Celebs You Didn't Know Lived Together
We like to picture celebrities living alone in gigantic mansions, sequestered from the rest of the world like Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. But hey, superstars are people too, and just like the hoi polloi, they often camp out with other human beings. And sometimes, these celebrities wind up sharing a room with other famous figures.
Occasionally, these celebrity roommates are up-and-coming superstars pooling their resources and trying to skimp by. Other times, they're already big names who just want some company. From David Bowie to Dustin Hoffman, some of the most famous people in pop culture have offered up their homes to your favorite VIPs.
Conan O'Brien and Jeff Garlin
Stick two funny guys in an apartment, and what happens? Anarchy. Well, that's what happened to Conan O'Brien, anyway.
In 1988, the red-headed comedian—who'd been working as a writer on Saturday Night Live—found himself involved with a writers' strike. In the meantime, he performed in a Chicago comedy revue with a group that included Bob Odenkirk. And when Coco went home every night, he was sharing digs with the one and only Jeff Garlin.
Best known for shows like The Goldbergs and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Garlin was probably a load of laughs, but he also liked making life difficult for poor Conan. "He was a great roommate," Garlin admitted to Esquire. "I was the bad roommate." According to both comedians, Garlin had really bad habit of kicking O'Brien's door open at three in the morning and shouting random stuff like, "It's pudding pop time!" He would then roust him out of bed and force him to "do impressions and sit for his amusement."
"And for some reason," O'Brien explained, "I did. He has that power."
Garlin also wouldn't let O'Brien come into his room, which doesn't sound bad until you realize the big guy had the only AC unit in the house. "He was not happy about it," Garlin admitted, "because his room was really hot." But despite all the insanity, the two remained close. "I love the guy," Garlin confessed, and O'Brien seems to feel the same, even though he thinks his old roommate is a "madman."
Dana White and Mark Wahlberg
If you know anything about combat sports, then you've probably heard of Dana White, the controversial president of the UFC. (And even if you're not into athletics, you might've seen his speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.) One of the most powerful men in MMA, White has run the Ultimate Fighting Championship since 2001, shepherding stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey into the spotlight. But before all that, he was big into boxing. The guy was involved in pretty much every part of the sport, earning his paycheck as a fighter, manager, and trainer.
And that's how Dana White ended up rooming with the leader of the Funky Bunch, Marky Mark himself.
While filming Boogie Nights, Mark Wahlberg had his eye on another project, a boxing picture titled Out on My Feet. It was a biopic about fighter Vinnie Curto, and Wahlberg wanted to play the lead. Needing to get a handle on the sweet science, Wahlberg asked White to give him a few lessons, so the two shared a house for five months as they sparred, worked on footwork, and punched heavy bags.
The film was never made, but White left impressed with the actor's abilities, describing Wahlberg as "a good athlete" and saying they "had a blast" working together. And the two still stay in touch, with Wahlberg attending UFC events and even owning a piece of the company, along with other stars like Tom Brady, Venus Williams, and Michael Bay. So the lesson here is pretty simple. The next time a friend asks if he can stay at your house, just remember, he might end up running a $4 billion business someday.
Craig Mazin and Ted Cruz
Maybe you don't recognize Craig Mazin's name, but you've probably seen some of his movies. He's the screenwriter behind Identity Thief, The Huntsman: Winter's War, and The Hangover Part II and III. But before making his way to Tinseltown, Mazin was a student at Princeton, and during his college days, the screenwriter—who's definitely on the left side of the political aisle—found himself living with one of the most conservative guys in America.
During his freshman year, Mazin shared a room with Ted Cruz, future politician from the Lone Star State. And as you've probably guessed, the screenwriter and the senator didn't get along. When asked about his relationship with Cruz, Mazin once remarked, "I remember very specifically that he had a book in Spanish and the title was Was Karl Marx a Satanist? And I thought, who is this person?"
The weirdness, according to Mazin, didn't stop there. The writer claims he was often called to retrieve Cruz from the women's end of the dorm, where he could be found wandering around in his bathrobe. Cruz also allegedly spent quite a bit of time lounging around their room shirtless, something that bugged Mazin to no end.
In fairness, not everyone thought Cruz was such a bad guy. His Princeton debate partner, David Panton, described the someday senator as "very kind" and "gentle-hearted." But Mazin couldn't disagree more. When asked about the worst thing Cruz had ever done at Princeton, Mazin responded, "Set his alarm for 7AM and then hit the snooze button seven times in a row. Day after day. Until I crazy-glued it."
Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson
Long before Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson took Hollywood by storm, they were just two kids trying to make their way in the Lone Star State. Anderson hailed from Houston, Wilson came from Dallas, and the two eventually met up in Austin. Both were students at the University of Texas, and they noticed each other while taking a less-than-thrilling playwriting course. Perhaps he was impressed with how Wilson read The New York Times while their professor lectured; whatever the reason, Anderson eventually approached the future actor and asked about a creative writing class.
