- 7 months ago
Hollywood is a dream for many, but for some, the spotlight simply wasn't enough. Join us as we explore the incredible performers who reached the pinnacle of their careers and decided to walk away, some for good, others for a brief break. From child stars to Oscar winners, these actors left their mark on the big screen before choosing a different path.
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00:00Well, I want to be alone.
00:03Where have you been?
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06And today, we're counting down our picks for the performers who had Hollywood at their feet and walked away.
00:12Although some would eventually come back.
00:14It's crazy. That was insane.
00:16But was it like a bad insane, like we shouldn't have done it?
00:18Or like maybe a good insane, like it was the most alive we felt in a really long time?
00:23Number 20, Ariana Richards.
00:25Even before a breakout role in Steven Spielberg's epic disaster hit, Jurassic Park,
00:3112-year-old Ariana Richards was several years into her acting career.
00:36But by the end of the 90s, she had stepped back from acting.
00:39Oh, great. Now she'll never try anything new.
00:43Just sit in her room and never come out and play on her computer.
00:46I'm a hacker. That's what I said. You're a nerd.
00:49Outside of a couple of appearances and sequels to the movies she starred in,
00:53Richard stopped acting outside of a brief return in a 2013 TV movie.
00:59Speaking to Interview Magazine in 2011,
01:01she didn't describe leaving Hollywood as a choice so much
01:04that she was more called to visual art.
01:07With brief forays into music,
01:09Richard's creative output has been largely confined to a successful career as an artist.
01:15I'm actually quite busy as an oil painter and commissioned portrait artist.
01:19Absolutely love it.
01:20I kind of get to act as my own director, which is really neat.
01:23and get to know people and paint them and their essence on canvas
01:27and paint a lot of things that inspire me.
01:31So I'm enjoying that.
01:32Number 19, Lili Sobieski.
01:35Not only did she appear in several 90s and early 2000s blockbusters,
01:39but this former child star also has the distinction
01:42of being in some truly beloved cult classics.
01:45Lili Sobieski was a major part of movies like Never Been Kissed,
01:49Eyes Wide Shut, and Deep Impact.
01:51By the end of the 2000s, she was working far less.
01:55They do it to all the new kids.
01:57Who's they?
01:59Guy Perkins and his amazing lemmings.
02:01They push a car to its face and hide it.
02:04Sit up there and watch while you look for it.
02:05Her major acting credits end after 2012.
02:09Sobieski says she retired from acting to focus more on her family.
02:13Citing her discomfort with on-screen intimacy with co-stars,
02:16she doesn't seem to regret the decision to leave acting behind at all.
02:21Well, things change.
02:23We have come to another arrangement.
02:26Number 18, Phoebe Cates.
02:28After her appearance in the raucous teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High,
02:32she became a sex symbol for the 1980s.
02:35But Phoebe Cates' Hollywood career was relatively short-lived.
02:39Yeah, well, if that's true, you better find somebody else fast.
02:41After finding her start in modeling,
02:46appearances in high-profile, youth-oriented movies
02:49where her body was on full display,
02:51she became a star.
02:52Although she was able to showcase legitimate acting chops on stage
02:56and in movies like Gremlins,
02:58Cates retired to raise her children with her husband,
03:01fellow actor Kevin Kline.
03:02Outside of one acting role in 2001,
03:05her last major film credit was in 1994's Princess Caribou.
03:09I'd like to hear you tell her story.
03:12I'm not telling it.
03:15I'd be here all night.
03:16Number 17, Bridget Fonda.
03:19A third-generation movie star,
03:21the daughter of Peter, niece of Jane,
03:23and granddaughter of Henry,
03:24Bridget Fonda's place in Hollywood was all but guaranteed at birth.
03:28Her capable presence and California blonde beauty
03:31made her a natural on-screen.
03:33I have always been able to do this.
03:35Break up with someone and never look back.
03:37Being alone,
03:43there's a certain dignity to it.
03:46After roles in a series of incredibly popular 90s movies,
03:50Fonda left acting in 2002.
03:52Marrying Tim Burton's favorite composer, Danny Elfman,
03:55she chose instead to focus on raising their children.
03:58Fonda's relative scarceness in the public eye is notable.
04:01She doesn't seem to have even the slightest interest in living a public life.
04:05Look, you have such an iconic career, right?
