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Many people claim to rank among a celebrity’s biggest fans. However, unless you know them on a very personal level, you can’t ever truly be sure what hides behind their public persona. All of us wear different ‘masks’ and subtly change our behavior around different people. Nearly anyone whose livelihood depends on them entertaining the entire globe is no different.

The r/AskReddit online community shed some light on which stars are—in fact—completely different in their private lives compared to how they behave in public, on the screen, or on the stage. From Cher and Adam Sandler to Gordon Ramsay and Sting, scroll down for a deeper glimpse into these beloved stars’ lives.

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#1

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Clint Eastwood knows every person’s name on set from the caterer’s to the electricians. He eats with the employees, takes breaks with them. Stays late with them. Never hid in a trailer. He never had security with him on set. He introduces himself as Clint. No calling him Mr. Eastwood. It’s like he’s honored to meet you. One of the nicest, most down to earth people ever. I’ll never forget meeting him.

MissPhistopheles , Warner Bros. Pictures Report

Final score:
178points
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Bored Panda was very curious to learn about the gap between our private and public personas, so we reached out to Glenn Geher, Ph.D. He is a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz and a published author, and kindly answered our questions.

We asked Dr. Geher about why human beings tend to adjust their behavior around different groups of people and in various environments. He walked us through this.

"People definitely evolved to adjust behavior based on the nature of situations that they run into. Behavior at a wedding is usually joyful, while behavior at a funeral is typically solemn. People who are good at 'reading the room' and adjusting their behaviors based on the demands of particular situations tend to navigate the waters of the social world better than those who are low on this skill," he explained to Bored Panda.

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#2

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Many years ago, i was fortunate to have drinks with a group of chefs that included Gordon Ramsay. I know he's been shown to not really be the raging hot-head he is portrayed as. But he really could not have been a nicer guy.

instant_ramen_chef , Gordon Ramsay Report

Final score:
121points
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#3

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Adam Sandler. He's apparently a really good guy who tries to film his movies in his home state of New Hampshire to boost tourism. He's incredibly loyal to his SNL friends always trying to put them in his movies and is a great Dad.

Yotsubauniverse , PowerfulJRE Report

Final score:
101points
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"The field of acting seems to harness this feature of our evolved psychology—with better actors essentially being those who are particularly effective at adjusting their behaviors to conform to certain roles or situations, even if such behavior does not match their natural inclinations," he said in an email.

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Considering how advantageous it appears to be behaviourally flexible, we were wondering whether it was worth bridging the gap between our private and public personas at all. According to Dr. Geher, it's important to consider our relationship with our most authentic selves here. There's a balance that needs to be found.
#4

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Supposedly Robin Williams was very introverted and quiet

RIP.

maybethisiswrong , Conan O'Brien Report

Final score:
97points
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#5

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Weird Al Yankovic is supposedly really quiet, overly polite, introverted and mild-mannered offstage. Even to his own friends and family.

tucakeane , The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Report

Final score:
89points
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#6

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Cher is a notorious introvert. Yet her persona is flashy outfits, outlandish personality and entertainer. She just likes to go home and be alone at the end of the day.

BobbyFan54 , Cher Report

Final score:
82points
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"While adjusting one's behavior based on situational demands is very human and often appropriate, consistently presenting oneself as very different from one's core, authentic self might be stressful for various reasons," Dr. Geher told us.

"So, while I would say that it is important for people to be able to be behaviorally flexible, being so should not come at the cost of being true to oneself. Once again, I'd say, Shakespeare was right: 'To thine own self, be true.'"
#7

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Bruce Willis is (was?) a book lover.

I read recently how Bruce Willis is going downhill with dementia, but what struck me is the article said that he had always been a voracious reader. Don’t know why but it hit me funny, that Mr Action man was a bookworm. (And sadly, is losing that now too).

Galliagamer , Conan O'Brien Report

Final score:
79points
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#8

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Dean Martin wasn't quite a teatotaler, but pretty close to it. The whiskey he was always drinking on stage or on camera was usually apple juice.

Kymera_7 , Johnny Carson Report

Final score:
76points
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#9

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Billy Idol. He sat in front of me at a Bryan Ferry concert (Formerly of Roxy Music) in San Diego and spent about 20 minutes graciously talking to fans after the show. Incredibly kind, funny and down to earth person. Complete gem of a human.

