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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Seamus Duff

Brooklyn Beckham's career choices - teenage barista to fashion photographer to chef

It must be tough growing up in the shadow of famous parents – with expectations to follow in their footsteps and recreate their success while maturing in the very public eye.

It is a tale as old as time – famous parents create even more famous kids with the likes of Liza Minnelli, Kate Hudson and Miley Cyrus all carving out successful careers when they had famous parents.

But where others have succeeded as the offspring of celebrities, Brooklyn Beckham has seemingly struggled to find his niche – enjoying flirtations with the careers of his parents but failing to properly stick at or excel at anything.

As the eldest son of pop-singer turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and footballer turned model David, Brooklyn has literally had the world at his feet and opportunities galore – but true success continues to allude him.

Here is a review of the various careers Brooklyn has attempted over the years – as he prepares to turn his focus to family life by getting married this weekend to Hollywood star and billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz.

Brooklyn Beckham has enjoyed a string of careers over the course of his privileged life (Instagram)

Barista

As the son of a Spice Girl and an England footballer legend, Brooklyn was born into wealth and privilege back in March 1999 – with his family said to be worth an estimated £360 million by 2020.

As he prepares to marry his way into even more money – fiancée Nicola, 27, is the daughter of American businessman Nelson Peltz who is said to be worth $1.7 billion (£1.3 billion) – one of Brooklyn’s early jobs was as a lowly barista.

The celebrity offspring was whipping up cappuccinos and lattes at a coffee shop as he made his first foray into the working world in 2015.

But even if he saved every single penny he earned, it is unlikely he would ever amass a millionaire fortune of his own via the job – as he was reportedly on a salary of just £2.68 per hour.

Brooklyn has a short-lived experience of being a footballer (Instagram)

Footballer

Footballer’s children frequently find themselves thrust into the studded footsteps of their fathers – with Jamie Redknapp jut one example of being a son who famously followed his dad, Harry Redknapp, into the world of sport.

David Beckham was one of the world’s best players – and was a member of teams including Man United and Real Madrid as well as representing England.

Brooklyn briefly played in Arsenal’s youth team – but was booted out in 2015 after failing to receive a scholarship to remain at the academy.

In an interview at the time, disappointed dad David revealed Brooklyn then turned his back on the sport, telling ABC: “One of my boys turned around to me the other day and said, 'Daddy, I'm not sure I want to play football all the time. It broke my heart a little bit.

“He said, 'Every time I step on to the field, I know people are saying, This is David Beckham's son,' and if I am not as good as you, then it is not good enough.'"

Brooklyn landed a £1 million contract with Superdry (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Sup)

Model

While Brooklyn may have failed as a footballer, he easily waltzed into the back-up career of both his parents by becoming a part-time model.

Over the years, the star has appeared in editorials and on covers of a range of fashion magazines including Vogue China, Interview, and the New York Times Style Magazine.

Last year, he stunned fans when it was announced he had been paid £1 million in a deal with highstreet label Superdry.

He is said to be signed up to a modelling agency – and also has broader agency deal with Hollywood power company CAA.

Brooklyn appeared in The Vamps' 2015 music video for their song Wake Up (YouTube)

Music dabbling

While Victoria Beckham enjoyed success as one fifth of The Spice Girls – before embarking on a failed attempt to become a solo artist – eldest son Brooklyn hasn’t quite thrown himself into the world of pop.

However, that’s not to say he’s shunned that lucrative industry entirely.

Back in 2015, he teamed up with chart topping band The Vamps – whose members include I’m A Celeb star James McVey and recent Dancing On Ice contestant Conor Ball – to steal the limelight in the music video for their song, Wake Up.

Brooklyn appears in the video and performs some parkour moves – and his inclusion in the video lead many to believe he may try to enter the world of acting.

Brooklyn's photography book, What I See, failed to impress (PA)

Photographer

Much has been said about Brooklyn’s photographs skills – mainly how bad they are.

The star has enjoyed some of the most high-profile avenues to gain photography experience, first as an assistant to renowned fashion photographer Rankin and also as a student at the esteemed Parsons School of Design in New York.

However, his assistant career was dogged by reports that crew that regularly work with Rankin could not believe how incapable he was, and his time at Parsons was cut short when he dropped out.

He released a book of his photography called What I See in 2017 which was universally panned by critics and struggled to sell copies – and he sparked a furious backlash when he landed a deal to photograph a campaign for Burberry BRIT fragrance.

Acclaimed British photographer Chris Floyd branded Burberry’s decision to hire the then-teen a "devaluation of photography" and "sheer nepotism”.

While fellow noted fashion photographer Jon Gorrigan slammed the hiring of Brooklyn as an “injustice”.

Brooklyn landed a job to take behind-the-scenes shots of Nicola Peltz on her film, Lola (Instagram/ @brooklynbeckham)

EPK Producer

While there have been rumours Brooklyn might attempt to step into the world of acting, he has certainly managed to get himself closer to Hollywood due to his relationship with wife-to-be Nicola – who starred in Transformers movies and hit horror-thriller TV show Bates Motel.

In the TV and film industry, there is a sub-industry called EPK – in which documentary style photographers and videographers are hired to capture behind-the-scenes action which is often then used for extras on DVD and digital released.

In another example of blatant nepotism, as Chris Floyd would say, Brooklyn managed to land himself some EPK work behind-the-scenes of a film titled Lola – which just so happens to star one Nicola Peltz, who is also directing the indie movie.

A rather optimistic sounding source told The Mirror last year: “Brooklyn and Nicola are a very creative couple and Brooklyn has a way with ­capturing moments in images.

“Nicola is going to have a lot on and he is believed to be working to document this new adventure.”

Brooklyn's cookery skills have been panned from all sides (Cookin’ With Brooklyn)

Chef

Brooklyn’s latest money-making – or, more accurately; money-burning – scheme is to reinvent himself as a celebrity chef.

For months, the hapless self-employed star has been sharing high-calorie recipes via his social media skills and his teasing culminated in his debut online cooking show being released via social media.

But the star was ridiculed anew over his cooking exploits as he his eight minute debut saw him make a sandwich – while the cost of the production was said to have reached a stomach churning $100,000 (£77K).

Viewers were also left gobsmacked when Brooklyn could be seen struggling to figure out how to cook a hash brown and were equally unimpressed when he just stacked a number of ingredients inside a bagel.

In an interview with the Evening Standard last year, Brooklyn hinted that cooking was his future.

Reviewing his varied career so far, he said: “I started doing football and I love that, then went into photography, which I am still in love with and now I do cooking.

“I’ve always been into trying new food, even if it is sometimes a bit not that great. I remember trying jellied eels because I’ve always liked pie and mash — and I did not like them at all.”

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033.

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