The world we live in today is as volatile and unpredictable as ever, so it's never a bad idea to have a Plan B. This is important in all walks of life, and even stars of Hollywood have taken time to make their own back up plans in case something doesn't work out or because they fancy a different challenge on the side.
There a wide range of sectors which cinema stars have delved into. For example, actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarznegger have all delved into the hospitality sector thanks to their venture in Planet Hollywood. The fashion route is also a popular one between celebrities who are often seen in front of the cameras promoting their own products.
The entrepreneurs of cinema
On the other hand, there are some that take the more corporate path with more original and creative ideas as a side project to their acting career. These are the examples we are going to be focussing on as we give you 15 actors and actresses who own their own businesses.
1 Drew Barrymore
In 2009 the 'E.T.: The Extra- Terrestrial' and 'Never Been Kissed' actress started to pop up less and less on the big screen. As a result, Drew Barrymore has occupied her time with her business venture FLOWER Beauty, her cosmetics range. FLOWER doesn't spend any money on marketing, so Barrymore dedicates all her budget on product development which allows her to create high end products at affordable prices.
2Paul Newman
The legendary Paul Newman founded his organic food company Newman's Own in 1982, which offers a wide range of products such as pizzas, popcorn and cookies, as well as his famous pasta sauces. The business donates all of its net profit to charity, accounting to over 450 million dollars since the company was founded.
3 Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is one of the founding partners of The Honest Company , eco-friendly business specialising in baby products. The business has had great success since it was found in 2011 and is now almost worth 2 billion dollars, whilst maintaining a good reputation. In 2015, Alba appeared on the front cover of Forbes magazine as one of the most successful business woman with "a second job in Hollywood".
4 Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock is one of the many Hollywood stars that have invested their money into hospitality ventures. The actress has been owner of two restaurants in Texas. One of them is a French restaurant called Bess Bistro and the other is a bakery/catering business named Walton's Fancy and Staple. The French restaurant closed in 2015, but the bakery is still running with the helping hand of her sister Gesine Bullock-Prado who helps out with the menus for the business.
5 Ashton Kutcher
In 2010, Ashton Kutcher became the co-founder of A-Grade Investment, a venture capital company that based in Los Angeles who look to invest in start up companies. The business has invested in firms such as Spotify, Uber and Aibnb. Kutcher also has his own investments in Foursquare and Skype.
6 Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg is co-owner, alongside his two brothers, to the chain of restaurants Wahlburgers, local fast food restaurants in Boston, where it was founded in 2011. The chain also has restaurants in Toronto, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New York. However, Wahlberg has faced problems in the past with his company namely for not paying employees.
7 Clint Eastwood
The legendary Clint Eastwood is owns a golf club in California. In 2005, he also purchased his next door neighbours land and turned it into a luxury resort named Mission Ranch Hotel. In this luxury hotel, which runs on sustainable energy methods such as using solar panels and wind turbines, costs anything from 120 to 350 euros per night.
8 Kate Hudson
In 2013, Kate Hudson co-founded Fabletics, an online site that specialises in sports and gym clothing for women. The service offers members personalised items depending on their fashion preferences to fit to the consumers lifestyle.
9 George Clooney
The popular Ocean's Eleven actor, George Clooney, created his brand of "ultra-premium" tequilla along with his friend Rande Gerbe in 2013 , named Casamigos.
10 Robert De Niro
As well as being one of the most well known actors in Holywood and co-founder of Tribeca Productions and the Tribeca Film Festival, Robert De Niro is also a big lover of food. This is obvious through his numerous investment in restaurants and hotels. The actor saw potential in chef Nobu Matshuisa and he teamed up with him to open a restaurant in, yes you guessed it, Tribeca. Since then he has opened up a number of other restaurants around the world. De Niro is also co-owner of the restaurant Tribeca Grill and the Greenwich Hotel, both located in New York.
11 Edward Norton
As well as working with a number of charities, 'Fight Club' actor, Edward Norton is co-founder with his wife Shauna Robertson for the business CrowdRise, a leading fundraising website for charities across the globe.
12 Steve Carell
In 2009, Steve Carell bought Marshfield Hills General Store with the aim of preserving it and to support small local businesses. In Marshfield Hills General Store you can purchase anything from candles, muffins, small gifts and coffee.
13 Dan Aykroyd
In 2007, Dan Aykroyd, the actor who appeared in the likes of 'The Blues Brothers' and 'Ghostbusters', founded Crystal Head Vodka with artist John Alexander. Aykroyd has also had ventures before this, for example in 1992 he teamed up with actor James Belushi to create the chain of restaurants named House of Blues.
14 Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow has been in charge of Goop since 2008. The site offers cosmetic products and advice to live a healthy lifestyle and thanks to external investments over the years the business has grown. This has lead to the actress taking a break from acting to concentrate on growing her business even further.
15 Kevin Smith
One thing we do know about director and occasional actor Kevin Smith is that he is a big fan of comic books. When it was announced that his favourite comic shop was set to close, Smith bought the shop for $30,000 and renamed it Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. Since then, as well as selling comics, the shop has turned into a museum for the films that Smith has directed as well as having its own reality TV show on AMC named 'Comic Book Men'.