Tons of stars have stopped their schooling in lieu of a career in Hollywood!
Harry Styles, for one, became a major star when joining One Direction in 2010, but it’s been widely reported that the singer never finished school following the band’s success. During an appearance on Britian’s The Jonathan Ross Show in 2013, the “Sign of the Times” crooner did admit to having plans to further his education.
“I wanted to go to university,” Harry recalled. “I wanted to be a [physical therapist] but my teachers told me there’s no jobs in that so try something else.”
Similarly, the Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer — who rose to fame thanks to One Direction — has often jokes about not finishing school in various interviews. During a December 2015 interview with the band, Rolling Stone declared that drummer Ashton Irwin was the only member who had, at that point, graduated high school. He is older than the rest of the members — Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood and Michael Clifford — who were still in school when the band took off.
“I think Michael wasn’t really ever at school to get most successful,” Luke joked during an interview with Billboard in 2015. “So, I’m gonna rule you out. It’s nothing against you.”
When appearing on Australia’s The Kyle and Jackie O Radio Show in 2014, Ashton recalled their parents’ reactions to the band.
“You’ve kind of got to prove to them that it’s worth leaving school,” he shared. “They had faith for some reason, and they really got behind it in the end.”
Before becoming a major star thanks to her role as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games franchise, Jennifer Lawrence also didn’t finish school.
“I dropped out of middle school. I don’t technically have a GED or a diploma,” the actress shared on 60 Minutes in February 2018. “I am self-educated.”
While Olivia Rodrigo, on the other hand, graduated from high school in 2021, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress never actually went to a regular school.
“I had a wonderful childhood. I’m an only child. My mom is a teacher and my dad is a therapist,” the songstress told Vogue Singapore in September 2021. “In middle school, I was home-schooled and started working on sets, which adds to the unique thing about my upbringing. I spent most of it surrounded by 45-year-old men on a set and not with kids my own age in a school. But I’m lucky to have amazing friends and family who have kept me grounded.”
Scroll through our gallery to see which other celebs have opened up about not finishing school.
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