Incognito 19 Pics Of Celebs Trying Not To Get Recognized

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a celebrity? Many people dream of becoming famous, but have you ever considered the negative impacts it would have on your life? Never again would you be able to walk down the street like a normal person, grab a cup of coffee at your favorite cafe, or buy groceries just like every other average Joe. This might be one of the biggest things that celebs struggle with after becoming famous, but it's not like they haven't thought of ways around it. Some of the most famous people on Earth have developed some… interesting methods to blend in with the rest of us.

While most of these attempts at disguise fail miserably, some celebs have mastered the art of being unseen. Who knows, you might have eaten dinner next to a massive celebrity in disguise, and you'd never know. These following pictures are of celebrities who have been caught in their attempts to hide from the cameras. Some of their attempts will make you laugh, some will impress you, and still, others will leave you pretty confused. Which is your favorite celebrity disguise?

19 Tom Cruise Disguised Himself As A FedEx Worker And Got Away With It

Tom Cruise is probably one of the biggest stars alive today, so it should come as no surprise that he uses disguises and other methods to hide from the paparazzi. We're guessing his methods are usually pretty good because he rarely gets identified when he's out and about, rubbing shoulders with us "common folk" while we're totally unaware.

One disguise donned by Tom that went viral was a FedEx uniform. As Micheal Mann told CNN, it was part of the actor's preparation for Collateral: "We had exercises in which [Cruise] was a FedEx delivery man and we'd have hidden cameras and his mission was to pick something up, make a delivery to somebody in, say, a very crowded central market in downtown Los Angeles, without that person realizing he was Tom Cruise. All of that's in there."

18 Arnold Schwarzenegger Tried And Failed To Disguise Himself As A Gym Worker

Another celebrity who attempted to fool people with a disguise was Arnold Schwarzenegger. The keyword here is "attempted." Pretty much everyone on the face of the Earth knows who Arnold Schwarzenegger is, and this iconic star has starred in countless films. He's definitely one of the most recognizable figures as well, with his hulking frame, characteristic face, and unique accent.

The picture above was part of a video that went viral all over the internet. The Mirror reported on it back in 2014, and according to them, the outfit was all part of a bid to promote an after-school program for American children. As you might have guessed, not too many people were actually fooled by this disguise, and most people recognized him right away because of his accent, according to the Mirror. 

17 Jack Black Was Caught Wearing A Stormtrooper Helmet At Comic-Con

One of the most hilarious comedic actors of our time, Jack Black, also has a thing for dressing up in disguise. He's the first celebrity in this article who tried to sneak into Comic-Con undetected while wearing a costume. As you will see throughout this article, he's definitely not the first to attempt this trick, and he probably won't be the last, either. His costume of choice? A Stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars.

Business Insider reported on the attempted ruse back in 2014, and they revealed that Jack Black wasn't exactly successful. Apparently Jack Black just wanted to go and buy some food, so he paid for the helmet in an attempt to go incognito. But as the actor explains: "I put it on and I'm walking around trying to buy some more things at the Comic-Con and somehow the word got out. And everyone's just like, 'Jack Black, are you in there?' And, I'm like, 'No, it's not me. I don't know what you're talking about.'"

16 Miley Cyrus Disguised Herself As A Reporter

If you've ever watched Jimmy Kimmel, you know that on this show, the host regularly gets some of the top celebrities to talk with him. You might also remember a few celebrities who disguised themselves and then took to the streets to interview people. This was all part of the show, and it made for some seriously memorable experiences for audiences. One of these celebrities was Miley Cyrus, and we're guessing that she had a pretty memorable experience as well…

Rolling Stone wrote a whole article about the episode back in 2015, and Miley Cyrus went the whole 9 yards with her costume and her fake personality. She actually interviewed people about herself, asking them what they thought about Miley Cyrus. Some of them actually started trash talking Miley Cyrus, but the "reporter" kept her cool and played along.

15 Kendall, Kylie, And Khloe Totally Changed Their Looks

Another star that we're all familiar with is Katy Perry. She's a huge star today, and her public appearances are always met with massive, overwhelming crowds. Katy Perry is known for her colorful, bubbly, and lovably wacky personality, often appearing with dyed hair or wearing bright dresses. But she definitely confused a lot of people when she decided that a giant stuffed donut would make the perfect disguise.

As the Daily Mail reported in 2009, Katy Perry put the donut in front of her face while she was trying to leave Miami International airport. The Daily Mail suggests that perhaps she was feeling a little jet-lagged from a long flight because clearly, that isn't the most logical disguise. But as you will no doubt find out from reading the rest of this article, there have been much stranger disguises.

