Halle Berry Recalls Being Homeless in NYC: “I Had to Work It Out”

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Aug 10, 2017 1:10 pm·

By Amber Belus

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Things haven’t always been easy for actress Halle Berry — and in a new interview, she opened up about living in a homeless shelter when she first came to NYC. With no help from her mother, the Kidnap star was forced to fend for herself while she followed her dreams, and told People that “giving up was never an option.”

“It was to prove to her and everybody else. It took me right back to my high school years. You say, ‘I can’t, watch me. I’m going to figure this out.’ And shelter life was part of figuring it out for a minute until I could get a waitressing job. Then I got a bartending job, and until I could figure that out, that’s what I did,” she told the publication.

MORE: Halle Berry Just Made Literally Everyone Want to Hire Malia Obama as an Intern

While this did cause a strain on their mother-daughter relationship for awhile, Halle admitted, “That’s probably one of the best things she did for me. She said, ‘If you want to be there, then you work it out.’ And I had to work it out.” At this point — it definitely seems like she worked it out!

Scroll through the gallery to see more Hollywood rags-to-riches stories!

1 of 11

Steve Harvey

"I'm running from homelessness. I can't ever be in that position again. If my show gets canceled, I've got three more. I don't have any free time, but I have 12 jobs," the TV host recently told People of his rags-to-riches story.

Steve is now estimated to be worth a whopping $100 million.

2 of 11

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

The biggest action star in Hollywood once revealed on Instagram, "[I was] evicted at 14, [and] broke by 24." He is now said to be worth $160 million.

3 of 11

Jennifer Lopez

When Jennifer graduated from high school, her mom wanted her to go off to college, but the aspiring performer dreamed of becoming a dancer instead. Without her mother's financial support, the singer was forced to sleep on a sofa at her dance studio.

Today, the singer, actress and producer is worth a whopping $300 million.

4 of 11

Jim Carrey

At age 18, Jim dropped out of high school and moved into a VW bus with his family in Canada. The Carrey clan eventually relocated to a tent on his older sister's lawn, and it was during this tough time that Jim began to develop his sense of humor.

He's now worth $150 million.

5 of 11

Halle Berry

The Oscar-winner moved to Chicago to become an actress in her early 20s, but soon ran out of money and was forced to stay in a homeless shelter.

"It taught me how to take care of myself and that I could live through any situation, even if it meant going to a shelter for a small stint, or living within my means, which were meager. I became a person who knows that I will always make my own way," she once said.

She's now worth an impressive $70 million.

6 of 11

Dr. Phil McGraw

The future TV psychologist was just 12-years-old when he and his father reportedly moved into their car in Kansas City.

Phil is now worth an estimated $280 million from his book deals and various TV gigs.

7 of 11

Hilary Swank

Hilary grew up in a trailer park in Washington, but moved to California with her mother when she was a teenager to pursue a career in acting.

Before finding success, she and her mom lived in a car and even stayed in an empty house for a few months. The actress went on to win two Academy Awards before age 30 and is now worth $40 million.

8 of 11

Daniel Craig

The James Bond star may be worth an estimated $95 million today, but Daniel once slept on a park bench while struggling to make it as an actor.

9 of 11

Jewel

"I ended up homeless for about a month, and I went back to singing," the multi-platinum country star once said in an interview. Her net worth is now $30 million.

10 of 11

Drew Carey

When Drew's father passed away when he was just eight-years-old, the future comedian traveled from Ohio to California to see his brother, but ended up homeless in Las Vegas on the way.

He then sold his plasma and would look for spare change to buy boxed mac and cheese during this tough time. The game show host is now worth an estimated $165 million.

11 of 11

Chip and Joanna Gaines

"I remember when we first got married the only money we had was what was in Chip’s pocket. He always had a wad of cash, but we were broke. If I needed to go grocery shopping it’s whatever was in his pocket. That’s how we paid the bills," Joanna said in a recent interview.

The HGTV couple — who star on Fixer Upper — are now worth several million dollars.

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