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Over the years we have seen actors and actresses grace our TV and movie screens. And we enjoyed their acting personas and forgot that they are humans just like everyone else. This means that they can get bored with the constant attention and the overwhelming challenges of dealing with fame, paparazzi and all.
Some of them succeeded in permanently stepping away from the spotlight, while some have found their way back into the entertainment industry after calling it quits. In today’s article, we’ll briefly examine celebrities who have quit acting and those who returned to it after a hiatus.
The Olson Twins (Retired)
When you talk about beauty with brains, the Olson twins fit this description perfectly. Since they quit acting, they’ve grown more popular. Remember, they first started their fashion and beauty careers with a Wal-Mart line of clothes for teenage girls and a line of beauty products called Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real Fashion for Real Girls.
Their beauty and clothing line is a favorite among many American teenage girls. They’ve launched their fashion line named The Row, named after Savile Row in London. They’ve contributed so much to the fashion industry that they were twice named Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Cameron Diaz (Retired)
Most people find it strange and unbelievable that she had stopped acting in films. She appeared in the 2014 movie Annie and she has remained retired from acting ever since. In a recent conversation Diaz said that she left acting because she couldn’t say who she was. She further explained that it was difficult for her to admit to herself and she felt she needed to become her own person once more. Since retiring she married singer Benji Madden of Good Charlotte and written two books about healthy living titled The Longevity Book and The Body Book.
Daniel Day-Lewis (Retired)
Some pundits would say he’s one of the greatest actors of our time, but let's leave it for the pundits to argue over. For his loyal fans, we love his unique way of portraying each character he took on when acting. Media reports say that he was very selective about the jobs he took. When Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement from the screen, it came as a shock to many. After he left acting, he relocated to Florence, Italy, where he studied how to make shoes under the tutelage of Stefano Bemer, a master cobbler who passed in 2012. He’s one of the few celebrities who retired from acting and took up another profession.
Gene Hackman (Retired)
Gene Hackman is a household name in America. He has had a truly successful career when compared to other actors. The two time Oscar winner finally called it quits after he spent five decades in the entertainment industry. His first Oscar was for the 1971 film The French Connection, while the second was for the 1992 film Unforgiven. He first announced his retirement on Larry King’s talk show in 2004. He said the business was stressful for him and went on to explain that he didn’t feel like he wanted to do it anymore. Surprisingly, he has gone on to publish three historical fiction novels with archaeologist Daniel Lenihan and two solo novels.
Jack Gleeson (Retired)
Another actor who has permanently retired is Jack Gleeson, who played King Joffrey on the popular HBO show Game of Thrones. When his character was killed off in season three of the show, he decided to end his acting career there too.
Jack told Entertainment Weekly that he had been acting since age eight and had stopped enjoying acting like he used to. He went on to explain that it was something he did for recreation with his friends or for fun in summer. The star is now studying philosophy and theology at Dublin Trinity College. Although he had stopped acting, he performed puppet shows called Bears in Space, to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 and London’s Soho Theatre in 2015.
Emma Watson (Returned For An Encore)
In 2009 when the final Harry Potter film finished, Emma Watson said she would move away from acting to pursue her academic career in Brown University. She also told Teen Vogue that she didn’t have passion for acting anymore. She publicly declared that she didn’t want to act again. Apparently, she missed it, just as many actors had done in the past. Eventually, she returned to the entertainment industry with renewed zeal and passion which made her career take a more positive turn. In 2016, Emma Watson was ranked number six on Forbes' list for her role as Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Steven Soderbergh (Returned For An Encore)
The Academy Award-winning director told The Hollywood Reporter his plan to retire from filmmaking after he’s shot two movies he had committed to make. He said it’s just time. He kept his words and called it quits in 2013 at the age of 50. Although he had retired he went on to direct 20 episodes of the Cinemax series The Knick. But in 2017, he returned to film with Logan Lucky. The movie had a production budget of $29 million and according to BoxOffice it grossed $47.4 million at cinemas worldwide. From that time to now, he has produced seven new projects. So, be on the watch for his movies in the cinema.
David Letterman (Returned For An Encore)
David Letterman retired from the entertainment industry in May 2015 when he bid farewell to his eponymous TV talk show at age 68. Just like many celebrities who retired at one time in their career, he stayed retired until he made his return to television with the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman. Since his return to the entertainment industry as the iconic host, he has earned approximately $2 million per episode according to Variety. This has made him one of the most highly paid TV personalities of his time.
Joaquin Phoenix (Returned For An Encore)
When the two-time Oscar nominee told Extra in 2008 that he was done with acting, we all thought he had retired to follow his passion and start a music career. Nothing was farther from the truth. Apparently, it was also a ploy to prepare the world and his loyal fans for his mockumentary, I’m Still Here. Since he returned to acting, he has acted in films like Her, Inherent Vice and The Masters. He’s among the few actors who returned to acting after they retired and got even bigger than before. He is currently getting raves for his portrayal in Joker.
Daniel Craig (Returned For An Encore)
The famous James Bond actor was asked in 2015 if he’d consider playing the role again after the movie Spectre was wrapped up. He told The Guardian that he’d rather slash his wrists. Are you surprised at the bold statement from Daniel Craig? Well, don’t be surprised. We live in a world where surprising actions and bold statements are the norm. It was reported that after Daniel Craig made this statement, he signed on for another film with the James Bond franchise. For all you lovers of Daniel Craig as James Bond, be sure not to worry, the famous actor is still very much interested in acting.
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