12 Actors Who Stop Performing For Years — And Then Returned

These self-imposed breaks from Hollywood can final for years as these stars care for their household, buddies and psychological well being — however they don’t at all times final eternally. After a while away, these actors have all returned to the crimson carpet, recharged and prepared for the place their profession takes them subsequent.

Discover out why these stars stepped away from performing…

Cameron Diaz stepped away from the highlight for practically a decade to deal with her household and her private life. However in 2022, it was introduced that she could be making a return to performing in Again In Motion alongside her longtime buddy Jamie Foxx.

“I’m again all because of Jamie. I had 10 years of not being attentive to something. Not accepting any advances after which I obtained this script and thought that perhaps it was time,” she stated on The Graham Norton Present. “If I used to be going to go away my household for 10 hours a day, I needed to do it with probably the most gifted man within the leisure enterprise.”

She continued, “I liked these 10 years for me and my household. However I assumed, ‘If I let this go away, if I don’t interact once more, and if I don’t give it an opportunity, I’m a idiot.”

In 2014, Hilary Swank selected to surrender performing to dedicate time to caring for her unwell father. For 3 years, Hilary didn’t settle for any tasks and as an alternative centered all of her efforts in direction of her father, who was recovering from a lung transplant.

“I took three years off from my profession. I do know lots of people have been like, ‘Oh my gosh, how will you take that a lot day off of your profession? Aren’t you frightened about…’ I’m like, ‘Anxious about what?’ I am solely frightened about my dad’s well being. To assume that your profession may go away or one thing was the least of my considerations. Absolutely the very last thing,” Hilary shared on CBS Sunday Morning. “I might have solely regretted not being there.”

Again within the early 2000s, Clint Eastwood shared that he was formally retiring from performing with a purpose to completely deal with work behind the digicam. Whereas he didn’t act for a number of years, he ultimately made a return when he was approached about Million Greenback Child.

“Since this image [Changeling] was accomplished this yr I’ve executed one other movie through which I’ve carried out, though I stated I wasn’t going to try this anymore. I feel I began saying that again a number of years in the past, I stated ‘I don’t assume I’ll act anymore, I’ll keep behind the digicam’ after which Million Greenback Child got here alongside and I appreciated that position. Now I’ve executed Gran Torino,” Clint shared in 2008.

Daniel Day-Lewis could also be formally retired now however there have been factors in his profession when he beforehand give up performing after which made a comeback. After dramatically quitting performing in 1989 in the midst of a efficiency of Hamlet in London, he ultimately returned to the display screen as soon as once more. Then, after filming 1997’s The Boxer, Daniel went off the grid for 5 years, throughout which he frolicked woodworking and shoemaking.

In 2002, he returned to the business for Gangs of New York and continued to behave for 15 extra years till his 2017 retirement. Whereas he alluded to this retirement being everlasting, it seems he could also be making a comeback as soon as once more after being noticed on the set of his son’s upcoming movie Anemone.

“As an actor you be taught, you be taught; you shoot and shoot for a very long time; and then you definately’re canine meat,” Daniel instructed The Irish Occasions in 2002 about his on-and-off profession. “And then you definately understand that you just realized nothing. And that’s a troublesome factor to dwell with.”

Renée Zellweger took a break from performing between 2010 and 2016, a time period she says she used to get “wholesome.” She says she additionally obtained the prospect to take pleasure in hobbies like writing music, learning worldwide legislation, constructing a house and rescuing older canine.

“I wanted to. I used to be sick of the sound of my very own voice. Once I was working, I used to be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, hearken to you. Are you unhappy once more, Renée? Oh, is that this your mad voice?’ It was a regurgitation of the identical emotional experiences,” she instructed British Vogue.

After Meg Ryan wrapped filming on her 2015 film Ithaca, she determined to give up performing for a bit. Throughout her time away from performing, Meg says she centered on household and the opposite elements of her “expertise as a human being [she] needed to develop.” Then, through the COVID lockdown, she had the concept for a brand new romantic comedy. In 2023, Meg made her massive return with the discharge of What Occurs Later, which she directed, co-wrote and starred in.

“Really, the best half was performing in it. I need to direct once more simply so I can sit within the chair, as a result of I’m positive there’s quite a lot of issues I missed. I hadn’t executed a job in a extremely very long time, however it was enjoyable with David [Duchovny],” Meg instructed Interview. “Plenty of it was executed in two pictures. I’m happy with that. I arrange every thing beforehand so that after we have been there, it was simply David and I making an attempt to inform the reality.”