04:08Some of the greatest movies.
04:10Is there any chance that you make a move back?
04:12I don't think so.
04:13It's too nice being a civilian.
04:15Number 16, Doris Day.
04:17Despite being one of the defining stars of the 1950s,
04:21the squeaky clean musical Comedienne
04:23actually continued her success into the volatile, counter-cultural 1960s.
04:28As the star of rom-coms like Pillow Talk and That Touch of Mink,
04:32her movie success actually translated to TV stardom during this turbulent moment.
04:36I've often thought of you as executive material.
04:40And let's say this first assignment is your first step up the ladder.
04:45Oh, I appreciate stepping up the ladder, sir.
04:48I really do, but I don't think...
04:51Doris, this is very important to the magazine.
04:54Doris Day pulled the plug on her acting career after 1973.
04:58The rat race of Hollywood couldn't beat the peace and tranquility of a quieter life in the country.
05:03Day passed away in 2019 at the age of 97.
05:06She devoted the latter half of her life to animal rights activism.
05:10If you have room in your home and room in your heart,
05:14go to your city shelter today and adopt a pet.
05:18The cost is very small and the reward is very great.
05:23Give me a kiss, somebody.
05:26Number 15, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
05:29America watched the Olsen twins grow up in front of the camera.
05:32From the time they could barely crawl,
05:34they were front and center on Full House.
05:37Can you say Uncle Jesse?
05:40That's it, you said it, you said Uncle Jesse.
05:42Even before the show ended,
05:43they began a prolific career in movies and TV,
05:46becoming a brand unto themselves.
05:49They ended on top as two of the wealthiest,
05:52most successful performers in the entertainment business.
05:55Good morning, ladies.
05:56Morning, Jay.
05:57So it's the itinerary for today.
05:59Itinerary.
06:06What do you want to do today?
06:08They made their final film together, New York Minute, in 2004.
06:12Since then, they've both found even more success in the world of fashion.
06:16Their luxury brand, The Row, has been going strong since 2006.
06:19And we would especially like to thank the select few boutiques and individual buyers.
06:25You've been our guiding light over the past 20 years now.
06:29To our amazing customers, you truly give us the opportunity to do what we love.
06:33From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
06:35Number 14, Jeanette McCurdy.
06:38The multi-talented actress, singer, and writer became known for her work on Nickelodeon.
06:43Jeanette McCurdy retired from her acting career in 2018,
06:46which she had only begun at the behest of her mother.
06:49She set about forging a career as a writer.
06:52The result was her 2022 blockbusting memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died.
06:56The more uncomfortable something was for me to put on the page,
06:59the more important it felt for me to put it on the page.
07:02That kind of honesty has been truly liberating for me
07:05and has led me to a life of fulfillment and authenticity that...
07:10In it, she detailed the complicated and traumatic experience
07:13of being a child star in an abusive home.
07:16Though she doesn't act anymore,
07:17McCurdy hasn't totally left the entertainment industry behind.
07:21The former star of iCarly and Sam and Kat has since adapted her life story for TV.
07:27I really set out to write a good book and then the fact that it's about my life was really
07:33secondary and I think that I hope that objectivity that I got to through therapy
07:39was helpful to making it as entertaining as it could be.
07:48When he won his Oscar for The Whale in 2023,
07:51it was the climax of a modern-day comeback story.
07:54But Brendan Fraser's departure from Hollywood had been pretty mysterious for many years.
07:59Patience is a virtue.
08:02Not right now it isn't.
08:04A major star of the 1990s and early 2000s,
08:07Fraser quietly stepped back from his acting career.
08:10Health issues, diminishing box office returns,
08:13and a reported assault by Hollywood Foreign Press Association
08:16president Philip Burke contributed to his decision to step back.
08:20The truth did not surface until a 2018 interview with GQ.
08:24Since returning to acting full-time,
08:26Fraser has enjoyed a surge of public goodwill and awards attention.
08:30Being an actor, you have to have courage.
08:32Because without courage, you can't be brave.
08:36You can't be brave unless you have an obstacle,
08:39something you fear, something in your way.
08:41And the only way you're going to get through it, around it, over it, is with courage.
08:49Number 12, Amanda Bynes.
08:51Much has been revealed about the early days of Nickelodeon and its young stars.
08:56Amanda Bynes had already stepped away from taking new roles
08:59before her personal troubles became a social media talking point.