13 Pharrell Williams Tried To Be SpongeBob For A Day

Pharrell Williams is another star that requires no introduction, and this musician has been bringing us amazing tunes for many years now. He's always been a unique figure, with slightly eccentric tastes, and his style was always pretty out there. Pharrell is also the type of celebrity who gets targeted by the paparazzi, and he has to use his amazing imagination to hide from the cameras once in a while.

But pretty much nobody was expecting Pharrell to use a Spongebob mask to hide his face from the flashes of the photographers on one occasion. As reported by The Urban Gentleman, Pharrell failed to hide his identity with this strange "disguise." They also quoted Pharrell as saying: “What I love about SpongeBob is that he's basically a six-year-old.”

12 Jaden Smith Wore An Iron Man Costume Because Why Not

Another massive star who decided to use a pretty eccentric disguise during a public outing is Jaden Smith. He is, of course, the son of Will Smith, but this young actor is making a name for himself as someone who is just not the son of a massive celebrity. He's acted in some pretty big films, including Karate Kid and After Earth, and he gets his fair share of attention from the paparazzi.

Back in 2013, when he was still dating Kylie Jenner, he was spotted wearing a full-on Iron Man costume while taking Kylie out to a fancy sushi dinner, as the Daily Mail reported. This really reminded us all that he was still just a 14-year-old at heart, and it was a pretty awesome choice of attire, to be honest. We're not even sure if he was trying to hide from the paparazzi, or whether he just felt like dressing up as Iron Man…

11 Eminem Wore A Wrestling Mask In London

One rapper who will probably never stop being famous is Eminem. Definitely one of the most successful and skilled rappers of all time, Eminem is also a figure who isn't afraid to get controversial at times, and the media attention has been nearly constant since his rise to fame. He's another figure that tries his best to avoid the gaze of the paparazzi, and sometimes he reverts to some pretty strange methods.

One clear example of this was reported on by the Daily Mail back in 2009, when the rapper was visiting London, England. He decided that it would be a good idea to wear a wrestling mask to hide his identity while he strolled around the streets of the British capital, although people still found it pretty easy to recognize him. As the Daily Mail notes, the bodyguards were a bit of a giveaway.

10 Russell Brand Came Up With The Best/Worst Disguise Ever

Russel Brand is a wildly popular figure these days, blurring the line between comedian, actor, activist and revolutionary. He's a man that defies definition or classification, and that's what makes him so interesting. This man has been at the center of some of the funniest comedies of recent years, and the media attention he receives is understandable and deserved.

Like the other celebrities in this article, the actor has tried to go incognito in the past, donning many different disguises. But perhaps the most bizarre was this one that he wore in New York, as reported on by Pop Sugar in 2010. As you can see, Brand is wearing a fake beard, baseball cap, and a pair of totally conspicuous yellow-rimmed sunglasses. Was he trying to get spotted?

9 Mel Gibson Played A Joke On The Paparazzi

Mel Gibson has been around for ages, and this star has definitely seen some highs and lows during his career. As one of the biggest leading men of all time, he's acted in some phenomenal films over the years, including Signs, Lethal Weapon, Mad Max, and many more. His controversial nature and famous on-set reputation mean that he's one of the most talked about celebrities in the world, even to this day.

And so it makes sense that the star would try to hide his face from celebrities from time to time. But as the Daily Mail reported back in 2010, this particular disguise was a total failure. We're not sure whether he was actually trying to throw the paparazzi off, or make them break down in laughter. It seems like this was all a joke though, and as the Daily Mail reports, he took the disguise off and waved to the paparazzi while smiling.

8 Ke$ha Wore A Tiger Mask For No Reason

Ke$ha is definitely one of the many pop stars these days who gets a lot of media attention, and it seems like the star sometimes would rather just hide. Over the years, a lot has been said about this star, and the rumors never seem to stop swirling. But putting all the drama aside, Ke$ha is actually a really talented musician, and she's come out with some amazing tunes over the years.

As the Daily Mail reported way back in 2010, Ke$ha once stepped out into public wearing this amazing but bizarre tiger mask. She was in New York at the time, and it didn't take the paparazzi long to figure out it was her under there. This really makes you wonder… How exactly did they know it was her? Out of all the celebrity disguises in this article, this one is probably one of the hardest to see through…

7 Lady Gaga Wore This… Thing

Lady Gaga is one celebrity that never fails to impress, shock, or bewilder… or a combination of all three. We're sure that it's all part of Lady Gaga's master plan to set herself apart from the other pop stars of today, and a big part of these tactics have to do with her style of dress. She's definitely worn some wild outfits on the red carpet in the past, but what does this amazing pop star wear when she's trying not to get noticed.

