The Purchases Our Favorite Celebrities Splurged On After They Banked Their First Big Paychecks

What would you do if you suddenly got a million dollars? Would you spend it all at once — on a house or a private jet, maybe? Or would you save it all for a rainy day? Well, while most of us just idly fantasize about being rich, celebrities know what it’s like to suddenly have a whole lot of money fall into their laps. And these stars all spent their first paychecks in fascinating ways. Some covered the bare necessities while others splurged — but we’d like to go shopping with every last one of them.

1. Johnny Depp

It’s no surprise that Jack Sparrow knows how to spend his treasure wisely! When the big bucks finally came through for Johnny Depp, he played the dutiful son and bought his mom a horse farm in Kentucky. Since then, Depp has sold and repurchased the land, although he finally seems to have offloaded it for good in 2020.

2. Rupert Grint

While shooting the first Harry Potter film, Rupert Grint promised himself he’d buy himself... an ice cream truck? Yep, really! He made good on those plans, too, and even brought it to set for the series’ final day of filming. Sadly, though, you’re unlikely to find the star driving around your neighborhood in the truck. Nowadays, he’s more likely to rock up in a vintage Ferrari.

3. Brie Larson

Though we know her today as an award-winning actress, Brie Larson started her career as a hopeful pop singer. She’s got legitimate musical chops, too, which is why she spent her first real paycheck on an electric guitar. Larson later pivoted to acting, of course, and admitted that she’d been put off becoming a recording artist. “I wanted to write all my own songs, and [the record company] were afraid of that. I wanted to wear sneakers and play my guitar; they wanted heels and wind-blown hair,” she explained in a 2010 Myspace post.

4. Kerry Washington

Just like the rest of us, Kerry Washington can’t live without her electronic devices! In 2017 she told Page Six, “When I did... Save the Last Dance, I saved my per diem every day. And at the end of the movie, I bought a laptop, and I was really proud of that. That is how you know I am from The Bronx — because I hid my money under a mattress!”