09:03Her last film was 2010's Easy A, alongside a then-up-and-coming Emma Stone.
09:08Olive, that's your name, right?
09:10Yeah, yeah, and you're Mary Ann.
09:14We've had nine classes together since kindergarten.
09:17Ten, if you count religion of other cultures, which you didn't
09:20because you called it science fiction and refused to go.
09:22She announced soon after that she was on hiatus.
09:25A long period of highly publicized legal and mental health struggles followed.
09:29Although she expressed interest in returning to her former profession in 2018,
09:34that never came to pass.
09:35Hopefully, if and when she returns, it's when she's up to it.
09:39Probably tired.
09:41Well, yeah, public humiliation can be pretty tiring.
09:45Yeah, I know.
09:46Number 11, Greta Garbo.
09:48In the late 1920s, this enigmatic Swedish actress came to America
09:52and became MGM's biggest star.
09:55Her box office power allowed her to essentially write her own contract.
09:59However, she was always hesitant to live a public life.
10:02I suppose I can cancel the Vienna contract?
10:04I just want to be alone.
10:06You're going to be very much alone, my dear madam.
10:08This is the end.
10:09She was still a screen legend when her 1941 comedy, Two-Faced Woman, flopped.
10:14But it proved to be her last completed film.
10:16A combination of stage fright, lack of desire,
10:19and the changes the film business underwent during the Second World War
10:23led Garbo to leave her stardom behind.
10:26She lived in retirement as a semi-recluse for almost 50 years
10:29before her passing in 1990.
10:31I want to cultivate the arts of peace, the arts of life.
10:37I want peace, and peace I will have.
10:42Number 10, Rick Moranis.
10:44Okay, who brought the dog?
10:48Rick Moranis starred in some of the most beloved comedies of the 80s,
10:53including Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
10:57He also worked steadily in the 90s.
11:00However, after starring in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves,
11:03Moranis took a long hiatus from live-action roles.
11:06It's very delicate, the lawn.
11:09You don't want to overwater, really.
11:11Moranis' wife, costume designer Anne Belsky, had passed away in 1991.
11:17According to Moranis, he decided to step away from acting
11:20to focus on raising his children.
11:22How am I supposed to keep on feeding you?
11:24Kill people?
11:25I make it worth your while.
11:27What?
11:28His career since has mostly been voiceover work.
11:31However, Moranis is set to reprise his role as Dark Helmet in Spaceballs 2.
11:36It'll be good to see him again, even if he's hidden under a helmet.
11:39Number 9, Frankie Muniz.
11:41Give me back my monkey.
11:44Come and get him.
11:45It's not every actor who could star in a TV show before they're able to drive,
11:49but Frankie Muniz pulled it off.
11:51What is going on here?
11:52He stole my pen!
11:54My favorite pen!
11:55Look at him holding it!
11:56As the lead character on Malcolm in the Middle,
11:58Muniz demonstrated his acting skills and grew up before millions of viewers.
12:03We've been waiting in line for a half hour.
12:05We have to meet our mom.
12:06I'm sorry, but we're next.
12:08Back off, brat!
12:09During his run on the show,
12:10he also starred in successful comedies like Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks.
12:15But when Malcolm ended, it seems Muniz's interest in acting did as well.
12:20They pulled me off the job because I was getting too emotionally attached to this subject.
12:26While he's had a few roles in films and TV,
12:29Muniz has focused his attention largely on car racing,
12:33as well as various business ventures like purchasing a store in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife.
12:38And we have the highest quality, freshest olive oil on the planet,
12:43and over 50 flavors of balsamic vinegar.
12:45Despite taking fewer acting jobs,
12:48Muniz signed on to revisit Malcolm in a miniseries.
12:51Number 8. Shirley Temple
12:52It's rare you hear of actors retiring at age 22,
12:57but not many child stars have careers as eventful as Shirley Temple.
13:01You're my chocolate sundae.
13:04You're my sugar bum.
13:07For a period in the 30s, Temple was arguably the biggest star in Hollywood,
13:12child or otherwise.
13:13I wake in the morning early,
13:15and always the very first thing,
13:18I poke up my head, and I sit up in bed,
13:21and I sing, and I sing, and I sing.
13:24During the Great Depression,
13:26audiences flocked to see heartwarming films starring Temple,
13:29such as Baby Take a Bow and Curly Top.