I ran into Jonathan BANKS at the Starbucks in Malibu. He played Mike Ehrmentraut on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Very laid back and nice guy who chatted up a few teenage kids. Chill dude.

waitwutok , Billy Idol Report

Final score:
68points
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With the spread of the internet (5.45 billion global users and counting!) and the continued rise of social media (5.17 billion users worldwide), it’s easier now than ever to follow what other people are doing. This doesn’t just mean what your family, friends, and colleagues are doing.

You can, without much difficulty, constantly stay up to date with what your heroes are doing, whether they’re actors or athletes you admire, musicians who molded your taste in music, or comedians who never fail to brighten up your day. This has massively contributed to the spread of so-called parasocial relationships.

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#10

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Snoop Dogg actually hasn't committed a crime in many decades.

Kafkaja , SnoopDoggTV Report

Final score:
66points
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#11

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Will Ferrell

I’ve heard from several people I know that have met & worked with Will that he’s nothing like his onscreen characters. He’s actually pretty laid back and soft spoken off camera. Totally what you wouldn’t expect based on some of the roles he’s known for.

RockNRoll85 , The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Report

Final score:
59points
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#12

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes John Lennon. Horrible man, talks of love and peace. Like a lot of hippies really.

anon , BariAndolinii Report

Final score:
56points
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Parasocial relationships are, at their core, one-sided. They happen when one person is completely unaware of the other’s existence. Meanwhile, the latter invests a lot of their time, energy, and effort in being involved in the former’s life.

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These days, parasocial relationships form between fans and celebrities, bloggers, influencers, sports teams, gamers, and TV stars. In the past, it was TV personalities who were most often the ‘targets’ of these one-sided relationships. But these stars’ interactions with their fans were far more limited and formal back then. Fast-forward to the current date and you have an incredible array of tools to interact with your followers all over the world: from social media and live streams to blog posts and in-person meetups.
#13

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Pierce Brosnan is one whose public persona is such a convincing fiction that even he can’t convince people he’s not really James Bondish. An introspective, borderline shy family man, according to those who know him well.

CatladyKeri , British GQ Report

Final score:
53points
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#14

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Angela from The Office is a silly goofball in real life.

DampBr*tches , NBC Report

Final score:
52points
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#15

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes I mean I don’t know her but I was sure in for a fun treat in Jennifer Coolidge’s AD article where it’s “surprise I live in a haunted Victorian home with thick dark curtains I have drawn all the time and these are my ghosts”

It was awesome. I was fully expecting Legally Blonde pinks and prep, not her in some moody robe pulling the drapes in melancholy before a seance.

anon , Jimmy Kimmel Live Report

Final score:
52points
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Given all of this context, it’s not unusual to think that you ‘know’ a celebrity you follow as though they were a personal friend of yours. However, this is a misperception. Without sounding overly judgmental, you only get to know what they want you to know. It’s their public ‘face,’ similar to what you ‘put on’ when you go to work, meet with clients, attend fancy events, etc.

Getting to know a celebrity in person or watching some candid, in-depth, behind-the-scenes interviews can really change your relationship with them. Some fans might feel like they’ve finally ‘met’ the real, authentic star. Others might feel ‘betrayed’ that the person they’ve grown to admire for so long is only a small fragment of their personality.
#16

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Sting is actually pretty funny and doesn’t take himself nearly as seriously as he seems to. Had an hour-long argument with him about alternative medicine years ago, he was a great sport.

Porrick , NPR Music Report

Final score:
52points
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#17

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Ran into J.K. Simmons at a farmers market in LA. Super nice dude.

Sweatyrando , BUILD Series Report

Final score:
51points
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#18

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Johnny Knoxville. I’ve met him, and he is way more soft-spoken and polite than you might guess… also just a stand-up guy in general, from the accounts of other folks I know (he was connected to my father’s work). Not a “Jacka*s” at all!

ZoyaZhivago , First We Feast Report

Final score:
45points
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Which celebrities do you avidly follow and why, dear Pandas? Which stars do you know for a fact are very different in private? Have you ever had the luck of getting to meet any of your heroes in person?

If you were a celebrity, how would you interact with your fans? How different are your own private and public personas? Let us know what you think in the comments!
#19

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Nick Offerman smokes weed and is super chill and liberal. Pretty much the exact opposite of Ron Swanson. He does however have the woodworking and whiskey in common.

maz-o , 800 Pound Gorilla Media Report

Final score:
45points
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#20

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Gilbert Gottfried was a really sweet and kind guy whose regular voice was nothing like his annoying performing voice. I overheard him reading a book to his son at bedtime and it was the sweetest thing.

