We love to read about celebrity friendships. For whatever reason, we find it fascinating to know which of our favorite stars are actually pals when the camera is off. But what about before they were celebrities? Who were their friends back when they were just like us? Believe it or not, a good number of future celebrities were friends with other future celebrities when they were teenagers. (In some cases, they were buddies even before then.) We've unearthed some of the most shocking and intriguing pre-fame celebrity childhood friendships. We've also found some remarkable throwback pictures, like the one above, that will have you grinning from ear to ear, and in some cases disbelieving. Which of these pre-fame celebrity childhood friendships did you find most interesting? Let us know on Facebook, and make sure to SHARE this with some of your childhood friends! (Especially those who went on to become celebrities.)

Actresses Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler formed a bond when they attended the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, Calif., in the 90s. They could both relate to being the children of celebrities; Hudson's mom is actress Goldie Hawn and Tyler's father is Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler. In 2000 they appeared in Dr. T & the Women and famously shared an on-screen kiss.

Could you think of two more different people? It just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. Singer/songwriter Adam Levine grew up with funnyman Jonah Hill in Los Angeles, and the comedic actor sees the musician as an older brother. “Our dads met in the principal’s office in junior high,” Hill told radio host Howard Stern. “We were in carpool. We lived at each other’s houses.” In 2014, Hill officiated Levine and model Behati Prinsloo's wedding.

Long before they were colleagues at Dunder Mifflin in The Office, actors John Krasinski and B. J. Novak played Little League together and were classmates at Newton South High School (Massachusetts), where they costarred in school plays. Krasinski remembers Novak's ability to hit bombs on the baseball field, and Novak recalls the Jack Ryan star as a "normal, popular kid."

Actresses Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman went to high school together and were also part of the same theater company in Australia. But it was in 1991, during the filming of Flirting, that they became best buds. The relationship has stood the test of time. In 2007, they went to the Oscars as each other's dates. They remain best buds to this day.

Filmmaker Wes Anderson got to know actor Owen Wilson while they were students at the University of Texas at Austin, and they would go on to collaborate frequently in the ensuing years. Wilson has appeared in seven of Anderson's films, most notably The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Iconic rapper and actor Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith attended the Baltimore School for the Arts together. “It was the first day and he came over to me and introduced himself,” Pinkett Smith said about first meeting 2Pac. “And in high school, Pac was a little funny looking. Definitely from looking at him, [he] wasn’t necessarily the type of cat that I would even, like, deal with.” They became best friends, and Pinkett Smith saw Shakur as a brother.

Who are these two?! That's advocate, writer, and musician Chaz Bono — then Chastity Bono — and actress Jennifer Aniston. Bono — who was born to famed couple Cher and Sonny Bono — and the Friends star attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts together. “Every day a group of us would go to Chaz’s house after school,” Aniston told Allure magazine in 2011. “I haven’t spoken to him in a while.”

Actors Jeremy Piven and John Cusack both grew up in Evanston, Ill., and became buddies in high school. Cusack attended the Piven Theatre Workshop, founded by Jeremy's parents, and the 80s icon and Entourage star later lived together. Their relationship extended into Hollywood, as the pair has shared the screen in numerous films, most notably Grosse Pointe Blank, Say Anything..., and Serendipity. Unfortunately, though neither of them have spoken much about it, it's been reported that they are no longer close.

In 1973, only two people were accepted into John Houseman's Advanced Program at New York City's Juilliard School: legendary comedian and actor Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve, who would go on to play Superman on the big screen. Reeve and Williams would remain incredibly close until 2004 when Reeve passed away. During Reeve's years as a quadriplegic, Williams helped his family financially and paid for a portion of his dear friend's medical bills. Williams' son, Zak, said they were like "brothers from another mother."

Before Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake became a couple, and before they became worldwide sensations for their musical success, they were just a pair of childhood buddies. In 1993 and 1994 — along with future pop stars Christina Aguilera and JC Chasez — Spears and Timberlake were cast members on The Mickey Mouse Club. In 1999 their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship, staying together until 2002.

More JT! Man, this kid had some famous little friends, huh? In addition to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and JC Chasez, future movie star Ryan Gosling was also on The Mickey Mouse Club with Justin Timberlake. Timberlake and Gosling were more than just friends; they were brothers (almost literally). During the second year of their run on the show, the two boys lived together for six months. When Gosling's mother had to return to Canada – where they're from – Timberlake's mother actually became Ryan's legal guardian for a time. Now two of the hottest entertainers on the planet, they rarely keep in touch.

Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio both began acting in their early teenage years, and often found themselves competing against each other at auditions. The future stars formed a bond over their shared pursuit — in addition to acting, it appears that they were fond of bowling — and became close friends. They began helping each other get roles, recommending the other for a part when one was cast. (They auditioned for the same roles in the NBC sitcom Parenthood and the film This Boy's Life. DiCaprio won out both times, but helped Maguire land a role in each project.) In 2013, at that point both huge movie stars — as successful as Maguire has been, his career has always been eclipsed by Leo's — DiCaprio and Maguire costarred in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Is that a great photo of these two legendary comedians, or what? Larry David, of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, went to summer camp with Lewis when they were boys, but they absolutely despised each other. The brilliant comics reunited years later while pursuing stand-up comedy careers, and what was once a rivalry became a close friendship. David and Lewis have remained friends for decades, and the latter has appeared regularly on David's hit show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, since 2000.

What would a celebrity friendships list be without Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, our favorite Bostonian bros? These two leading men have know each other since they were 8 years old, and they became especially close while attending the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Massachusetts. They formed something of a team, combining some of their finances and traveling to auditions together. Though they already had some impressive acting credits to their resumes by 1997, it was in that year that they became household names. Affleck and Damon co-wrote and costarred in Good Will Hunting, for which they both took home Best Screenplay Oscars. They only became more and more famous from there.

Two of Hollywood's hardest partiers — Rob Lowe has since toned it down, whereas Charlie Sheen has "turnt up" — and hottest stars of the 1980s and 90s, these leading men attended Santa Monica High School together. "We were both nerds," Lowe wrote of himself and Sheen in his autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. While at Santa Monica High, Sheen and Lowe would make amateur films with Sean Penn — a fellow schoolmate — and Emilio Estevez, Sheen's brother. That's a pretty talented class.

Awww, how precious! Singers Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato met while auditioning for Barney & Friends. They both landed roles on the show and forged an adorable friendship. As they got older their careers mirrored each other: Both signed with Hollywood Records and appeared in Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chance and Princess Protection Program. They also recorded a song, entitled "One and the Same," together.

Reality TV personality, entrepreneur, and socialite Kim Kardashian and fashion designer Nicole Richie were mischievous partners in crime in their younger years. They broke the law on at least one occasion. “When Nicole Richie and I were around 11, we went into a drugstore in Malibu and took lipstick," Kardashian wrote on her website in 2017. "We thought we were so bada**! I can’t remember the name of the color, but it was a brown shade from Revlon. I wasn’t much of a partier growing up, so this was about as rebellious as I got.”

Before they were both on the map, actors Matt Dillon and Brooke Shields were extremely close. In this photo, taken in February 1980, the two teens pose at Dillon's 16th birthday party. It's unclear whether or not the pair ever dated, though in a People magazine article from 1980, Richard Rein wrote that Dillon took Shields out for a "one-time whirl at Manhattan’s Roxy roller disco." Later in that article, Dillon said that he and Shields are "just friends."

Actors Nicolas Cage and Sean Penn were buddies while trying to make it in the business, and in 1982, Cage had a small role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the film that made Penn famous. They also shared the screen in 1984's Racing with the Moon. Many years later, after they had established themselves as bona fide movie stars, their relationship soured. After Penn criticized Cage in the late 90s and said he's "not an actor" — he also accused him of "selling out" — Cage responded by saying, "The door to our friendship is now closed."

OK, to be fair, these two weren't exactly friends, but they did know each other in high school, and this one is just too good to leave off the list. The A-list actress and legendary rapper both attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California, and while there they engaged in some questionable behavior. "He was very tall and skinny, wore lots of ponytails in his head, and I'm pretty sure I bought weed from him," Diaz said on Lopez Tonight in 2011. "I had to have!"

Before they became two of the biggest names in comedy, Nick Kroll and John Mulaney made waves together in college. The two college buddies  dominated the Georgetown improv scene  as part of the Georgetown Players Improv Group.

Prior to finding fame as a talk show host and comedic actor respectively, Conan O'Brien and Jeff Garlin lived together in Chicago while they were young  struggling actors. Years later on an episode of Conan, O'Brien recalled that Garlin would "make me do impressions and skits for him for his amusements—and for some reason, I did. He has that power. I didn't say no. I just was like, this guy is yelling at me to perform, I better do it."

The future cornerstones of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Robert Downey Jr.) and the 24 franchise (Kiefer Sutherland) once shared a Hollywood bachelor pad for three years during the 1980s. Knowing their reputation, that must have been a wild party.

