Everyone needs a little assistance now and then. Most of us navigate life without anyone noticing when we lean on others or why. If you’ve ever hired a gardener, a masseuse, or even an entire petting zoo for entertainment, that’s probably your business. Yet the more fame a person accumulates, the more their attempts to employ help for any odd task get examined. Often these stories are as ordinary as yours and mine, but occasionally they’re anything but.
10 Outlandish Hiring Highlights
10 Angelina Jolie Tried to Hire a Hitman to Kill Herself
Hiring a professional assassin isn’t something you see on a daily newsfeed. It usually belongs to the realm of movies or the occasional sensational headline about a “Rent‑a‑Hitman” website. Angelina Jolie, however, added a startling real‑life chapter to that narrative.
Jolie, undeniably one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, has long been in the spotlight for both her cinematic triumphs and her personal life. In 2001 she stunned the world by revealing that she had, at one point, contemplated employing a hitman to end her own life. She explained that the idea of a murder seemed less burdensome to her family than a suicide, believing it would spare them the trauma of a self‑inflicted death.
The plan was anything but whimsical. She meticulously plotted how to amass the necessary funds without raising suspicion and actually made contact with a contract killer. The hitman, displaying an unexpected hint of compassion, advised her to pause and reconsider, suggesting she call back after a month or two if she still felt the need.
Fortunately, Jolie never followed through. The encounter serves as a haunting reminder of how even the most glamorous lives can be shadowed by profound personal struggles.
9 Jeff Goldblum Tried to Hire a Prostitute When He Was 13
Jeff Goldblum’s on‑screen charisma is legendary, but his off‑screen curiosity has taken some rather unconventional turns. During a 2016 appearance on the Graham Norton Show, the actor recounted a bizarre episode from his early teens.
At the age of thirteen, Goldblum reportedly pilfered five dollars from his father with the intention of hiring a prostitute. He confessed that the onset of puberty left him feeling awkward around his female classmates, prompting him to seek a shortcut to adult intimacy. He ventured to his town’s red‑light district, but as he stood at the doorway of a room, a wave of second thoughts hit him. Claiming he had another engagement, he never returned, leaving the episode as a quirky footnote in his colorful life story.
8 The CIA Hired a Magician to Write a Magic Book for Spies
The Central Intelligence Agency is famed for clandestine operations, covert tech, and the occasional eyebrow‑raising anecdote. One of the more astonishing chapters involves a partnership with a professional magician during the Cold War.
Rumors swirled for decades about a secret CIA manual that taught espionage agents the art of illusion. Those whispers were finally confirmed when a former operative unearthed a 1950s manuscript authored by magician John Mulholland. The guide detailed sleight‑of‑hand tricks, covert signaling methods, and other deceptive techniques that could give field agents a subtle edge.
By the 1970s, Mulholland’s expertise was put to practical use: his methods helped operatives discreetly administer sedatives and other substances, and he was consulted on seemingly supernatural claims, such as purported psychic communication. The collaboration remains a testament to how unconventional skills can become state‑level assets.
7 San Diego Hired a Rainmaker and Then it Flooded
When a city’s reservoirs run dry, desperation can lead to truly out‑of‑the‑ordinary solutions. In 1915, San Diego faced a severe drought that threatened its water supply, prompting officials to turn to a self‑styled “moisture accelerator.”
The city paid a hefty $10,000—a fortune at the time—to Charles Hatfield, a former sewing‑machine salesman who claimed he could summon rain. He erected a 20‑foot tower and ignited a chemical concoction he believed would draw clouds inward.
Miraculously, on New Year’s Day 1916, rain began to pour, persisting for an entire month and delivering roughly 30 inches of precipitation. While the deluge temporarily replenished reservoirs, it also caused a catastrophic flood: a dam burst, dozens perished, and infrastructure was devastated.
Because the disaster was later deemed an “act of God,” the city never compensated Hatfield, leaving his reputation forever tied to both miracle and mayhem.
6 The Mayor of Bogota Hired Mimes to Make Fun of Bad Drivers
Political leaders sometimes resort to unconventional tactics to spark change, and Bogota’s former mayor, Antanas Mockus, took that notion to an artistic extreme. A mathematician and philosopher by training, Mockus believed that civic behavior could be reshaped through playful, public‑spirit campaigns.
