s employee to win that honor.
Andie MacDowell
Actress Andie MacDowell has been a well-known figure in Hollywood for many years, but before she found fame, she worked at McDonald’s. In an interview with Terry Gross on NPR, she shared that she even worked at the same McDonald’s as her mother. One unforgettable memory from this time was witnessing her mother being let go from the fast-food chain due to intoxication. Later, MacDowell incorporated this personal experience into a project she worked on with her daughter to enhance her performance in it.
You might be familiar with Andie MacDowell, who played the leading role in the popular comedy “Groundhog Day” alongside Bill Murray. However, her acting career extends far beyond this iconic film, as she has appeared in numerous other projects such as “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Magic Mike XXL,” “Ready or Not,” the Hallmark Channel series “The Way Home,” and more.
Mark Hamill
Was Mark Hamill employed at McDonald’s prior to becoming a Star Wars icon? While only Hamill himself can confirm this, he did share on social media (Twitter) in 2019 that his first real job was indeed at a McDonald’s restaurant in Annandale, Virginia when he was sixteen. He also mentioned other early jobs like being a paperboy and playing Santa’s helper at a department store, but working at McDonald’s was his first formal employment. To add some humor to the revelation, Hamill posted a photoshopped image of himself in Star Wars costume while working behind the counter at McDonald’s with the caption “#TheFriesOfSkywalker”.
Mark Hamill is a well-known figure, but for those who might not recognize him immediately, he’s the actor who initially portrayed Luke Skywalker in George Lucas’ first Star Wars film, now known as “A New Hope.” He continued this role throughout the original trilogy alongside Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. Later, Hamill reprised his role in J.J. Abrams’ sequel trilogy, sharing screen time with newcomer Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Beyond Star Wars, he’s also lent his voice to several notable Batman projects, most famously as the Joker. In 2023, Hamill appeared in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix miniseries “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and he even made a memorable guest appearance on the comedy series “What We Do in the Shadows.
Sharon Stone
Actress Sharon Stone shared insights about her time working at McDonald’s in the 1970s during an interview for her book “The Beauty of Living Twice.” She mentioned that this experience taught her valuable lessons such as diligence, punctuality, and perseverance. Since there were no workplace rules to protect young women at the time, she also learned essential self-defense skills and how to balance personal safety with maintaining employment. Stone emphasized that many Hollywood celebrities started from modest backgrounds, using her encounter at Elton John’s wedding as an example: “People told me, ‘Clark Gable didn’t grow up on Park Avenue, Sharon. We’re all just regular folks who had a dream and made it happen.’
Stone began gaining fame and recognition with her initial two films directed by Paul Verhoeven, namely “Total Recall” in 1990 and “Basic Instinct” in 1992. These movies, particularly the latter, propelled her into prominence and cemented her status as a notable sex symbol (the iconic “Basic Instinct” scene is widely recognized). Over the years, Stone has graced various projects such as “Casino,” where she received a Golden Globe for best actress in a drama, “The Mighty,” “Broken Flowers,” “The Disaster Artist,” which starred fellow McDonald’s alum James Franco, and “The Laundromat.” In 2004, she was honored with an Emmy for her guest appearance on “The Practice.
James D’Arcy
Among all the individuals on this roster, British actor James D’Arcy seems to have had the most extraordinary experience during his time at McDonald’s. In an interview with The Metro UK back in 2012, he shared a particularly harrowing incident. He stated, “A gun was waved at me while I was working there, and that wasn’t exactly a good thing.” Upon further inquiry for more details, D’Arcy recounted, “I was manning the cash register when someone brandished a gun at my face. He was looking for someone else but that person wasn’t on duty that night. He pointed the gun at me, then fled. In response to this, they bumped up my pay by 1p per hour and I left the job shortly after.
Fortunately, things took a turn for the better in D’Arcy’s life after that point. In 2003, he made an appearance in a supporting role in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” which was followed by “Exorcist: The Beginning,” a horror prequel, and numerous other films such as “Cloud Atlas,” the biopic “Hitchcock” from 2012, “Jupiter Ascending,” and even Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-nominated film “Dunkirk” in 2017. D’Arcy worked with Nolan again in 2023 for the Academy Award-winning best picture “Oppenheimer,” where he portrayed the real-life physicist Patrick Blackett. Additionally, D’Arcy has played Edwin Jarvis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and since 2023, he has starred as a main character in the AppleTV+ series “Constellation.
D.L. Hughley
In response to Donald Trump’s appearance at a McDonald’s near Philadelphia, comedian and actor D.L. Hughley expressed his thoughts on social media about the former president’s past work at fast-food chains. Specifically, he pointed out that while the minimum wage was only $2.65 per hour when he worked at a McDonald’s in Compton, it has now increased to $7.25 an hour. Hughley also criticized Trump for not supporting a minimum wage increase that would benefit McDonald’s employees. Additionally, Hughley engaged with skeptical commenters, asserting that many people have worked at McDonald’s and that those who haven’t are out of touch. In another post from 2015, Hughley joked about the irony of McDonald’s using a heart in their commercials given the impact their food can have on one’s health.
In the ’90s, Hughley gained recognition through his work on BET and a recurring role on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” where he was Will Smith’s friend character, followed by appearances in shows like “Sister, Sister,” “Scrubs,” and “Hawaii 5-0.” He also took the lead roles in series such as “The Hughley Show” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” In 2013, Hughley participated in “Dancing with the Stars,” and in 2023, he filled in as a guest host on “The Daily Show.
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Despite being part of the illustrious Wayans family, Keenen Ivory Wayans took on a job at McDonald’s during high school to aid in supporting his large family. Later on, he and his brothers embarked on creating “In Living Color” in 1990 – a groundbreaking sketch comedy series that he produced, which often showcased his siblings Damon, Kim, Marlon, and Shawn. From there, the world of entertainment was forever changed by their work.
The fame of “In Living Color” catapulted the Wayans family into stardom within their industry, and from that point forward, the second-oldest Wayans brother (the eldest is Dwayne Howell Wayans, a writer and film producer) began his rapid ascent. Wayans directed the influential “Scary Movie,” a parody of the horror movie “Scream” that essentially spawned an entire genre of spoof films, which was released in 2000; he also created and starred in the series “The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show” from 1997 to 1998, and served as a judge on “Last Comic Standing” from 2014 to 2015.
Jay Leno
In an account from Cody Teets’ book “Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald’s”, late-night host Jay Leno recounted an instance that demonstrated the meticulous attention to detail given by McDonald’s to each of its locations (as reported by CNBC). Leno, who had worked at a restaurant on Main Street for two years from 1966 to 1968, spoke about this incident involving the location’s owner and manager, Tom Curtin.
Everyone is aware of Leno; he’s a renowned late-night talk show host who had a notable conflict with Conan O’Brien concerning “The Tonight Show”. Following his permanent departure from The Tonight Show in 2014, Leno hosted Jay Leno’s Garage from 2015 to 2022, where he displayed his well-known collection of classic cars. Since then, he has been involved with productions like “You Bet Your Life” and “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge”.
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2024-10-27 18:00