15 Nasty Celebs Who Are Actually Nice IRL

We've all heard about the stars who are totally nice on camera and on stage… but are secretly nasty when they think nobody is looking. There are actually a few celebs who prove the opposite can be true. They surprise fans who were expecting them to be prickly pears by being genuinely sweet! The following list of celebs have acquired less-than-pleasant reputations, whether that's because they earned them with their less-than-pleasant behavior, fans caught them at times when they did not want to be bothered, or they were simply the targets of vicious rumors. But we have reason to believe that in spite of their reputations, these singers and actors are actually super-lovely people! We personally haven't met any of them ourselves, but if what we hear from fan encounters is true, then these stars have been seriously misunderstood. Here are 15 celebs who are actually nice in real life.

15 Britney Spears

Poor Britney Spears has been through some rough times in the public eye, which is totally to be expected when you reach superstardom at such a young age. During her whole meltdown period, she was known for snapping at paparazzi and being generally unapproachable, so even though she's picked herself up and turned her life around, fans might still be a little wary of the Louisiana-born singer. But the evidence suggests that Brit is actually a sweetheart! X-Factor contestants have revealed in their post-show confessions that Britney was the nicest judge on the panel, and she seemed to find it genuinely difficult to dish out any criticism. This might make her kind of an ineffective judge, but it shows how big her heart is. The photos she posts on Instagram also support the idea that she's secretly a big goofball. She prefers to post a funny meme instead of a pic showing off her private plane.

14 Ryan Gosling

For some people, Ryan Gosling's sweetheart image was tarnished a little after one reporter claimed that he was totally rude during an informal interview. But we have a feeling that he was just having a bad day or there's some other explanation (and this has nothing to do with the fact that he played Noah in The Notebook). Ryan has been caught on camera being a total hero, and we're fairly certain that it wasn't a stunt! Ryan put himself in danger one day in New York City as he approached a couple of men having a brawl in the street and broke it up. That takes some serious courage and genuine compassion! Ryan also saved a woman from being struck by a taxi in New York City, so we guess he might be one of the unofficial heroes of the Big Apple. He's also very open about how much he supports animal rights.

13 Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is one of those stars who has a reputation for being a male diva-and-a-half, which probably came from his telling off an Australian journalist during a televised interview. He's also generally been thought to be a bit eccentric ever since his declaration of love for Katie Holmes on The Oprah Winfrey Show. But people who actually work with and know Tom say that he's one of the nicest guys ever. Reports and testimonies claim that he's kind to everyone on set, which we know isn't true of all big actors. Tom even goes to the effort of learning the names of the crew members and treats everybody as an equal. He's even said to be one of those people who remembers your kids' names and asks how they're doing. Plus, we have respect for the way he handled being sprayed with water on the red carpet back in the day.

12 Marilyn Manson

Unless you're a true fan of Marilyn Manson, just looking at him might give you the impression that he's an intimidating person. Let's just say he doesn't look like the kind of star you'd want to ask for an autograph if you bumped into him in a dark alley. But looks can be deceiving, and fan stories of meeting Marilyn all suggest that he's a lovely guy! One fan stated that his brother was terminally ill with cancer and his only dream was to meet Marilyn Manson. Marilyn not only came to see him at home but brought him a whole bunch of memorabilia and took hours to just talk with him. He even played video games with the man, read comics with him, and had a little jam session with the guitar! They definitely sound like the actions of a beautiful soul, no matter how rough the edges are. Bless!

11 Mila Kunis

Some say that Mila Kunis can be a little frosty to fans, and one little girl reportedly had a horror encounter with the actress when she was totally ignored after asking for a photo. The story goes that Mila not only refused to have a photo with the fan but even laughed about it with her friends. That's definitely brutal if it's true! The thing is we don't know if it's true, and although it's nasty behavior, we don't know what was going on in Mila's life at the time. That being said, Mila has actually proven to be a lovely person on other occasions! In 2011, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan named Sgt. Scott Moore asked Mila to accompany him to the Marine Corps Ball in Greenville, and she said yes. She also proved that she's a friend when she stood up for pal Justin Timberlake during an interview in Russia!

10 Zac Efron

One review on MeanStars.com says that Zac Efron is less than lovely in real life, and was super-rude and whiny when the reviewer served him at a cinema candy bar. All our other reports of Zac, however, suggest that he's a really nice guy! There are a ton of nice stories about encounters with Zac, including one in which Zac came into an office between filming shots and watched a movie with the staff. He is said to have chatted and hung out with them like he had all the time in the world. It seems that Zac loves a good old chat, as he's also been reported to start 40-minute conversations with people who ask him for a simple autograph. One reviewer on the site claimed that after running into him shopping, he not only agreed to have a photo but was even happy to take more when the first one was blurry.

9 Sarah Jessica Parker

The alleged feud between Sarah Jessica Parker and her Sex and the City co-star Kim Cattrall sort of gave SJP a bad rap, and she has had some things to say about the women at the top of pop culture today. She believes that pop stars and reality TV stars aren't nice to each other and should aim to be more like the awesome foursome from SATC. But despite that, we're not convinced that she's nasty in real life! There are too many stories of Sarah Jessica being super nice with fans on the street and with her co-workers. Most reports say that she will go to every effort on set to make sure that things are working for everybody involved, and she's generally an easy-going person who doesn't come across as fake when she's being sweet. It's well-known that SJP didn't have a lot growing up, and it seems like that has made her really down-to-earth.