Combined, the films of Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow have grossed well over a billion dollars. Which makes it hilarious to envision the two of them living together in a small Hollywood apartment scrounging for money in their early days.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Maya Rudolph were almost destined to be friends. Their fathers met in college, and eventually both moved to Los Angeles. The two girls met each other at a young age, and attended the prestigious Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences together.  

Prior to Connie Britton and Lauren Graham playing two of television's best known moms, on Friday Night Lights and Gilmore Girls respectively, the two lived together as young actresses. Judging by social media posts since, the two have remained close.

While Geoffrey Rush and Mel Gibson have each made millions in Hollywood , they didn't always live the life of luxury. In 1979, the duo shared an apartment in Sydney, Australia, while costarring in a production of Waiting for Godot.

These days, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are known as Golden Globes-hosting comedy queens and decorated Saturday Night Live alumni. Before that though, they were two best friends working together at Chicago's ImprovOlympic

Actresses Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Mama Mia) and Mae Whitman (Arrested Development) have been friend for almost two decades. In fact, the two used to walk red carpets together.

Pop stars Adele and Jessie J became fast friends as teenagers when they attended London's prestigious BRIT school  performing arts academy together. Rumor has it they even used to sing together.

To the likely shock of late 90s tweens who used to argue incessantly about who which of the two were better, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were friends long before they became pop princesses. The duo, like so many others on our list, met on the set of the early 1990s version of The Mickey Mouse Club. We'd like to imagine they just laughed while press and fans tried to pit them against each other at the height of their fame.

Long before they portrayed friends-turned-romantic partners Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz on Riverdale, Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan had been longtime friends in real life. As Morgan explained in a 2018 interview, "“She kind of brought me to set and showed me around. So I instantly felt at home. It’s like I won the lottery. Not only am I going to be on the same show as my best friend, but now we get to be girlfriends. Instead of kissing one of the actors on the show, it might as well be your best friend.”

Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner first met each other while going through the audition process for Game of Thrones. According to Turner, the two were "pretty much best friends from that second on." WIlliams backs that, saying, "I thought Sophie was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I get why they do chemistry reads, because when it’s right, it’s so right. Like, we’re best friends." The two have remained close through the whole run of Game of Thrones, and the period after the show.

Shawn Mendes and Cameron Dallas first met when both of them were superstars of the short-lived (yet highly influential) social media app Vine. The duo forged their friendship at MAGCON, a "meet and greet convention first launched in 2013 and gave fans inside access to former Vine stars-turned-Hollywood elite, including Aaron Carpenter, Jack Johnson, Jack Gilinsky, Cameron Dallas, Shawn Mendes and Nash Grier, among others."

Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein first met a Bar Mitzvah when they were both young teenagers, long before they each found Broadway success. Fieldstein has described their long-running friendship as "... beyond friendship, honestly. "It's like a soulmate connection. We're like twins separated at birth or something."

Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid have been friends since their teenage years. According to Jenner in a 2017 interview, "Bella and I were actually really good friends since high school, and hung out everyday in school before either of us started working. It’s just funny because a lot of people don’t know that Bella and I have been friends for like five or six years.” The two have remained close in the 5+ years since.

Victoria Justice and Taylor Lautner were two of the biggest young names in Hollywood during the late 2000s/early 2010s, she for the sitcoms Zoey 101 and Victorious and he as the heartthrob werewolf Jacob Black in the Twilight film series. At the height of their fame, the two were able to depend on each other, as they'd been close friends since they were each 11-years-old.

According to Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario - herself the daughter of a well-known Hollywood producer - lived the ultimate 90s kid dream. According to the actress in a 2011 interview, “When I was five years old, my best friends were Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen because we lived across the street from each other." Troian even appeared in their film Billboard Dad.  Wonder if she's tried to reconnect with them since?

Jon Bon Jovi and Dave 'Snake' Sabo grew up playing in numerous bands together up and down the Jersey Shore. In fact, Sabo was the original guitarist in Jon's self-titled band Bon Jovi before being replaced by Richie Sambora. After the JBJ/Sambora-fronted version of Bon Jovi became one of the biggest bands in the world, Jon helped his old friend's new band Skid Row get a massive record deal and brought them out on tour. The friendship was damaged by some scrupulous business dealings regarding the amount of royalties Bon Jovi got from Skid Row's massive debut album, the duo have since patched things up.

For decades Edge & Christian were presented to wrestling fans as brothers, with the duo being one of the most successful tag teams of all time, before each of them went on to Hall of Fame singles careers. While the duo were not actually brothers, Adam Copeland and Jay Reso (Edge and Christian respectively) have been best friends since the 6th grade, and had the rare pleasure of achieving their childhood dreams together.