Cameron Diaz, Meghan Markle, Eva Mendes and other movie stars who left the profession and changed their occupation
Meghan Markle and Cameron Diaz
Changing professions at a fairly mature age in the last few years is quite common. More and more people who have already managed to build successful careers in various industries decide to start all over again and try themselves in completely new roles. The explanation for this is simple: a well-paid and stable job does not mean beloved, and peace of mind and harmony for many is much more important than material well-being. And this rule works not only for ordinary people, but also for stars. Today we are talking about the famous representatives of the acting profession, who changed their occupation.
Cameron Diaz
Having become famous after the film "The Mask" (The Mask), released in 1994, Cameron Diaz soon became one of the most popular and sought-after actresses in Hollywood. The peak of her career came in the second half of the 90s – the first half of the 2000s. In total, the filmography of the star has more than 50 paintings. The last film with the participation of Cameron – "Annie" (Annie) – was released in 2014, and since then Diaz has not acted in films.
Cameron Diaz in The Mask
The star decided to leave her acting career for the sake of her family – in 2015 she married Benji Madden and focused on the role of the guardian of the hearth and family well-being. Fed up with fame and fame, Diaz wanted a quiet life, which she liked – she admitted that she did not miss her profession at all. And recently, the former actress tried on a new role – she and Benji became parents. The daughter of the couple, most likely, was born by a surrogate mother. According to insiders, 47-year-old Cameron is now very happy and spends all her free time with the baby. So she is unlikely to return to the cinema now.
Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz
Eva Mendes
Another actress who has not appeared on the screen for many years is 45-year-old Eva Mendes. The last film with her participation was released in 2014 – then she starred in the film of her beloved Ryan Gosling "How to Catch a Monster" (Lost River). After leaving the profession, Mendez, like Diaz, focused on the family – together with Gosling they are raising two daughters: five-year-old Esmeralda and three-year-old Amada. Nevertheless, Eva did not want to be just a housewife either, and she decided to try herself in the fashion industry and created the Eva by Eva Mendes clothing line.
Eva Mendes in How to Catch a Monster
Mendes is not going to put an end to his acting career and does not exclude the possibility of someday returning to the cinema. True, now Eva is much more selective in choosing roles: she admits that now that she has become a mother, there are many topics in which she "does not want to be involved."
– says Eva, but at the same time adds that "the door to Hollywood did not completely close."
Jack Gleason
The 27-year-old Jack Gleason, who played Joffrey Baratheon in the TV series Game of Thrones, was remembered by the audience as one of the most cruel and insane characters on the show. Despite the fact that Joffrey was killed in the fourth season of the saga, the hero of Gleason can be called one of the most striking and memorable. In many ways, of course, thanks to the game of the actor, who skillfully reincarnated in the image of his character.
It would seem that after the "Game of Thrones" in the cinema, Gleason had a great future, but he had other plans. Jack decided to retire from the film industry and left the show to study at Trinity College Dublin. He received a degree in philosophy and theology and does not plan to return to the cinema.
Jack Gleeson in Game of Thrones
He explained his desire to leave the acting profession by the fact that for him it was just a hobby, and when it became a way to earn money, it ceased to give him pleasure.
– he said.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford’s acting career did not start right away – despite the fact that he was not a timid ten and did not climb into his pocket for a word, he was not approved for the main roles and even scenes with his participation were cut out. In the end, having started a film career at 22 and having achieved nothing, he left it at the age of 27 and decided to become a carpenter. Moreover, he was not familiar with this craft before, but he was convinced that here he would definitely succeed. Indeed, having mastered the subtleties of craftsmanship on his own, he became a talented carpenter and a successful businessman.
he said.
Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
A chance meeting with director George Lucas again radically changed his life. He invited him to shoot the film "American Graffiti" (American Graffiti), which was released in 1973, and Ford’s acting career took off. He became one of the highest paid actors of the second quarter of the 20th century. His most famous roles are the roles of Han Solo in the Star Wars movie (Star Wars), as well as Indiana Jones in the famous adventure film.
Harrison Ford in Star Wars
Greta Garbo
The film career of the Hollywood star of the 20-40s of the last century Greta Garbo ended at the age of 35. After a frankly unsuccessful comedy role in the film "Two-Faced Woman" (Two-Faced Woman), which was released in 1941, she left the movie. Despite the fact that after that she had several opportunities to return to acting, she never realized them.
Greta Garbo in Anna Christie
The actress herself said that she loves to spend time alone or with loved ones – this is how she spent the rest of her life, living in her apartment in Manhattan and taking long walks around New York.
