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  1. Showbiz
  2. 10 Things About...
  3. 10 Things About... Jonah Hill

10 Things About... Jonah Hill

Digital Spy brings you ten facts about the 22 Jump Street star.
By Antoine OmisorePublished: 09 June 2014

Known for his dorky stoner characters in Superbad and Knocked Up, Jonah Hill's rise to stardom has been somewhat surprising. The actor made the jump from comedy to drama with consummate ease, being nominated twice for an Academy Award, with the most recent for his performance in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street.

With Hill's 22 Jump Street out now in cinemas, Digital Spy has unearthed ten facts about the funnyman.

Clothing, Ear, Coat, Dress shirt, Collar, Suit, Outerwear, Formal wear, Blazer, White-collar worker, pinterest


1. Jonah Hill Feldstein was born in Los Angeles, California on December 20, 1983. He was raised Jewish by parents Sharon Lyn Chalkin, a costume designer and fashion stylist, and Richard Felstein, an accountant for rock band Guns N' Roses. With theatrics in his blood, Hill left LA to study in New York City, where he got his big break.

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2. Life wasn't always so peachy for Hill. Prior to becoming a household name, Hill wrote and performed his own plays in a New York bar named Black & White. In an interview with The Dinner Party, Hill confessed that the plays were embarrassing and stupid.

He told Rico Gagliano: "They were horrible. They were one-act plays that were all bad. There was one about Adolf Hitler's roommates in college. Hitler lived with three roommates who bullied him, so that's why he became so evil."

3. Hill was not always the perfect Jewish boy growing up. The scar on his right arm is proof of that. Acquiring the war wound when he was 15 years old, he and a friend snuck out in an SUV at night. With his elbow sticking out of the window as they cruised along, his friend jokingly began to jerk the wheel back and forth, causing the car to flip over and skid along the street, taking Hill's arm with it.

The actor woke up in hospital to the sounds of doctors talking about amputating his arm. Obviously they didn't, and Hill says: "I look at this scar every day. It reminds me to work hard."

Coat, Dress shirt, Hairstyle, Collar, Sleeve, Chin, Forehead, Eyebrow, Shirt, Suit, pinterest
Daniel Zuchnik


4. Apparently, alcohol and robots don't mix. Hill turned down roles in not one but two major blockbusters in 2009. The first was the second most successful film of the year, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, where he could have played a less sexy sidekick to Shia LaBeouf than Megan Fox.

He also stuck two fingers up at the chance to be part of the Wolfpack brethren, turning down all three leads in The Hangover - preferring instead to co-star alongside Brad Pitt in Moneyball and get nominated for an Oscar. Blow that out of your horn, Optimus Prime!

5. The actor is opposed to the anti-gay laws that Russia imposed last year. Hill was just one of the many stars who backed the Human Rights Campaign in protest to the nation's treatment towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

In a tweet last year, Hill posted a picture of himself wearing a T-shirt which featured the slogan 'Love Conquers Hate' in Russian to show his support. When asked by E! Online why he agreed to join the cause, he responded: "I have tonnes of gay friends [and] gay family members. It's like saying, why do you think people should breathe?"

Help us show Russia & the world that #LoveConquersHate.Visit http://t.co/QL7B360PLY and @HRC to see how you can help. pic.twitter.com/AuFm6TYLkf

— Jonah Hill (@JonahHill) November 4, 2013

6. He may have "tonnes of gay friends", but if he speaks to his pals like he did a member of the paparazzi this month, he'll be singing Celine Dion's 'All By Myself.' After being constantly hounded by photographers, who were teasing him about his erratic choice of clothing while he was strolling through LA with a friend, Hill finally lost his cool, telling one of paps: "Suck my d**k, you f*ggot."

Hill realised the error of his ways and made a touching apology for his outburst on The Tonight Show. He told host Jimmy Fallon: "I went for the most hurtful word I could think of at that moment. I didn't mean it in a homophobic way.

"No-one deserves to say or hear words like that. My heart's broken and I genuinely am deeply sorry to anyone who's been affected by that term in their life."

7. He loves to blow s**t up... and himself. Hill is shown the ropes by Avatar's Sam Worthington as the pair re-enact Call of Duty in an advertisement for Modern Warfare 3, fulfilling many a gamer's wet dream. Talking to Major League Gaming, Hill said: "It was like the most prestigious guy/dude ad campaign you could get offered to do. I was pretty psyched." Hill also confessed his love for GoldenEye and FIFA.

youtubeView full post on YouTube

8. You know you've made it when you appear on The Simpsons. And that's exactly what Hill did, albeit through the character Andy Hamilton on the 2009 episode 'Pranks and Greens'.

It seems the star turns to the dysfunctional cartoon family in his downtime as well. During the filming of The Wolf of Wall Street the actor would unwind after filming dark scenes by watching episodes of The Simpsons. He told Vanity Fair: "I would have to watch really happy things when I got home. I was almost like a 10-year-old. I would watch things like The Simpsons or anything that was bright, fun and not dark in any way."

9. Revenge is a dish best served cold. After repeatedly getting battered by Leonardo DiCaprio while shooting physical scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street, Hill decided to get his own back. He said: "He's very strong, and in this scene where we're smoking crack, he had to smack me on the back. When I think about it I got phantom pains. Each take, and he knew I was in pain, he smacked me harder. But I got him back so badly."

In one of the final scenes of the film, their characters eat take-out sushi in one of their offices. The line in the movie has Hill telling DiCaprio, "Hey pal, take the last piece of sushi." Hill recalled: "We do a hundred takes, and Leo has to eat a hundred pieces of raw fish. By the end of the night, Leo was vomiting in a trash can. He was so sick. I was like, 'That's right, motherf**ker, that's what you get for kicking my ass for six months'."

10. The actor makes bets he can't cash. So confident was Hill that 21 Jump Street would flop on the opening weekend, he told Channing Tatum: "[I will] kiss your tip. I will kiss the tip of your d**k through your underwear if we make $35 million." The film made $36 million on the opening weekend.

It seems as though Hill won't have to pucker up anytime soon, as in an interview with GQ, Tatum said: "I haven't made him do it yet. For obvious reasons. That's a bad bet to lose - it's not to good to win, either. But definitely the shame of it would be enjoyable. It's my trump card, for sure."

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