8 David Beckham

David Beckham is often said by those who have had personal encounters with him to be much nicer than you'd think one of the most famous athletes ever would be! One of his former neighbors revealed what it was like to live on the same street as the soccer star, and stated that David was nice enough to play one-on-one games of soccer with children from the street. The neighbor has confirmed that above all else, David and his family were always polite while living on the street, and the children were always respectful and grounded. Victoria could be smiley with those on the street, refuting the rumor that she's cold and unfriendly. Apparently, the neighbor's dog even bit David on the hand and jumped up to lick his face, and he was still polite! Okay, there couldn't have been too much damage as the dog was only a ten-week-old pup, but still.

7 Drew Barrymore

Some rumors have suggested that actress Drew Barrymore might be rude to fans, but the evidence we've gathered proves how untrue those rumors are! Nearly all of the testimonies of those who have met her describe how lovely Drew is, and highlight that not only is she grounded, but she's very generous with things like tips. The story that really makes our hearts melt is of one person who was crying in the bathroom of an LA coffee shop after finding out their dog had been hit by a car and Drew walked in. She took the time to talk to them and calm them down, and then she even convinced them to come back to her table, and she bought them a chai latte. All of that is nice enough, but Drew then gave them her number and said to call her if they ever needed anything. That right there is some true altruism!

6 Zach Galifianakis

From the first time we saw Zach Galifianakis, we assumed he was a sweetheart. It must be the characters he tends to play! He majorly surprised everyone when he was awkward enough to draw cringes from viewers in one interview, and from then on, it was widely speculated that he was either painfully awkward or a professional troll. We're thinking that the interview had to have been a comedic joke because there are too many stories from both fans and co-workers of how genuine Zach really is! Zach's most admirable moment was perhaps when he befriended an 87-year-old homeless woman and brought her to the red carpet as his date after meeting her at his laundromat. How sweet! It's also said that Zach is still so normal that he rarely gets noticed on the street. He still even drives the same car he used to drive before The Hangover became huge.

5 Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks shot down most people's assumptions that she was a sweetheart when she brutally screamed at a contestant of America's Next Top Model. We don't know what had gone on between these two ladies prior to the verbal thrashing, but it was definitely hard to watch. It was easy to feel sorry for the girl who was being grilled alive by the supermodel, and easy to feel like Tyra was insufferable. The amount of work she's done for charity indicates otherwise, though! She's personally supported a range of charities, including the Dream Foundation, the Get Schooled Foundation, a charity for helping victims in Haiti, and has founded her own Tyra Banks TZone Foundation, which aims to help young women overcome challenges and realize their dreams. Tyra often encourages girls to embrace their imperfections and to be confident in who they are, which is definitely something the world needs more of!

4 Russell Brand

Actor and comedian Russell Brand might come across as a bit insensitive or jerky, but most reports allude to the fact that he's actually a really nice guy! Russell has been spotted taking the time to be with homeless people in LA and helping them out in many different areas. He's been seen taking them out to breakfast, buying them new clothes, giving them rides to where they need to be, and even inviting them to meetings so they can network and have opportunities they never would have had access to without him. Russell even told Howard Stern that one of his favorite things to do is hang out with homeless people, because they always have interesting stories, and because he enjoys making a difference in their lives. Whether he's just keeping them company or taking them out to breakfast, we think that's a very nice thing for Russell to do.

3 Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger is one of the most-recognized actresses on the planet, thanks in large part to the Bridget Jones franchise, so you might expect her to be diva-like in some ways. All the fan encounters and co-star stories we could find of Renée actually indicate the opposite-she's a total darling! At work, Renée is allegedly very nice to everybody, including making the effort to talk to all the extras and even bringing them hot drinks in the cold. She isn't the type of star to have assistants do every little thing for her, and was seen getting her own food, wandering around without an entourage and chatting with anybody. Away from work, Renée is said to be a ton of fun, really relaxed and completely grounded. She definitely sounds like somebody we'd like to meet! She also handles rumors about herself really well and stays gracious when being in the limelight gets tough.

2 Anne Hathaway

It has been said that Anne Hathaway can be unnecessarily cold on set, and we were bummed to hear this! A story emerged from behind the scenes of Rachel Getting Married, where Anne was distant from everybody while filming, giving the impression that she thought she was better than the rest. However, after filming was completed, Anne did a total turn-around and showed up at the extras' wrap party yielding booze and food! She apologized for her coldness and explained that she wasn't trying to be stand-offish, but was just completely immersed in the part. Totally understandable! Now that the grueling part was behind her, she was happy to play beer pong with all the extras until the early hours of the morning. Even though many co-workers maintain that Anne is lovely IRL, she's often the target of hate from a lot of media sources, which seems kind of unfair!

1 Taylor Swift

Being the queen bee of the ultimate Hollywood girl squad, you can see how some people would assume Taylor Swift was like a real-life Regina George. Despite that image, Taylor has proven time and time again how much she cares about her fans through more than just saying it! Among other adorable things, Taylor hosts listening parties in her own house for her biggest fans, cooks, and bakes treats for them when she gets a free minute, and buys them cute Christmas gifts! She also sent one fan nearly $2,000 to help her get out of debt and was named the most charitable celebrity in 2014. She's been spotted hanging out with sick children in hospitals, and always has something positive to say about her fellow celebrities, even when they aren't nearly as famous as she is. This definitely sounds like somebody who is grateful what they've been given in life!