13:32But as Temple grew up, her popularity declined.
13:35Everyone was smiling.
13:37And having lots of fun.
13:39I wish that I could be like that when I am 21.
13:42Unable to shake off her child star associations,
13:45Temple left acting in 1950.
13:48She didn't leave the public eye, however.
13:50Temple turned her attention to politics,
13:52running for Congress,
13:53and serving as a United States ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
13:57Just think, we could have had President Shirley Temple.
14:01Anything you start at age three seems very normal.
14:05I thought everybody worked.
14:06I didn't realize in the Depression that a lot of people weren't.
14:09Number seven, Cal Penn.
14:11I would like very much to spend my remaining days here serving as your assistant.
14:15Okay.
14:15Cal Penn is another actor who entered the world of politics,
14:18but that's pretty much where the similarities between him and Shirley Temple end.
14:22But why?
14:23We don't have time for questions.
14:24We need marijuana now, as much of it as possible.
14:27Some of Penn's most notable roles include raunchy comedies like the Harold and Kumar films
14:32and Van Wilder, and medical drama House.
14:35In 2009, Penn became Principal Associate Editor for the Office of Public Engagement for President
14:41Barack Obama's White House.
14:43He was also a key part of Obama's bid for re-election.
14:46This is about achieving what our parents set out for.
14:49This is about the pursuit of happiness.
14:52Penn has since returned to acting, but he's still passionate about politics.
14:57Maybe Harold and Kumar go to Congress could be next?
14:59Sitting at a desk for, you know, 18 hours a day as opposed to being in your trailer with
15:03people bringing you coffee is very different.
15:05Number six, Mara Wilson.
15:08In the 90s, it seemed like Mara Wilson was everywhere.
15:11I want to be in school.
15:13I told you I was supposed to start school in September.
15:15You wouldn't listen.
15:17While she only made a few movies, the ones she was in left a big impression, especially
15:22on younger viewers.
15:23You remind me of Stuart Little, one of the most honorable creatures in all of literature.
15:29Do you know that book, Stuart Little?
15:30Yeah, it's one of my favorites.
15:32Wilson shone in Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and in the titular role in Matilda,
15:39showing wisdom beyond her age.
15:41Hey, where'd you get those?
15:42I'm a book in the library.
15:43I've had him since I was big enough to Xerox.
15:46After the 90s, Wilson stepped away from film work and focused on theatrical productions.
15:51She also graduated from New York University and became a writer.
15:54She was like the first girl character that I was just like, she is so cool and that is
15:58who she wants to, that is who I want to be.
16:00Yeah.
16:00And I did get to be her.
16:01Wilson has since appeared on screen as an adult, appearing on shows like Broad City
16:06and BoJack Horseman, as well as various web series.
16:09But her days of acting in movies seemed to be over for good.
16:12No more supervised visits.
16:14No more court liaison.
16:17Just us?
16:18Just us.
16:20Number 5.
16:21Deborah Winger.
16:22Deborah Winger lit up the screen in the 80s, receiving back-to-back Best Actress nominations
16:26for An Officer and a Gentleman, and Terms of Endearment.
16:30So, uh, you gonna stay mad?
16:33I think being uprooted with my kids without my consent is at least worth a pout, don't
16:37you?
16:37But in 1995, Winger opted to step away from acting in films for a while.
16:42She went six years without making a movie, returning in 2001 for a film directed by her
16:47husband, Arliss Howard.
16:48I'm trying to be nice to you.
16:49I'm trying to be your friend, Zach.
16:51We're gonna be a friend.
16:52Get out of here.
16:53Since then, Winger has starred on series like The Ranch and Patriot, and appeared in movies
16:58like Rachel Getting Married.
16:59Why did you leave me?
17:00I wasn't there, I didn't leave you.
17:03Why would you leave me in charge of him?
17:07Because you were good with him.
17:09Explaining her break from acting in a 2002 interview, Winger said she, quote, wanted out
17:14for years.
17:15We're glad she put herself first, and that she returned to both the big and small screen.
17:30Number 4, Gene Hackman.
17:34Gene Hackman's acting career had spanned decades and earned him two Oscars when he decided to
17:40retire, but he still had plenty of on-screen power.
17:43I'm gonna hurt you.
17:45Not gentle like before.
