To put it mildly, the life of an A-lister appears to be a breeze. Of course, we’re not dismissing the importance of long, exhausting days on set. But once those are out of the way, it’ll be an easy path to never-ending Hulk-sized wages and a Hollywood Hills pied-a-terre.

But, before your childhood heroes could enjoy a life of unrestrained luxury, they had to pay their dues, just like everyone else. Stars have done odd occupations like crab shuckers and pen sellers, as well as chicken coop scoopers and coffin cleaners, to make ends meet. We’ve produced a list of the worst 30. To be frank, even if the end result was a lifestyle of a perpetual celebrity, these commitments might not have been worth it. So, keep a frown on your face as you continue on.

Johnny Depp was a pen salesman

Johnny Depp, like fellow actor Gabourey Sidibe, sharpened his acting skills as a pen salesman. “You offer them all of this if they buy a case of pens from you. It was dreadful. However, I believe that was my first encounter with acting,” he claims.

Brad Pitt dressed as a chicken to promote El Pollo Loco in Los Angeles.

Even the biggest stars in the world began modestly. For example, before Brad Pitt was a great box office attraction, he was merely trying to encourage people to eat chicken. That’s right: the Academy Award-nominated actor once dressed up as a chicken for the El Pollo Loco restaurant franchise.

Megan Fox wore a banana suit to promote a smoothie shop.

Megan Fox had another difficult task to do before spending long hours on set: a banana. That’s correct, the Jennifer’s Body actress dressed as a huge yellow fruit to promote a nearby smoothie shop. “Once a week, typically on Fridays, someone had to dress up like a piece of fruit and stand out by the road. I was a giant banana, and I was a banana, and I was a banana, and I was a banana,” she told Ellen DeGeneres about it.

Chace Crawford was a shirtless salesman at Abercrombie and Fitch.

We’re all sorry we couldn’t make it to the mall that day. Chace Crawford, star of Gossip Girl, put those cheekbones (and washboard abs) to good use long before he debuted on the big screen as a shirtless presenter at an Abercrombie & Fitch store.

Naya Rivera was a waitress at Hooters

The Glee actress is no stranger to s*x appeal on the job site, having worked as a waiter at Hooters. According to the actress, the uniform made her feel bad about her physique, and we’re sure anybody else wearing Spanx in a packed restaurant feels the same way.