It’s sometimes hard to understand why celebrities, especially actors, do this or that. Like, for example, why would anyone want to quit making hundreds of thousands of dollars? To me it’s baffling, because I’m a dirty bum compared to them, but it appears that their luxurious lifestyles are more than what we see on the surface. Many actors have willingly walked away from fame because of their personal squabbles with writers or directors, or maybe they just wanted to take a long break from all this Hollywood madness, and live a normal life for a change…
Either way, here are 8 amazing actors who walked away from fame.
1. Jack Nicholson
To me Jack will always be Johnny from The Shining and the army dude who says “you can’t handle the truth”. Like, seriously, I don’t even know the name of that movie, and I’ve seen it when I was 10, but I still remember that line. Anyway, he’s had his ups and downs throughout the last few decades, trying to prove he’s one of the best Hollywood actors, but in the end he got tired of everything. In Jack’s own words “[I’m] not going to work until the day I die.” So unless it’s something he really wants to work on, he’ll probably take a nice long break from acting.
2. Macaulay Culkin
You’ve probably heard this one at least 3 or 4 times already, but he’s our boy-wonder, so I have to at least mention him. After playing in Home Alone 1/2, and pretty much becoming an international icon, Culkin had the opportunity to be the equivalent of Brad Pitt. Only 4 years after the Home Alone 2, when Culkin was 14, he straight out quit the showbiz in favor of creating his own band – The Pizza Underground.
3. Mara Wilson
She was such an adorable kid, especially as Matilda in Mrs. Doubtfire. I honestly don’t know if there are any other big movies she did, but starring side by side with Robin Williams must have been incredible. At age 13 she then suddenly quit acting, mainly because she didn’t have as much fun.
4. Jack Gleeson
Did you know that before playing Joffrey Baratheon on The Game of Thrones, he was the kid that Batman saved? Yeah, everyone knows that. After millions of viewers worldwide wanted to punch his smug face, and his character got a karmic justice, Gleeson just noped out, without giving any reason. Knowing how stupid people can be sometimes, I bet one of the “geniuses” sent him a letter full of death threats.
5. Rick Moranis
Known for his amazing performances in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Little Shop of Horrors (feed me, Seymore!), and, of course The Ghostbusters, Rick Moranis quit his acting career after his wife died of liver cancer, and he was left with two kids. It was impossible for him to juggle his acting and being a father, that’s why Rick has not starred in anything since 1997.
6. Sean Connery
Wait what? Sean Connery is on this list? Well, now it’s personal. You can say Connery has pretty much seen it all when it comes to acting. After 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which had its flaws, undoubtedly, Sean Connery decided to hang his hat, so to speak. This wasn’t due to the criticism, instead, Connery said in one of the interviews that he was sick of idiots making movies in Hollywood. I can definitely understand his point.
7. Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
The legendary Olsen Twins, whose careers started when they were only 9 months old, continued their road to success, until they got tired of acting. The twins eventually became fashion designers, but it’s never been the same as their days of glory.
8. Gene Wilder
Oh hey, it’s Willy Wonka! Gene Wilder had some incredible acting chops, and a couple of Academy Award nominations even, but then suddenly retired in 2003. He later explained that he didn’t like show business, or rather the “business” part of it. Fair enough, I’d say.