17:49The actor made five movies in 2001 alone, including an acclaimed role as a patriarch in
17:55The Royal Tenenbaums.
17:56Uzi, I'm your granddad.
17:58Hello.
17:59I'm sorry we haven't gotten to know each other.
18:01I don't get invited around very much.
18:04But his last on-screen role was in the critically panned comedy Welcome to Mooseport.
18:08What would you think about my being mayor?
18:11Mayor?
18:12Really?
18:12It was my idea!
18:14In 2008, Hackman said he was done with acting for good.
18:18Since then, Hackman narrated a couple of documentaries and published multiple novels before passing
18:23away in 2025.
18:25Number 3, Cameron Diaz.
18:27Want to talk about Lucky Breaks?
18:29Cameron Diaz's very first film role was in the comedy smash The Mask, and many more hits followed.
18:36I knew I'd found someone special.
18:41The mask.
18:42It's the guy inside the mask.
18:46Diaz's girl-next-door charisma and willingness to embarrass herself helped boost comedies like
18:52My Best Friend's Wedding, There's Something About Mary, and Charlie's Angels.
18:56You scrabble!
18:57Oh my god, I'm having so much fun!
19:00This is so exciting!
19:01She's also made successful ventures into dramatic films such as Being John Malkovich,
19:05Gangs of New York, and Vanilla Sky.
19:07You're gonna forget about Juliana, and we're gonna be together.
19:10I'm not gonna be afraid of you anymore.
19:13After playing Miss Hannigan in the 2014 version of Annie, Diaz went on an acting hiatus.
19:19Diaz stayed busy, publishing multiple books on health, and starting an organic wine brand.
19:25As of 2025, she's back in action on the film front.
19:28You feel better?
19:29Yeah.
19:30A little.
19:34I'm definitely gonna need a shower.
19:37Number 2, Daniel Day-Lewis.
19:40For a while, whenever Daniel Day-Lewis released a movie, it was like an event.
19:44As the preacher said, I could write shorter sermons, but once I start, I get too lazy to stop.
19:52The three-time Best Actor winner is famous for his unwavering commitment to his roles,
19:57which includes staying in character throughout shooting.
19:59Come on, Christy.
20:00Everybody has to go to bed.
20:01In films like My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln, he makes you forget there's anyone
20:10but his character on screen.
20:12I've abandoned my child!
20:15I've abandoned my boy!
20:17He's also notoriously selective, going years without releasing any films.
20:21After finishing filming fashion drama Phantom Thread in 2017, Day-Lewis announced he was done
20:27with acting for good.
20:29Don't do that.
20:30Take your hand away, please.
20:31I'm still so ugly.
20:32Barbara, I'm trying to make you a beautiful dress.
20:35He came out of retirement again in 2025 to star in Anemone, which his son Ronan directed.
20:41The isolation.
20:43This is it.
20:45This is my life.
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21:02Number 1.
21:03Grace Kelly
21:04Meghan Markle wasn't the first actress to leave the entertainment industry for the royal life.
21:09You can't believe that a woman is crazy out of a mind to live alone, in one room by herself!
21:15Listen to me, listen to me!
21:17Why are you holding me?
21:18I said you're holding me!
21:20Grace Kelly had a short but fruitful acting career in the 50s.
21:24Among her achievements were starring in three Alfred Hitchcock thrillers and winning the
21:28Academy Award for Best Actress.
21:30Hurts your leg?
21:32Hurts a little.
21:34And your stomach?
21:36Empty as a football.
21:37Upon marrying Regnier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956, Kelly stopped acting and became Princess
21:44of Monaco at age 26.
21:46So that's it.
21:48You won't stay here and I can't go with you.
21:51It would be the wrong thing.
21:53As princess, she supported and initiated many noble causes, including ones aimed at helping
21:59children around the world.
22:00She didn't stray completely from her entertainment roots, as she served on the board at 20th Century
22:05Fox.
22:05He said, how do you like that?
22:07She opens her mouth once and gets a golden record, and I've been knocking myself out
22:11for 20 years and don't have one.
22:13Kelly sadly died in a driving accident when she was 52, but she'll forever be remembered
22:18as an icon of poise, beauty, and grace.
22:22Which of these do you want to see stage a major comeback the most?
22:25Let us know in the comments.
22:27Let us know in the comments.
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