We're not exactly sure, to be honest, because even when Lady Gaga makes an effort to hide her face, it still feels like she's trying to make a massive fashion statement that won't go unnoticed. As the Daily Mail reported in 2013, Lady Gaga was spotted wearing this strange fur mask, complete with a golden beak, when she left a hotel in Berlin.

6 Danielle Radcliffe Wore A Spider-Man Outfit At Comic-Con And No One Knew

We previously mentioned Jack Black and his attempt to hide from the public during Comic-Con. Although this comedian's attempts failed, another celebrity was much more successful. We're talking of course about Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who successfully walked around the Comic-Con floor wearing a Spider-Man costume, and nobody had any idea what was going on.

As MTV reported back in 2014, Daniel Radcliffe loves the atmosphere and vibe of Comic-Con but finds it impossible to attend under normal circumstances due to his reputation and massive fame. So he found a clever solution: Dress up as Spider-Man, and blend in with the crowd. There are some moments when he revealed his secret identity, but for the most part this star is very good at going incognito.

5 Drake Completely Changed His Look

Another pop star who's definitely one of the most popular and celebrated today is Drake. This star began his life as an actor, but quickly established himself as one of the most unique and successful musicians of the current era. We say "musician" because Drake is famously hard to pin down when it comes to his musical style. He's not quite a rapper, but he's not quite a singer either.

As you might expect, this celebrity finds it very hard to go out and walk the streets like a normal person without being mobbed by the paparazzi and his biggest fans, of which there are millions. But just like Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Kimmel Live! gave him the opportunity to walk the streets perfectly disguised, talking to random people about what they really thought about Drake. We'll never look at him the same way.

4 Justin Bieber Wore A Gas Mask As A Joke

Even wearing this strange gas mask, it's easy to see that this is, in fact, Justin Bieber. The singer's face and style of dress have become so iconic that it would be hard to miss him even if he was dressed in a full hazmat suit. Justin Bieber has been the focal point of media attention for so many years now, and it seems like he'll never be able to experience how it feels like to simply walk down the street without cameras snapping away at him.

As US Weekly reported back in 2013, the star uses many methods to throw off the paparazzi, and this gas mask was hardly the only attempt made by the pop star. But it is in fact probably one of the strangest. The article from 2013 explains that it wasn't a serious attempt to fool anyone, just an inside joke between him and his closest friends while they were in London.

3 Dustin Hoffman Is Famous For Playing Hide And Seek With Photographers

One of the oldest and most celebrated celebrities in this article is Dustin Hoffman. This amazing actor has been starring in brilliant films since the days of The Graduate, and he never fails to impress. As a result, the media has had their eye on him for decades, and the star seems to have grown accustomed to being tailed by various paparazzi photographers.

And as E Online and a host of other news outlets have reported on for quite some time, Dustin Hoffman has even started playing games with the photographers, pretending to play "hide and seek" with the people tailing him. His trademark is hiding behind objects such as lamp posts, mailboxes and other really obvious spots, which makes for some pretty hilarious pictures.

2 Leonardo DiCaprio Knows How To Hide Using Any Outfit

Leonardo DiCaprio is definitely one of the top 5 most popular actors today, and he might very well be the most popular and talked about the actor. He's had some brilliant moments in the past, with roles in Titanic, The Departed, and The Revenant, for which he finally won an Oscar. Leo is a man who is constantly followed by the paparazzi, and over the years he's developed some interesting methods to throw them off and go incognito.

We could probably spend an entire article talking about all the times that Leonardo DiCaprio has tried to hide from the cameras, but this is one of the most famous pictures. Bustle once published an article in 2016 looking back at all the times he tried to hide, and it's pretty amazing. In this picture, Leo seems to be channeling his inner turtle as he somehow recedes all the way into his jacket.

1 Shia Labeouf's Famous Paper Bag

To round things off, let's examine one star who is well-known for his strange behavior in public and in front of cameras. Shia Labeouf is an immensely talented actor who has worked on some seriously incredible films in the past, including Fury, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, and Borg Vs McEnroe. But his antics in public threaten to overshadow his acting talent.

One clear example of this is the famous moment when he decided to wear a paper bag with the words "I am not famous anymore" over his head. The Independent reported on this back in 2014, when Shia was wearing the bag during a premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Let's be honest, Shia wasn't actually trying to fool anyone with this "disguise," but we just couldn't help but include it.

References: businessinsider.com, CNN.com, mirror.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk, popsugar.co.uk, bustle.com, eonline.com, theindependent.com, usweekly.com, dailymail.co.uk