The OITNB Star You Had No Idea Worked At Subway

The road to stardom isn't always smooth or a straight line – far from it. How many times have you heard that an actor parked cars and/or waited tables before getting his or her big break? Before she became famous for her role as waitress Rachel Green on "Friends,” Jennifer Aniston spent many years toiling as a waitress in New York City (per InStyle). She also worked as a telemarketer, attempting to get people to commit to timeshare opportunities in the Pocono Mountains. "I didn't make one sale. I was terrible at it,” she recalls. 

While other teens were babysitting and holding down paper routes, Gwen Stefani went to work at her local Dairy Queen, according to Us Weekly. It was her first paying job. When actor and comedian Melissa McCarthy moved to Los Angeles, she had $150 to her name and didn't have a car. She worked as a barista at a Starbucks outpost she could walk to from the apartment she shared with a friend (per Los Angeles Magazine).

However, some celebs get a taste of the spotlight before serving food. A star from the Netflix hit "Orange Is the New Black" started acting long before working at a Subway. If asked to guess who, one might intuitively name Danielle Brooks, whose character Tasha Jefferson had the food-themed nickname "Taystee" and used to work at a fast food joint (via PopSugar). But while the guessing game might sound like a piece of cake, it's really a slice of pie.

Fans of "OITNB" recognize him as Larry Bloom, whose relationship with protagonist Piper Chapman never fully blossomed. But before he made a name for himself in movies like the "American Pie” franchise and the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black,” Jason Biggs was a child actor who got his start in fast food and other commercials at the age of five (per "The Kelly Clarkson Show”). Later, while gaining further acting experience and exposure on a soap opera, the enterprising Biggs worked as a Sandwich Artist at Subway (per Metro).

"The highs were getting a free sandwich with every shift I worked and the lows were going home every night smelling like a crab sandwich,” Biggs recalled. "While I was working there, I was also in the soap opera 'As The World Turns,' so people would come in and recognize me. I was doing the soap opera but saving up all the money for college; I worked in Subway for gas money for my car. It was weird when people recognized me. It was like 'Yeah, I'm in that show. Would you like cheese in your sandwich?”'

We don't know for certain, but it seems likely that Biggs provided service with a smile, maybe even a joke or laugh, while preparing Subway salads, wraps, and sandwiches.