— admitted the star.
Audrey Hepburn
The legendary British actress Audrey Hepburn played in such famous films as "Breakfast at Tiffany" (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), "Roman Holiday" (Roman Holiday) and "My Fair Lady" (My Fair Lady). But in the late 1960s, she quit film to do charity work. Hepburn became a special ambassador for UNICEF and until her death in 1993 helped children from the world’s poorest countries such as Vietnam, Honduras and Somalia.
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
She nevertheless returned to acting and starred in several more films, but her main work was focused precisely on charity, for which US President George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis quit his theater career in 1989. In the mid-1990s, he also left the film industry and decided to study the art of woodworking and shoemaking and generally disappeared from public view, settling in Italy. However, he had taken breaks in his career before and said that he needed these breaks to do something other than cinema.
Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio in Gangs of New York
he said.
Day-Lewis is considered one of the main recluses of Hollywood and at the same time one of its most talented and outstanding actors – he has a huge number of prestigious awards, including three Oscars.
In 2017, another triumphant return of the actor to the cinema took place – the film Phantom Thread, in which he played the famous couturier Reynolds Woodcock, was the last in his career.
Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread
After him, the actor said that he had decided to finally leave the cinema.
– he said.
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly’s film career was short-lived – it lasted only four years, from 1952 to 1956. Nevertheless, Kelly is considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time.
Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly in High Noon
Kelly had to leave her acting career after she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco. After marriage, the former actress began to perform other duties – royal.
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco
Meghan Markle
A similar story happened to Meghan Markle, who rose to fame after her role in the TV series Suits. However, her name became known to the general public when she began dating the youngest grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle in the series Suits
After marrying him, Megan, who received the title of Duchess of Sussex, left her acting career and began to follow royal protocol. But she did not like such a life: faced with a lot of criticism and bored with the cinema, Megan and her husband decided to resign from royal powers. So, probably, her comeback to the acting profession will not be long in coming, especially since, according to insiders, she has already started looking for an agent.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with son Archie
Portia de Rossi
Portia de Rossi announced her decision to end her acting career on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018.
she said.
Portia de Rossi in Arrested Development
What exactly the actress is going to do now, she did not specify, but she really finished with her film career, as promised.
Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres
Elizabeth Hurley
In the 90s of last year, Elizabeth Hurley was one of the most sought-after and popular Hollywood actresses. However, having given birth to a son in 2002, the star decided to devote herself to his upbringing. Then Hurley began dating Indian millionaire Arun Nayar, whom she married a few years later.
Elizabeth Hurley in My Favorite Martian
After retiring from films, Hurley became interested in the fashion industry and founded the Elizabeth Hurley Beach beachwear brand, as well as doing charity work – in particular, she participated in a campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer. She is also the patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
After that, Hurley nevertheless returned to the acting profession, but now she is not acting in films as actively as before.
Elizabeth Hurley with son Damian
Freddie Prinze Jr.
After retiring from acting in 2003, Freddie Prinze Jr. is now publishing cookbooks. In fact, he originally planned to go to culinary school. But circumstances turned out so that he got a role in the film "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (I Know What You Did Last Summer) and became an actor.
Freddie Prinze Jr in I Know What You Did Last Summer
However, the culinary art has always attracted him, and a few years later he returned to his favorite business. Her husband’s hobby is also supported by his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is also fond of cooking and has also published a book with recipes.
Amanda Bines
Making her film debut at the age of 16, Amanda Bynes very quickly gained public recognition and established herself as one of the most talented young actresses. A few years later, the star became interested in design and even signed a contract with Steve & Barry’s to create her own clothing line. But a year later, the network went bankrupt, Bynes became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and her career went downhill.
Amanda Bynes in the series All the Best About You
The actress underwent treatment in a psychiatric clinic, and after leaving it, she returned to her studies at the Institute of Fashion and Design, from where she had previously been expelled. Whether she graduated or not is unknown, but so far the world has not heard about her design successes Bynes. Now it seems that Amanda’s personal life is a priority – she recently announced her engagement to her lover.
Amanda Bynes with fiance
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
The twin sisters’ film career began in infancy – at the age of nine months they starred in the TV series Full House. The audience remembered them after the film “Two: Me and My Shadow" (It Takes Two), which was released in 1995, when the sisters were nine years old. They became very popular: cosmetics and clothes were produced under their brand, in 2002 they were included in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, and from 2002 to 2005 Mattel produced dolls – mini-copies of the sisters.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in Two: Me and My Shadow
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have always worked together on set. The last film they both starred in, New York Minute, was released in 2004. After that, they decided that they no longer wanted to be considered one and began to strive for independence of images. After that, Mary-Kate starred in two more series and two films – the last, "Scary Beautiful" (Beastly), was released in 2011, and Ashley "lit up" in only one film.