He famously donned a Superman cape while addressing the city, signaling that ordinary citizens could become everyday heroes. Among his many initiatives, he launched “Night for Women,” urging men to stay home so women could enjoy a night out—an effort that attracted 700,000 participants.
To tackle water waste, Mockus staged a televised shower, abruptly turning off the tap mid‑stream. The stunt led to a 14 % reduction in water consumption, which later fell to 40 % as residents realized the financial savings.
Socially, he distributed 350,000 “thumbs‑up/thumbs‑down” cards for citizens to publicly endorse or criticize one another’s conduct. He also proposed a modest 10 % tax increase, which 63,000 people voluntarily accepted.
Perhaps the most visually striking effort involved hiring over 400 professional mimes. These silent performers roamed streets, theatrically mocking traffic violators and pedestrians who flouted road rules. Their antics helped halve traffic‑related fatalities and contributed to the dismantling of a corrupt traffic police force.
5 The Rolling Stones Hired Hells Angels As Security
The Rolling Stones, rock royalty since the 1960s, needed a security solution for their ambitious 1969 free‑concert venture at Altamont Speedway. The event, billed as a West‑Coast Woodstock, featured the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and several other acts.
Rather than hiring a professional security firm, the organizers struck a deal with a handful of Hells Angels members. The bikers would provide protection in exchange for $500 worth of beer—a bargain that proved disastrous.
Violence erupted when a Hells Angel member stabbed a concert‑goer who was armed with a gun, right in front of Mick Jagger. The band, unaware of the chaos, continued to play. By night’s end, three additional attendees had died in accidental incidents, and the event also witnessed the birth of four babies.
4 Gary Oldman Hired a Voice Coach to Re‑Learn His British Accent
Gary Oldman, hailed as one of contemporary cinema’s most versatile actors, has inhabited a staggering array of characters—from the dark wizard in the “Harry Potter” saga to the iconic Winston Churchill. Yet, after years of living in Los Angeles, he found his native British accent slipping away.
Determined to reclaim his speech patterns, Oldman enlisted the help of a professional dialect coach. The specialist guided him through exercises and techniques designed to restore his original intonation, ensuring that his future performances could once again sound authentically British.
3 Ozzy Osbourne Once Hired a “Personal Dwarf”
Ozzy Osbourne’s career, from his pioneering days with Black Sabbath to his reality‑TV fame, has always been peppered with eccentric headlines. One of the stranger anecdotes involves his decision to employ a “personal dwarf” during his solo era in the 1980s.
He hired actor John Edward Allen, who performed under the moniker Ronnie the Dwarf—a playful jab at new bandmate Ronnie James Dio. Allen became a regular fixture in Osbourne’s stage shows, often being theatrically suspended above the crowd and serving drinks to the rock legend.
The partnership, however, soured behind the scenes. At one point, after a heated dispute, Osbourne allegedly locked Allen inside the tour bus’s luggage compartment, a stark reminder that even the most outlandish collaborations can turn toxic.
2 Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift Hired a Fake Director
Producing a blockbuster film often involves a legion of crew members, but one role you rarely see credited is that of a decoy director. In the case of “Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the producers faced a legal roadblock: they could not secure official permits to film in the desired Tokyo locations.
To keep the production moving, they hired an individual to pose as the film’s director. This “fake director” would be the one to take responsibility if law‑enforcement intervened, allowing the actual director to continue shooting the high‑octane sequences without interruption.
1 Bill Murray Hired an Assistant No One Could Communicate With
Bill Murray, beloved for his dead‑pan humor and iconic roles, is also known for being notoriously difficult to collaborate with on set. During the production of “Groundhog Day,” tensions rose as Murray navigated a turbulent personal life, including a divorce.
To manage his erratic behavior, a decision was made to bring on an assistant. The twist? The assistant was deaf and communicated solely through American Sign Language—a method that neither Murray nor the rest of the crew understood. The arrangement added an extra layer of confusion to an already chaotic filming environment.