8 fictional characters with our dream jobs
Whether it’s on film or TV, there’s certain characters that when they pop up we can’t help but wish we could live their life and have their job, even if just for the week. Here are some of the ones we’re most jealous of.
1. Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street
Yes we know this film proves that money doesn’t particularly buy happiness, but that’s why we wouldn’t want it on a permanent basis. Jordan Belfort, played by Leonado DiCaprio in the film, starts his own firm which defrauds wealthy investors out of millions and throws himself into a world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. But take out all the illegal stuff, and it’s probably a very satisfying and well-paid job.
2. Mary in Mary Poppins
Let’s face it, although Mary was given a bit of grief from George Banks, her job was a walk in the park. She even managed to take part in a horse race and danced with penguins all in one morning, how on earth would we fit that in around our coffee schedule? Despite having to run around after two fairly naughty kids all day, she didn’t have to do anything too mundane. Best thing? She only worked for a week before leaving! She’d never know what the back-to-work blues are really like.
3. Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Poirot
We reckon we’ve done enough Googling and Facebook searching in our time that could make us a good detective. We don’t think it would be too much of a bad job showing up to various parties and events and attempting to figure out who the criminal is – and it’s a much fancier role than Chief Inspector Barnaby from Midsomer Murders. It might not always be a barrel of laughs, but a smiley personality wouldn’t suit our newly grown moustache for the job anyway.
4. Samantha Jones in Sex and The City
Carrie might work for Vogue and what not, but Samantha has her own PR agency and is the ultimate independent woman. Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, also manages to get herself a much younger boyfriend, Smith Jerrod, by being his publicist. Even after their relationship is over, she manages to bag a first-class trip to Abu Dhabi for all the girls because of him. Her successful job also means that she’s super rich and can even splash $50,000 on a ring, for herself!
5. Rachel Green in Friends
Obviously we love Rachel, played by Jennifer Aniston, for the “will they, won’t they” relationship she had with Ross and her funny sayings, and of course her range of statement hair styles. But she really did start from the bottom pouring coffee in Central Perk to eventually scoring a job as a merchandising manager at Ralph Lauren. No, we’re not jealous at all. We’d love any job where we can spend that much time chatting with friends in a coffee shop too.
6. Ghostbuster in Ghostbusters
This job might not be for anyone, but there’s something about running round with your mates to deal with a supernatural crisis really appeals to us. We even like the thought of rocking the uniform and owning an array of super cool ghost fighting weapons. You’d also never, ever be bored at work and it’s probably the best job to have to keep fit whilst working.
7. Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada
Now none of us appreciate a really demanding boss, but imagine living the life of Miranda for just one day? Having everyone run around after you and being essentially the queen of fashion. Played by Meryl Streep in the film, the editor-in-chief of Runway offers a range of job benefits, including your very own driver, trips to Paris and the power to have original Harry Potter manuscripts delivered to your kids.
8. Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
OK we admit, Willy Wonka is quite an odd character, but who wouldn’t want to own a chocolate factory? We could spend our days tasting new recipes and attempting not to get sucked up the tube when we go for a dip in the chocolate river. The only stress would be a few kids who break a few things every couple of years. Don’t even get us started how much we would love to fly around in a glass elevator during our lunch break either.
