In the second film of the revived 'Star Trek' movie franchise, J.J. Abrams made the questionable decision to go for something close to a remake of 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' instead of making an original film. He raised even more eyebrows when he cast 'Sherlock' actor Benedict Cumberbatch as the villainous Khan - Cumberbatch is a fine actor, but the original Khan played by Ricardo Montalban was a muscular hulk of a man - perfect for the genetically-engineered superhuman than Khan is supposed to be.
The plan makes a little more sense when you find out that it was originally Benicio Del Toro playing Khan; Del Toro is a little older and bulkier, and so would have probably been more convincing in the role. Unfortunately, the production company and Del Toro couldn't reach an agreement on how much the actor ought to be paid for his performance, and so Cumberbatch stepped in at the last minute.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.