These 5 stars may be known for performing in front of millions on stage or perfectly portraying a character on the big screen but they all say that when they were young they weren’t quite as outgoing as they are now and were very shy. Some spent their days with their head down, avoiding bullies or were just naturally timid but something changed along the way which allowed them to come out of their shell and be who they are today. For many it was finding their love – be it acting, singing, modeling, etc – that made them more confident and made their shyness finally melt away.
Hayley Atwell
Hayley was bullied in school and thus kept to herself: “I was Hayley ‘Fatwell’. I was an only child. Very quiet and very shy. I was surrounded in primary school by skinny girls in crop-tops when I was a bit more (plump)… I had puppy fat. I wasn’t cool.”
Helena Christensen
Helena was shy when she was young but only when there was lots of people involved: “I was shy as a child. My mother would send my to theatre group to learn how to express myself more. When I was very little me and my sister were child models but I don’t even remember doing it. For some reason, it didn’t bother me. The shyness was more about people. I’d always be observing rather than involving myself. Very often now, if I’m with a group of people, I end up in the corner.”
Justin Timberlake
Justin was very shy as a child until he allowed himself to be free through performance: “I was very shy as a kid. But when I found out I could perform and have people’s attention, everything changed. My mom likes to joke that until I was eight or nine I only knew what my sneakers looked like because I constantly walked around with my head down. But all of a sudden, the stage made sense and that’s what brought me out of my shell and a monster was created. It felt like it came naturally and it was fun. Even as a kid, I’d find the one person whose attention I didn’t have and zone in on that person. It became a challenge.”
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole was a quiet girl even though she stood out where she grew up: “I was a very quiet, shy child. I grew up in a small town, Louisville, Kentucky, and there weren’t too many Hawaiian-Filipino girls, so I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn’t look like everyone else and didn’t feel I belonged. I was so sensitive, and boys will be boys at that age, so I was called a cry-baby because whenever anyone made fun out of me, I’d cry my eyes out! I was so awkward and lanky, the only time I felt comfortable was escaping to my room with my boom box, listening to Whitney Houston.”
Vanessa Hudgens 
Vanessa was a quiet kid until she began to fall in love with Disney films: “I was a very shy and quiet kid until my parents took me to see my first Disney movie, ‘Snow White’. After that I would always hum and sing the songs and dress up as Snow White. Funny how dressing up and singing songs in ‘High School Musical’ actually made me apart of the Disney family.”
