Skip to content

Top Navigation

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
  • News
    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Coronavirus
  • Royals
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Real Estate
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Tech
  • PeopleTV
  • Shopping
    • Coupons

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Logout
Subscribe

Explore PEOPLE.com

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Every Tiara Worn at a Royal Wedding

      From Princess Beatrice to Meghan Markle Read More Next
    • Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat

      Find out what your cat is trying to tell you with a new cat app Read More Next
    • The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana

      Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old Read More Next
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90

    Sean Connery died on Oct. 31 at age 90
    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
  • Entertainment

    Entertainment

    See All Entertainment

    Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now?

    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Coronavirus
  • Royals
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle

    Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype

    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Real Estate
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Shopping
    • Tech
  • PeopleTV
  • Shopping

    Shopping

    • Coupons

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

People is on Community!
Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more.
Text: 212-479-1704
  1. People.com
  2. Celebrity
  3. 16 Celeb Confessions That'll Make You Never Want to Be Famous

16 Celeb Confessions That'll Make You Never Want to Be Famous

From the lack of privacy to the public struggles, these stars are telling it like it is
By Lydia Price
Updated February 20, 2019 05:19 PM
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet

1 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Daniel Radcliffe: People Will Boo You, Even if You're a Child

Credit: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

"Crazy s--- happened to us as a family very young," Radcliffe said of his childhood Harry Potter days in a new episode of Off Camera with Sam Jones. During one scary incident in particular, the actor and his parents arrived in Japan to find thousands of fans waiting for them at the airport with only about 100 security guards there for protection.

"There were highly trained security guards being pushed around by, like, 6-year-old girls to 80-year-old women," he said.

Despite never feeling like he was actually in danger, Radcliffe found it excruciating to deal with being harassed by photographers. "As a kid, the thing that sucked, and the thing that did, you know, burrow it's way in there and was really unpleasant was getting booed. If you would be going into an event and the professional autograph hunters … There are some people who can do it and they go about it in a way that is okay, and they're not d---- about it and they're fine. But there are also some people that will boo and shout at a child," he said. "If you just hear people booing and shouting stuff at you and about you, that, as a kid, sucked. I do remember that being very disheartening."

1 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Daniel Radcliffe: It's Tempting to Turn to Alcohol to Cope With Scrutiny

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Getty

During his sitdown with Sam Jones, the Miracle Workers star also opened up about using alcohol to cope with fame when he was a teen. "The quickest way to forget about the fact that you were being watched was to get very drunk," he said about trying to enjoy nights out. "Then as you get very drunk, you become aware, 'Oh, people are watching more now because now I'm getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.'"

"Part of the thing is the expectation that you should just be delighted all the time," Radcliffe continued. "You have a great job, you're wealthy, you don't have a right to not be excited about the thing all the time. I think that's a pressure as well. You suddenly start to feel, 'Man, if I am just feeling some human emotion of sadness, does that mean I'm doing this wrong? Am I not good at being famous?'"

The star's own unique experience helps him empathize with others who dealt with growing up in the spotlight. "There is no blueprint for starting young and working stuff out," he said. "That's why whenever people are having a go at Justin Bieber drag racing cars or whatever, I'm always like, 'Yeah, but you never know. Stuff could be super crazy for him right now.'"

2 of 16

3 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Billie Eilish: You're Basically Miserable Half of the Time

Credit: Noam Galai/Getty

"I don't mean this in a necessarily negative way, but I sort of lost my teenage years, because this all started when I was 13," the "when the party's over" singer told Dutch channel 3voor12.

"There is no training, there's no like, let me go to a school that's going to teach me how to be famous. Also, that would suck. That would be trash school … Famous people suck," she added. "Fame is trash."

However, Eilish says the euphoria of performing her songs onstage makes up for the hardships.

"Someone was asking if, like, 'How much of it's miserable and how much of it's not?' I was just like, 'It's fifty-fifty. Half of it's horrible and half of it's unbelievably amazing and completely priceless,'" she said. "So, it's okay to do the trash."

3 of 16

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Gigi Hadid: You Lose a Lot of Friends

Credit: Isa Foltin/Getty

In 2017, the supermodel revealed to Harper's Bazaar that her time in the spotlight has had a major impact on her circle of friends — and made her less willing to open up. "A lot of interesting things in friends come out," she said of what happened when she became famous. "So in a way it's good because you learn that it's better to have a few really good friends than tons of friends you aren't really sure about. There are people who understand that I love them and who know that when I get back to town I'm going to call them, but sometimes I can't call every day because I'm in weird places."