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen in New York Minute
The sisters were attracted not only by cinema, but also by fashion. Therefore, in 2006 they founded their brand The Row. He did not immediately gain worldwide popularity – only in 2018 he was presented at New York Fashion Week, and the sisters were recognized three times as the best designers of the year according to the American Council of Designers.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
33-year-old Mary-Kate has another passion – horseback riding. She often participates in various competitions, where her 50-year-old husband Olivier Sarkozy provides her main support.
In the movie, the surname Olsen, however, appears – for Mary-Kate and Ashley, their younger sister Elizabeth, who is building a fairly successful career in Hollywood, is "puffed out".
Mary-Kate Olsen
Jessica Alba
Acting Jessica Alba attracted since childhood, so she attended acting classes and studied at the theater studio with Felicity Huffman and William Macy.
At the age of 13, she starred in the film "The Lost World" (Camp Nowhere). She made her Hollywood debut five years later in the film Never Been Kissed. Having successfully passed the casting with James Cameron (she went around more than a thousand applicants), she got the main role in the series "Dark Angel" (Dark Angel), which made her truly famous. After that, she began to regularly receive proposals for new projects. She has films such as Sin City, Fantastic Four, The Eye, and others.
Jessica Alba in the series Dark Angel
Jessica Alba in the movie "Sin City"
In the mid-2010s, there was a noticeable decline in the star’s film career – she practically disappeared from Hollywood.
the star said.
Alba took up the upbringing of children (together with her husband Cash Warren, she is raising two daughters and a son) and focused on charitable work. In addition, she became a businesswoman – the company she created in 2011, The Honest Co, sells environmentally friendly children’s products.
Jessica Alba with husband Cash Warren, daughters Heaven and Honor, and son Hayes
Dylan and Cole Sprouse
The Sprouse brothers, like the Olsen sisters, began acting in films at an early age: their screen debut took place at the age of eight months. They became famous after the movie "Big Daddy" (Big Daddy), in which they starred with Adam Sandler – at that time the boys were seven years old. After that, the brothers were increasingly invited to the cinema, and they starred in several more films.
Cole Sprouse and Adam Sandler in Big Daddy
At the same time, they were not always filmed together – for example, Cole got a role in the TV series Friends. Perhaps the most successful in their teenage film career was 2005, when the TV series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody was released, in which they got the main roles.
Cole and Dylan Sprouse in the series All Tip Top, or The Life of Zack and Cody
The brothers began thinking about a simple life after the end of the Hannah Montana series in 2011, in which they both starred. After filming, she entered the New York University: Cole chose the department of archeology and anthropology, and Dylan began to study the graphic design of computer games.
After studying, Cole became interested in photography and even collaborated with one of the international modeling agencies, but he did not abandon his film career either – now he is filming in the TV series Riverdale. But Dylan decided to become a brewer – he even has his own brewery in Brooklyn. He is also going to return to the cinema – now he is working on several new projects, the release of which is scheduled for this year.
Dylan and Cole Sprouse
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the cinema thanks to his passion for bodybuilding – having won the Mr. Universe contest in 1969, he began to receive offers for filming in films. At first, however, these were episodic roles, where he practically did not even need to say anything. But acting so fascinated Arnie that he began to attend acting classes, actively studied English (he is an Austrian by origin) and got rid of muscle mass, which only interfered with his film career.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie "Conan the Barbarian"
It took Schwarzenegger more than 10 years to finally become famous in the acting field. In 1982, the film Conan the Barbarian was released, in which he played the main role, but two years later the legendary The Terminator was released, which became a key film in the actor’s career.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie "Terminator"
After that, the actor became one of the main characters of action movies of the 90s. However, he also had comedic roles in his career, for example, in such films as "Twins" (Twins) and "Junior" (Junior).
In 2003, the movie Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was released, after which the actor decided to leave the cinema at the age of 56. Schwarzenegger entered politics and was elected Governor of California. He stayed in this post until 2011 and only after that he returned to the film industry.
The first picture after his return was the film "The Expendables 2" (The Expendables 2), and then several more new projects were released with his participation. Last year, Terminator: Dark Fate was released, where he returned to his iconic role. Schwarzenegger is going to continue his film career – he is involved in several projects, the release date of which is not even known yet.
