Life Beyond the Spotlight: 8 Stars Who Left Hollywood for New Beginnings

8 Stars That Left the Glitz and Glamour of Hollywood for Good

The glimmering world of Hollywood often seems like a dreamland filled with fame, fortune, and endless opportunities. However, not all stars choose to stay in the limelight forever. Here are eight celebrities who decided to leave the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for good. These Tinseltown favorites proved that life beyond Hollywood can be fulfilling and diverse. Whether pursuing entrepreneurial ventures, education, new creative passions, or just a simple life, each carved out a unique path beyond the silver screen.

1. Andrew Shue

Andrew Shue, best known for his role as Billy Campbell on the hit show Melrose Place, made a surprising career shift in 2006 by founding the social media site, CafeMom. Shue’s transition from acting to entrepreneurship was marked by a determination to do more with his life. He also co-founded Do Something, a global non-profit organization that aims to help young folks become active citizens in their communities. His focus turned to social activism projects with his advocacy group The People.

2.  Angus T. Jones

As per People magazine, Angus T. Jones, the former child star of Two and a Half Men, made headlines when he left Hollywood after his time on the sitcom. Following his baptism into the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Jones urged, “If you watch Two and a Half Men, please stop watching Two and a Half Men. I’m on Two and a Half Men and I don’t want to be on it. Please stop watching it. Please stop filling your head with filth. People say it’s just entertainment. Do some research on the effects of television on your brain and I promise you, you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to…what you watch on television. It’s bad news…You cannot be a true God-fearing person and be on a television show like that. I know I can’t.” He later attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and has remained largely out of the spotlight.

3. Daniel Day-Lewis

Renowned actor Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement from acting in June 2017, marking the end of a storied career in Hollywood. Known for his method acting and intense preparation for roles, Day-Lewis’s decision came after his work on Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.  A spokesperson for Day-Lewis stated, “He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject." During an interview, Day-Lewis himself weighed in and explained, “I knew it was uncharacteristic to put out a statement. But I did want to draw a line. I didn’t want to get sucked back into another project. All my life, I’ve mouthed off about how I should stop acting, and I don’t know why it was different this time, but the impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do.”

4. Frankie Muniz

Frankie Muniz, who gained fame as the star of Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks, decided to leave Hollywood to pursue a career as a racing driver. He shared, "I never felt like I fully fit in the Hollywood world, even though I was in the world. I was nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, and I was going to all this stuff, and I was there, and I was like, ‘How am I here?’...When I was on Malcolm, I was just so excited to be working on a show," he said. "But also in that same sense, when the show ended, I kind of left the business for a little bit. I started doing other things. I was racing cars. I joined a band. I was touring all over. I opened some businesses and I got to experience so many amazing things in my life, which now at this point has made me able to reflect and look back and be so appreciative of the experience."

5. Ian Somerhalder

As per OK! Magazine, Ian Somerhalder, widely recognized for his role in The Vampire Diaries, left Hollywood years ago and hasn’t looked back. In an interview, Somerhalder confessed, "I loved what I did for a really long time, but I don't miss any of it…I love making films, I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.” In another interview, he added, "[ I love] walking through the farm with kids and dogs and family…Every stop, you’re pulling off of trees or off of bushes, pulling up out of the ground and feeding everyone as you’re moving through the farm.”

6. Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy, known for her role on Nickelodeon's iCarly, chose to step away from acting to focus on directing and writing. In her 2022 memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy revealed, "My experience with acting is, I'm so ashamed of the parts I've done in the past. I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy and embarrassing. I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15, they're not like, 'Oh, cool, you're on this Nickelodeon show.' It was embarrassing."

7. Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle’s Cinderella-like transition from Hollywood to royalty is perhaps the most well-known. Famous for her role on Suits, Markle embraced her new role as Duchess of Sussex before stepping back from her senior royal duties alongside her husband. In an interview, she rigidly remarked, “No. I’m done…I guess never say never, but I intend to absolutely not.” Talking about her other acting gigs, in her podcast, she disclosed, “As I said, I was thankful for the job, but not for how it made me feel, which was not smart. I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance, and that’s how it felt for me at the time— being reduced to this specific archetype.”

8. Terrence Howard

Terence Howard, known for his roles in films like Hustle & Flow and the TV series Empire, announced his retirement from acting in 2019. Despite briefly returning to the screen, Howard soon resumed his retirement, expressing a firm decision to leave Hollywood behind. In an interview, he explained, "This is the end for me...I don't know if it's the end for the rest of them. I've been playing pretend for forever. [There's] no need to play pretend anymore. I've done my time." During his short-lived 2019 retirement, he affirmed, "I asked Sidney Poitier 10 years ago does he want to do any more work, and he said, 'Why would I spend my last 10 years doing an impersonation of myself?' And that's what I've gotten to."