She continued: "I've lost a lot of friends because I'll get busy for a short period of time, and they're not reaching out, but if I don't reach out, then it's like I've changed. I'm good with [the friends] I've got."

4 of 16

Advertisement

5 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Amy Schumer: Glam Events Are a Hassle 

Credit: Andrew H. Walker/REX/Shutterstock (

During a visit to the Howard Stern Show, the comedian confessed that going to the ultra-exclusive Met Gala "felt like punishment." "It's people doing an impression of having a conversation … I don't like the farce," she explained. "We're dressed up like a bunch of f---king a--holes." Schumer admitted to making an early escape from the star-studded event – even after meeting musical royalty. "I left, not the second I could; I left earlier than I should have been allowed," she told Stern. "I got to meet Beyoncé, and she was like, 'Is this your first Met Gala?' and I was like, 'It's my last.' "

5 of 16

6 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Idris Elba: Fame Makes You Paranoid

Credit: Camilla Morandi/REX/Shutterstock

Now engaged to Sabrina Dhowre, Elba confessed to Loaded in 2014 that his famous face made it hard to trust potential love interests. "Sometimes you're not sure what's real or not, especially when it comes to relationships," he lamented. "If you're adored by millions, sometimes even on your own front doorstep you can become paranoid and constantly question, 'Who is he? Who is she?' I know I've been guilty of it in the past."

6 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Kylie Jenner: It's Hard to Ignore Bad Press

Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty

Jenner told Interview magazine that she's constantly feeling anxious about the unflattering things showing up in the media. "I wake up every morning with the worst anxiety. I don't know why. I have, like, a problem," she shared. "I wake up every morning at, like, seven or eight because I think that there's a bad story about me, and I have to check. My worst fear is waking up and finding something bad about me on the Internet."

7 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Jennifer Lawrence: Dating is Near-Impossible

Credit: Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Before her engagement to Cooke Maroney, the Oscar-winner struggled to connect with eligible bachelors. "No one ever asks me out. I am lonely every Saturday night," she told Vogue. "Guys are so mean to me. I know where it's coming from, I know they're trying to establish dominance, but it hurts my feelings. I'm just a girl who wants you to be nice to me. I am straight as an arrow. I feel like I need to meet a guy, with all due respect, who has been living in Baghdad for five years who has no idea who I am."

8 of 16

Advertisement

9 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

George Clooney: You Can't Enjoy Simple Pleasures

Credit: Jeff Bottari/AP

Being a celebrity definitely isn't a walk in the park. "The big house on a hill is isolating," Clooney told Esquire. "There's no other way to say it. There are restrictions to this kind of fame. I haven't walked in Central Park for 15 years. I'd like to, you know?"

9 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Johnny Depp: All of Your Moves Have to Be Carefully Planned

Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty

Like stepping out for spontaneous adventures? Then the carefully planned famous life is probably not for you. "[Being famous] is a little bit like living like a fugitive," Depp explained on Today. "Everything has to be some sort of strategy. To get you into the hotel, to get you out of the hotel, to get you into the restaurant, to get you out of the restaurant."

10 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Daniel Craig: Everything You Do in Public Will Be Photographed

Credit: AKM-GSI

Craig told ShortList that the rise of camera phones has completely changed his social life. "[Phones] are the f---ing bane of my life. I get people who [photograph me] while I'm having dinner. I want to get violent and I can't," he said, adding, "They think it's their right to take a photo of me and I find that incredibly intrusive. But every phone has a camera on it, so how do we stop it? We can't. So how could I go into a pub and have a few pints of Guinness and get a bit rowdy and sing a few songs when some t---'s going to film me and put it on the Internet?"

11 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Megan Fox: You Experience Bullying on a Massive Scale

Credit: Ken Ishii/Getty

The actress used a relatable analogy to explain how brutal the public's treatment of celebrities can be. "I don't think people understand," she told Esquire "They all think we should shut the f--- up and stop complaining because you live in a big house or you drive a Bentley. So your life must be so great. What people don't realize is that fame, whatever your worst experience in high school, when you were being bullied by those 10 kids in high school, fame is that, but on a global scale, where you're being bullied by millions of people constantly."