Pretty soon, their nonstop conversations about movies led to the two becoming roommates. But here's where the story takes an unusual turn. You see, their apartment wasn't all that great—their windows were stuck halfway open, and their cranky landlord wouldn't fix them. So Wilson and Anderson refused to pay rent, and in retaliation, the landlord refused to touch the windows until they forked over the dough. Wanting to teach the old man a lesson, the two students ransacked their room—making it look like they'd been burgled—and called the police. But the old man wasn't buying it, so Wilson and Anderson decided to bail.
However, the landlord wasn't going to let them off that easy, and hired a private detective to track them down. Busted, the two returned, and in a strange sort of peace offering, they interviewed the landlord for a documentary. During filming, the old man told a touching story about his dead pet snake, and he was so emotional afterwards that he actually paid Anderson $600 for letting him stroll down memory lane.
Shortly afterward, Wilson and Anderson burst into the cinematic scene with Bottle Rocket, and even after Rushmore, the two were still living together in L.A., along with Owen's brother Luke. Three up-and-coming filmmakers who like foreign films and eclectic movies living in a house together? That should totally be the plot for Anderson's next movie.
Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and Robert Duvall
Hoffman, Duvall, and Hackman—they're legends of the silver screen. This talented trio has racked up a grand total of five Oscars, and they've starred in some of Hollywood's greatest movies. But long before they killed it in films like Rain Main, Tender Mercies, and Unforgiven, these three actors were busting their chops in New York City, desperately trying to get a gig, all while working odd jobs to survive. And when they weren't auditioning for parts, you could find them hanging out in each others' apartments.
As students at the famed Pasadena Playhouse, Hoffman and Hackman were the first to meet. Eventually, Hackman and his wife left California for the Big Apple, and Hoffman wasn't far behind, following his buddy in 1958. After Hoffman arrived in New York, Hackman let the younger actor bunk in his kitchen, where Hoffman slept on the floor for three weeks until Mr. and Mrs. Hackman kicked him out. Hey, it was a two-room apartment after all, and a married couple needs their alone time.
But Hackman is no monster, and he asked his buddy Robert Duvall if he could take in the budding thespian. Hoffman and Duvall lived together off and on for a couple of years, picking up girls, hanging out with Elliott Gould, and throwing parties where they'd entertain guests with improv comedy skits. And evidently, they weren't really big into the concept of privacy, as Duvall would allegedly join Hoffman in the shower if his buddy was in there with a girl. Of course, just a few years later, these three wouldn't need to share apartments anymore as their careers took off and their bank accounts became as impressive as their acting abilities.
Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling
Hey there, hi there, ho there, you're as welcome as can be...to crash at Justin Timberlake's house. Well, if you're Ryan Gosling, anyway. In the '90s, these two superstars were a lot younger, a bit goofier looking, and best of buds. Along with Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, the guys were co-stars on Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club, and when they weren't dancing onscreen, they were getting into all sorts of mischief.
"We used to do terrible things," Timberlake admitted. "We thought we were so cool." For example, they once took a joyride around MGM Studios on a stolen golf cart. In addition to being pint-sized outlaws, they were also housemates. During a season of The Mickey Mouse Club, Gosling's mother had to go back to Canada (Gosling is from the Great White North), so Timberlake's mom became the Baby Goose's guardian, letting him stay in her house for about a year. As Timberlake told Ellen DeGeneres, "We were probably a little closer than the rest of the kids that were on the show because we had to share a bathroom." But despite their living situation, the two drifted apart after their program was cancelled in '96.
"We aren't the closest of friends, for whatever reason," Timberlake said. In fact, they have conflicting memories about their time together. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, the singer was shocked when the talk show host said Gosling claimed he'd spent the entire year sleeping on Timberlake's couch. Incredulous, Timberlake replied, "So he tried to make it seem like he was a bohemian even back then?" The pop star followed up with, "But Gosling got his own bed. He didn't sleep on the couch. He said that?"
We can't say for sure, but it sounds like the former Mouseketeers probably won't be hanging out anytime soon.
Cary Grant and Randolph Scott
Who would've thought a guy named Archibald Leach could become a movie star? It goes to show what a little name change can do. After redubbing himself Cary Grant, this English-born actor became one of the most sophisticated men in show business. He also earned quite the reputation as a notorious womanizer, getting married five different times. As a result, he spent quite a bit of time in the gossip rags, but in the late '30s and '40s, Grant scandalized a few folks by tossing his heterosexual image out the window and rooming with one of the most rugged men in Hollywood.