Holiday-Astronaut-60 , Kyle Cyr Report

Final score:
43points
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#21

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes James Gandolfini was a Birkenstock wearing, Jerry listening hippie.

mmmmmarty , 60 Minutes Report

Final score:
40points
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#22

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Matt Berry. He's wacky, brash, loud and obnoxious on screen. In most interviews I've seen him in, he's very quiet and is serious when talking about his music especially. In group cast interviews, he always seems to be the quietest, mainly sitting back and letting the others handle the questions.

Thomisawesome , Amoeba Report

Final score:
35points
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#23

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes When I was about 14, 1994. My parents and I went to MGM and some how my mother and I got lost and went through a staff only area we were desperate to find staff and help us get out. So all of a sudden a big group of people pushed by us. We were walking and looking at the crowd and then I saw this old man. I said mom omg! Did you see that man, he looks like Bob Hope. Bob Hope.. said” young lady, the reason I look like Bob Hope, is because I am Bob Hope” we were stunned, and then they walked by.

supermommy480 , cavettbiter Report

Final score:
35points
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#24

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Eric Andre

My former venue was where he filmed his last netflix special. As wild and raunchy as his character and comedy his, once he was in business mode, he couldn't have been more professional, open-minded, and kind. It was truly incredible to see how well he can snap in and out of character.

One very memorable moment was when we had our initial meeting deciding if it would be at our venue or not, during sound checking he was discussing run of show, etc, someone hands him a mic to sound check and he goes from discussing business logistics with me to looking into my soul and says "Who here likes bukkake" and i obviously laughed and was caught off guard. He called me bukakke for the rest of the week.

During down time between audiences and filming I got to be around him a lot and he could not have been more friendly, and enjoyable.


10/10 would hang with him again any time.

TheWhiteBobbyJindal , ContentTv Report

Final score:
33points
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#25

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Neil deGrasse Tyson is a pretty well established as a douchebag. Everyone I know that’s interacted with him in person hates his guts.

This is also the case and even more so for Bill Nye,.

LobsterPunk , CBS Sunday Morning Report

Final score:
32points
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#26

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Marky Mark was doing an interview at the height of his music career, leaning way back in his chair looking all gangsta, talking with his arms and hands, using what we used to call ebonics but I think has a different name now. The interview ends, he thinks the camera cuts but it’s still running, he drops the act, sits up straight, eyebrows go up, shakes hands and graciously goes into a thank you so much for having me spiel.

SnoBunny1982 , Red Carpet News TV Report

Final score:
32points
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#27

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Lady Gaga has a quite reserved personality and likes solitude. Not something you'd expect to hear about the meat dress girl from 13 years ago.

coasterkyle18 , Lady Gaga Report

Final score:
31points
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#28

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes So I’m a housewife in Tx, don’t like rap music or keep up with it. My parents were on an elevator in San Antonio, when about 10 big guys in lots of gold jewelry and earrings and gold watches. So my dad wears a gold Pres Rolex. And this man kept staring and it made my dad nervous. As he got off, he told both parents, he loved their Rolex’s, and his name was Nellie, my dad said I like your …..gold. He said there was so much jewelry, he couldn’t think of to say. So my dad calls me and my husband, and says he was on an elevator with Nellie. I had no idea who Nellie was. I asked if she was nice. I loved her in Little House on the Prairie. My husband knew he was a rapper, my dad said oh good- now I don’t have to google him. My dad said he and his whole group were very nice.

supermommy480 , Nelly Report

Final score:
30points
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#29

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Andy Samberg looks like the exact opposite of his roles during interviews, very professional.

VonSpuntz , Late Night with Seth Meyers Report

Final score:
29points
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#30

People Call Out 30 Celebrities They Claim Act Completely Different Behind The Scenes Justin Bieber has a home in my bestie's neighborhood. It's on a lake with no public access point other than a little walking trail.

He comes to the marina in a golf cart, plays cards with the people in the seasonal trailer park, and even celebrated my bestie's next-door neighbours 50th anniversary with them.

I've only seen Hailey a couple of times, and she was super quiet, walking a dog, buying a coffee at this little bakery shop near the quarry.

mollymuppet78 , Justin Bieber Report

Final score:
23points
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Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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