12 Actors Who Stop Performing For Years — And Then Returned

These self-imposed breaks from Hollywood can final for years as these stars handle their household, associates and psychological well being — however they don’t all the time final without end. 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 almost a decade to deal with her household and her private life. However in 2022, it was introduced that she can be making a return to performing in Again In Motion alongside her longtime good friend Jamie Foxx.

“I’m again all because of Jamie. I had 10 years of not taking note of something. Not accepting any advances after which I received this script and thought that possibly 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 wished to do it with essentially the most proficient man within the leisure enterprise.”

She continued, “I beloved these 10 years for me and my household. However I believed, ‘If I let this go away, if I don’t have interaction 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 sick father. For 3 years, Hilary didn’t settle for any tasks and as a substitute 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 are you going to take that a lot day off of your profession? Aren’t you nervous about…’ I’m like, ‘Apprehensive about what?’ I am solely nervous about my dad’s well being. To assume that your profession may go away or one thing was the least of my issues. Absolutely the final 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 digital camera. 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 by which I’ve carried out, regardless that I stated I wasn’t going to do 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 digital camera’ after which Million Greenback Child got here alongside and I preferred that function. 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 stop 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 hung out woodworking and shoemaking.

In 2002, he returned to the trade 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 study, you study; you shoot and shoot for a very long time; and you then’re canine meat,” Daniel instructed The Irish Instances in 2002 about his on-and-off profession. “And you then notice that you just discovered nothing. And that’s a tough factor to stay 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 received the possibility to get pleasure from hobbies like writing music, finding out 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 stop performing for a bit. Throughout her time away from performing, Meg says she centered on household and the opposite components of her “expertise as a human being [she] wished to develop.” Then, throughout the COVID lockdown, she had the concept for a brand new romantic comedy. In 2023, Meg made her large 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 wish to direct once more simply so I can sit within the chair, as a result of I’m certain there’s numerous issues I missed. I hadn’t executed a task in a extremely very long time, however it was enjoyable with David [Duchovny],” Meg instructed Interview. “Numerous it was executed in two pictures. I’m pleased with that. I arrange the whole lot 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 films that bombed on the field workplace. Eddie says he felt that he wanted to reassess issues. Though he solely supposed for his break to final a yr, it ended up being rather a lot longer.

“I used to be making s—-y motion pictures. 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 rapidly 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 motion pictures — however she determined to take a step again from all of it. She moved again residence to Canada and turned down function after function, together with components 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 proper 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 positively 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 little one, touchdown roles in movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. However whereas he had success as a toddler star, the years that adopted have been a wrestle. 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 digital camera for many years however in his late 40s, he determined to offer performing one other strive. He was forged in Every part In every single 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 in some way 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 motion pictures. I can’t imagine that is taking place to me. That is the American dream.”

Joaquin Phoenix has stop 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 by which he pretended to retire from performing with a purpose to pursue a rap profession. Whereas followers ultimately came upon 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 all for. After which there have been 4 tasks that I used to be all for. There wasn’t any grand design. It simply labored out that approach,” he stated at a press convention.

Tyler James Williams received his begin as a toddler actor, showing on exhibits like Sesame Avenue and  Everyone Hates Chris. However as a youngster, he realized the transition into grownup roles can be powerful. One producer even instructed him that after Everyone Hates Chris he’d “by no means see [him] as the rest and [he’ll] in all probability by no means work once more.” Although it might have been a joke, Tyler says it modified his plans for the long run.

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

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

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

“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 review to be a conductor. I feel I’m going to go be a wildlife information.’ I actually thought, ‘I stepped out of Hollywood. I received out of my lane.’ The lane Hollywood stated I ought to keep in, and Hollywood’s like, ‘Properly, f–k you, dude. It’s best to have stayed in your lane. Later,’” he instructed Interview Journal.