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5 actors who attended college

September 29, 2017 at 12:30PM

Jodie Foster, director of the movie “Money Monster,” starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, in New York, April 21, 2016. The new film, about a cheesy TV financial guru and the viewer who takes him hostage, will almost surely be seen as a parable of income inequality and a rigged economy. (Jesse Dittmar/The New York Times) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

When she attends Harvard next fall, Yara Shahidi will follow in the footsteps of other famous folks who took on the role of college students.

Neal Justin

Mayim Bialik

Before enrolling: Starred as a young Bette Midler in "Beaches" and danced her way into viewers' hearts as "Blossom."

School: UCLA, class of 2000. Majored in neuroscience with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies.

Extra credit: Returned to school to get doctorate in neuroscience in 2007.

Emma Watson

Before enrolling: Cast a spell on "Harry Potter" fans as Hermione Granger and starred in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

School: Brown University, 2014. English literature.

Extra credit: A bodyguard posed as a fellow student during graduation ceremonies.

James Franco

Before enrolling: Acting cool (TV biopic "James Dean") and nerdy ("Freaks and Geeks").

School: UCLA, 2008. English.

Extra credit: Also took classes at Columbia, NYU, Brooklyn College, Warren Wilson College, Yale and Rhode Island School of Design.

Natalie Portman

Before enrolling: Was one of the "Beautiful Girls" in the Minnesota-shot movie and started work on the second "Star Wars" trilogy.

School: Harvard, 2003. Psychology.

Extra credit: Has studied Hebrew, French, Japanese, German and Arabic. Oh, and ballet.

Jodie Foster

Before enrolling: Got Robert De Niro's meter running in "Taxi Driver" and went all gangsta in "Bugsy Malone."

School: Yale, 1985. Literature.

Extra credit: Wrote her thesis on Toni Morrison.

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2015 file photo, actor James Franco attends the LA Premiere of “The Night Before” held at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. The Zola twitter story about a wild road trip to Florida that went viral late last year is in development to be turned into a feature film that Franco is to direct. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Mayim Bialik arrives at the 24th annual Alzheimer’s Association “A Night at Sardi’s” at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision for Alzheimer’s Association/AP Images) ORG XMIT: INVL (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2015 file photo, actress Emma Watson poses for photographers during the photocall for the film, “Regression,” in Madrid, Spain. A representative for Watson said on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, that the ìHarry Potterî actress had an offshore company for privacy reasons and not for tax benefits. The company, Falling Leaves Ltd., was named in the so-called Panama Papers, a series of leaked documents that detail how politicians and celebrities hide their wealth. . (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin, File) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Natalie Portman attends the 27th Annual EMA Awards at Barker Hangar on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)