The star of movies like The Tall T and Ride the High Country, Randolph Scott is a pretty big deal if you're into westerns. Of course, he wasn't always starring in horse operas. In the early 1930s, Scott appeared in a decidedly non-western drama called Hot Saturday, and that's where he ran into Grant. Evidently, the two got along pretty well, because they moved into an apartment until Grant got hitched in 1934. And after breaking up with his wife, Grant got back together with Scott, moving into a seven-room beach house.
According to The Hairpin, the duo called their home "Bachelor Hall," and they were photographed working out together, lounging on a diving board, and relaxing around the house. If you've seen these pics, then you know they're pretty intimate, and they've stirred up quite a bit of debate about Grant and Scott's relationship. Were they lovers or just good friends? Rumors have swirled for years, with some saying the two were spotted holding hands, and Grant's daughter claiming her dad preferred the ladies. According to Chevy Chase, Grant was definitely gay—a claim he made on national TV and paid for when the star slapped him with a lawsuit.
Robert Englund and Mark Hamill
Okay, it's time for a fantasy movie showdown. If Freddy Krueger went toe-to-toe with Luke Skywalker, who'd win? The Jedi knight or the dream demon? While chances are slim (try nonexistent) these characters will ever duel to the death, they did sort of live together during the 1970s.
Of course, we're really talking about Robert Englund and Mark Hamill, the guys who brought Freddy and Luke to life on the silver screen. Before either actor hit the big time, they were living in Studio City, Los Angeles, with Hamill regularly crashing at Englund's pad. "He was always at my house," Englund told The Hollywood Reporter, "practically a third roommate," along with his girlfriend, Janice Fisher. In his autobiography, Hollywood Monster, Englund wrote about how the younger actor introduced him to Monty Python, obscure horror flicks, and "the delights of watching old Marx Brothers movies in the middle of the afternoon."
In return, Englund helped Hamill land the gig of a lifetime.
According to the scary star, he'd auditioned for a part in Apocalypse Now but was told he was too old for the job. Englund was offered the opportunity to try out for Star Wars, but after trying to land the part of Han Solo, the poor guy was told he was too young. However, Englund thought his friend might be cut out for the picture. After returning home, he found Hamill asleep on the couch, woke the kid up, and told him all about the space flick, encouraging him to audition. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Christopher Reeve and Robin Williams
Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve seem as different as night and day. One was short and stocky; the other was tall and chiseled. One is best known for playing madcap characters like Mrs. Doubtfire; the other is Superman. But despite their differences, these guys were incredibly close, supporting each other through good times and bad.
According to The Daily Beast, this odd couple first met in 1973, when they were accepted into Juilliard. Out of 20 students, they were the only two accepted into the Advanced Program, and soon these new roommates had made a pact, swearing if one became rich and famous, he'd be sure to give the other a helping hand.
As you might expect, life with Robin Williams was loaded with laughs. Reeve claimed he'd "never seen so much energy contained in one person" and "there was never a moment when he wasn't doing voices, imitating teachers, and making our faces ache from laughing at his antics." Of course, Reeve also helped Williams when the guy was down, listening to him when he "wanted to switch off and have a serious conversation with someone...." And according to Williams, Reeve always made sure he had a meal if his "money for food or [his] student loan hadn't come in yet."
And of course, Williams gladly returned the favor. Years later, after Reeve was paralyzed in a horse riding accident, the comedian constantly encouraged the actor and cheered him up. In fact, before Reeve underwent a risky spinal surgery, Williams showed up with a Russian accent and a surgeon's outfit, claiming he needed to give his friend a proctology exam. So it's easy to see why Reeve described his buddy as "a gift to the world," and really, we hope these two guys are hanging out in the afterlife somewhere, making each other laugh.
David Bowie and Iggy Pop
By 1976, David Bowie had grown tired of living in Los Angeles. Wanting to escape the city's overbearing drug culture, he decided "it was essential to take some kind of positive action." So the glam rocker packed up his guitars and flew to Europe, eventually winding up in Berlin. The Thin White Duke rented an apartment located above an auto parts store and spent his days sitting on the floor, as he didn't believe in chairs at the time. But Bowie wasn't the only one camping out on the floor: he shared the flat with fellow rock god Iggy Pop.
The two musicians met in 1971 and they'd hung out for several years, touring and working on each others' music. Now, similar to Bowie, Pop was struggling with his own issues, so he followed the English pop star over to Germany. Living above the automobile store, the two spent their time watching Starsky & Hutch and working on songs like "Lust for Life." Bowie also used the time to work on albums like Heroes, but of the two musicians, it seems Pop profited the most from the relationship.
Later, Pop admitted, "[Bowie] was more of a benefactor than friend in a way most people think of friendship. He went a bit out of his way to bestow some good karma on me." In short, Pop truly believed that Bowie "resurrected me."