When Eddie Murphy determined to take a break from performing in 2010, he was at a low level. He had simply received the Razzie for worst actor of the last decade, which adopted a string of flicks that bombed on the field workplace. Eddie says he felt that he wanted to reassess issues. Though he solely meant for his break to final a yr, it ended up being rather a lot longer.

“I used to be making s—-y films. I used to be like, ‘This s–t ain’t enjoyable. They’re giving me Razzies… Motherf—er gave me the ‘worst actor ever’ Razzie. [So I thought], ‘Possibly it is time to take a break.’ I used to be solely gonna take a break for a yr, then abruptly six years go by, and I’m sitting on the sofa and I may sit on the sofa and never get off it, however I don’t need the final bunch of s–t they see me do [to be] bulls–t,” Eddie stated on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast.

Within the early 2000s, Rachel McAdams was on prime of the world with blockbuster films — however she determined to take a step again from all of it. She moved again residence to Canada and turned down position after position, together with elements in The Satan Wears Prada, On line casino Royale, and Iron Man. She spent her time biking round Toronto, hanging along with her household, and recentering. Whereas she admits there are roles she needs she’d taken, she says she is aware of she made the suitable alternative.

“I felt responsible for not capitalizing on the chance that I used to be being given, as a result of I knew I used to be in such a fortunate spot. However I additionally knew it wasn’t fairly jiving with my persona and what I wanted to remain sane,” she defined to Bustle. “There have been undoubtedly some anxious moments of questioning if I used to be simply throwing all of it away, and why was I doing that? It’s taken years to know what I intuitively was doing.”

Ke Huy Quan started his profession when he was only a youngster, touchdown roles in movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. However whereas he had success as a baby star, the years that adopted have been a battle. He couldn’t discover roles for Asian American actors and he ultimately determined to cease performing and go to movie faculty. He labored behind the digicam for many years however in his late 40s, he determined to offer performing one other attempt. He was forged in Every part All over the place All at As soon as — which was life-changing for him.

“My journey began on a ship. I spent a yr in a refugee camp and by some means I ended up right here on Hollywood’s largest stage,” he stated throughout his Oscars acceptance speech. “They are saying tales like this solely occur within the films. I can’t consider that is taking place to me. That is the American dream.”

Joaquin Phoenix has give up performing greater than as soon as throughout his profession — though one time was a joke. In 2010, he starred in Casey Affleck’s mockumentary I’m Nonetheless Right here through which he pretended to retire from performing with a purpose to pursue a rap profession. Whereas followers ultimately discovered it was a joke, he did find yourself taking a step again from performing as a result of he simply wasn’t .

“I didn’t work for some time as a result of there was nothing I used to be actually inquisitive about. After which there have been 4 tasks that I used to be inquisitive about. There wasn’t any grand design. It simply labored out that means,” he stated at a press convention.

Tyler James Williams obtained his begin as a baby actor, showing on reveals like Sesame Avenue and  All people Hates Chris. However as a young person, he realized the transition into grownup roles could be powerful. One producer even instructed him that after All people Hates Chris he’d “by no means see [him] as anything and [he’ll] most likely by no means work once more.” Although it could have been a joke, Tyler says it modified his plans for the longer term.

“I noticed at 17 that I didn’t just like the street I used to be on,” he instructed GQ. “So I made a decision to cease and pivot. I obtained with a extremely good performing coach and I turned down each single factor I used to be provided.”

When he felt prepared, he made his massive return and now stars on Abbott Elementary.

Matthew McConaughey give up performing for an prolonged time period whereas making an attempt to transition his profession. After years of starring in rom-coms, Matthew needed to be taken extra severely and be forged in additional intense roles. Whereas he wasn’t positive if Hollywood would take him again, he ultimately began touchdown the roles he needed.

“It was scary. I had lengthy talks with my spouse about needing to discover a new vocation. ‘I feel I’m going to show highschool lessons. I feel I’m going to check to be a conductor. I feel I’m going to go be a wildlife information.’ I truthfully thought, ‘I stepped out of Hollywood. I obtained out of my lane.’ The lane Hollywood stated I ought to keep in, and Hollywood’s like, ‘Properly, f–k you, dude. You must have stayed in your lane. Later,’” he instructed Interview Journal.