12 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Robert Pattinson: Fame Means Being Bothered Constantly

Credit: Anna Webber/FilmMagic

"In L.A., I have at least 40 seconds from the moment I arrive somewhere, before I get asked for my autograph," Pattinson told Premiere. According to him, social media makes it all-too easy for fans to track his movements: "It's Twitter's fault. If this website didn't exist, I'd be in peace."

13 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Selena Gomez: There's Nothing But Constant Pressure

Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

In an interview with Vogue, Gomez opened up about the circumstances that pushed her to decide to cancel part of her Revival World Tour and enter treatment for depression and anxiety. "I’ve cried onstage more times than I can count, and I’m not a cute crier," she revealed about the effects of being open and authentic with her fans at all times. "Tours are a really lonely place for me,” she said, adding that before she checked into a facility in Tennessee, "My self-esteem was shot. I was depressed, anxious. I started to have panic attacks right before getting onstage, or right after leaving the stage. Basically I felt I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t capable. I felt I wasn’t giving my fans anything, and they could see it — which, I think, was a complete distortion. … What I wanted to say is that life is so stressful, and I get the desire to just escape it. But I wasn’t figuring my own stuff out, so I felt I had no wisdom to share. And so maybe I thought everybody out there was thinking, This is a waste of time."

14 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

15 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Justin Bieber: People Kick You When You're Down

Credit: Kevin Mazur/AMA2015/WireImage

The pop star candidly discussed his struggles in the spotlight during an NME interview. "I'm struggling just to get through the day," he said. "You get lonely, you know, when you're on the road. People see the glam and the amazing stuff, but they don't know the other side. This life can rip you apart. I watched the Amy Winehouse documentary [Amy] on the plane and I had tears in my eyes because I could see what the media was doing to her, how they were treating her. People thought it was funny to poke her when she was at rock bottom, to keep pushing her down until she had no more of herself. And that's what they were trying to do to me." Bieber went on to detail the "isolation" of camping out in hotel rooms to avoid fans and photographers: "And I feel isolated. You're in your hotel room and there are fans all around, paparazzi following you everywhere, and it gets intense. When you can't go anywhere or do anything alone you get depressed. I would not wish this upon anyone."

15 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

16 of 16

FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lady Gaga: You 'belong to Everyone Else'

Credit: CBS Sunday Morning

In a revealing interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the singer opened up about her album Joanne, as well as some of her personal struggles with fame. "As soon as I go out into the world, I belong, in a way, to everyone else," she said. "It's legal to follow me, it's legal to stalk me at the beach, I can't call the police or ask them to leave. And I took a long hard look at that property line and I said well, you know, if I can't be free out there, I’m going to be free in here [pointing to her heart]." She got teary-eyed talking about the way that being recognized by everyone has transformed her interpersonal interactions. "I miss people. I miss, you know, going anywhere and meeting a random person and saying 'Hi' and having a conversation about life. I love people," she said.

16 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Lydia Price

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 16 Daniel Radcliffe: People Will Boo You, Even if You're a Child
2 of 16 Daniel Radcliffe: It's Tempting to Turn to Alcohol to Cope With Scrutiny
3 of 16 Billie Eilish: You're Basically Miserable Half of the Time
4 of 16 Gigi Hadid: You Lose a Lot of Friends
5 of 16 Amy Schumer: Glam Events Are a Hassle 
6 of 16 Idris Elba: Fame Makes You Paranoid
7 of 16 Kylie Jenner: It's Hard to Ignore Bad Press
8 of 16 Jennifer Lawrence: Dating is Near-Impossible
9 of 16 George Clooney: You Can't Enjoy Simple Pleasures
10 of 16 Johnny Depp: All of Your Moves Have to Be Carefully Planned
11 of 16 Daniel Craig: Everything You Do in Public Will Be Photographed
12 of 16 Megan Fox: You Experience Bullying on a Massive Scale
13 of 16 Robert Pattinson: Fame Means Being Bothered Constantly
14 of 16 Selena Gomez: There's Nothing But Constant Pressure
15 of 16 Justin Bieber: People Kick You When You're Down
16 of 16 Lady Gaga: You 'belong to Everyone Else'

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

PEOPLE.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap
  • Student Offer this link opens in a new tab

Connect

People is on Community!
Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more.
Text: 212-479-1704
Newsletter Sign Up
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
© Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab. People is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Manage Push Notificationsthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab

Manage Push Notifications

If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Google Chrome and Android, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://people.com

View image

16 Celeb Confessions That'll Make You Never Want to Be Famous
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.