It’s not exactly shocking to us when celebrities date other celebrities. At this point, it’s expected and makes sense. They all work in the same industry, of course, that’s the circle they mingle in and they have a lot in common. If anything, we get way more surprised when a celebrity dates someone who’s not famous, someone normal, you know, not a showbiz person. But have you ever thought about whether certain celebs would still date each other if they weren’t famous? Turns out they would. There are plenty of celebs who are super famous now who dated way before they became the stars that they are now. Here are some of those “they dated before they became famous couples” you might wanna know about.
1. Jennifer Garner and Scott Foley
These two met on the set of Felicity when Jennifer Garner played Scott’s girlfriend in a few episodes. Turns out that chemistry on screen was real because the two ended up getting married in 2000. However, their marriage didn’t last and they got divorced in 2003. But since then Jennifer has mentioned that they could still be married if it wasn’t for Hollywood. According to Jennifer Garner Hollywood is a fast line in life so you don’t deal with things the way you would in normal circumstances, if something isn’t perfect you just abandon it instead of figuring it out and fixing it.
2. Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.
What you might not know about Robert Downey Jr is that before he became Iron Man his life was pretty different. As an 18-year-old he was on the show Firstborn with Sarah Jessica Parker and they actually dated for years. They moved in together pretty quickly and their relationship lasted for 8 years, which is a lifetime for Hollywood and even longer for people who met when they were 18. But eventually, they broke up because of Robert’s addiction problems at the time.
3. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Will Friedle
Before Jennifer Love Hewitt became famous thanks to her role in “I Know What You Did Last Summer” she used to date Will Friedle. They were introduced to each other by a common friend and hit it off immediately. They were just 18 at a time. But obviously, they both moved on, it’s silly to imagine teens staying together forever, they went on to conquer Hollywood separately.
4. Jessica Biel and Chris Evans
Can you believe this is what Chris Evans used to look like? We’re used to him being Captain America, but back in the day when he was dating Jessica Biel he wasn’t famous at all, he only appeared in a few episodes of TV shows and movies made for TV. Both him and Jessica Biel have come a long way since.
5. Leighton Meester and Sebastian Stan
Before Sebastian Stan became known as Bucky the Winter Soldier in Avengers he used to date Leighton Meester. Yup, the one from Gossip Girl. He played her fling on-screen and they became a couple in real life for a while. Leighton even later said that when they broke up it was actually one of the most difficult breakups she’s experienced.
6. George Clooney and Kelly Preston
Do you even remember the time George Clooney wasn’t a silver fox? Well back in the day before he became super famous and still had dark curly hair he used to date Kelly Preston. They even lived together for about 2 years, before ultimately moving on and later finding the loves of their life to marry.
7. Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren
You probably wouldn’t expect these two to have dated in the past but they did. Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren met on the set of a movie they were both in called Excalibur in the 1980s. Liam fell in love at first sight and the two had quite a serious relationship in the 80s, they even lived together. Helen has mentioned that it wasn’t just a fling, they were a serious item back in the day.
8. Keira Knightley and Jamie Dornan
You forget that this was the height of style back in the early 2000s. Super low rise jeans, what a time. We’re kind of happy that this fashion trend is over. But back when this was considered “stylish” Keira Knightly used to date Jamie Dornan. Sure, they’re both megastars now, but at that point, she was just starting out her movie career and Jamie was just a Calvin Klein model.
9. Lisa Kudrow and Conan O’Brien
It makes sense in retrospect, but most of us never knew that these two quirky comedians used to date. Apparently, Lisa met Conan at an improv class and it was Conan who encouraged her to keep going when she felt like she failed at her first improv. Good thing he did, cause without it we’d never have such a brilliant Phoebe.
10. Alanis Morissette and Ryan Reynolds
Alanis Morissette is such a legend but did you know that she and Ryan Reynolds used to date in the early 2000s. They even got engaged in 2004 but after 4 years they called it off and broke up. Alanis Morissette even admitted that her album Flavors Of Entanglement was partly about that breakup and the grief she experienced following the end of that relationship.
11. Ryan Gosling and Sandra Bullock
Lol, look at what Ryan Gosling looked like in 2002. What a transformation he’s gone through. But anyway, back in the day they did a movie together called Murder by Numbers and the two really fell in love and dated for a while. Ryan Gosling wasn’t hugely famous at the time but Sandra Bullock was already a very well known actress. Even after they broke up, Gosling always spoke about Sandra with respect and admiration.