12 Movies Stars Who Decided to Retire From Acting for Now

The profession of a movie actor isn’t an easy one. And even though some people can’t live without acting and accept roles in movies and series almost until the end of their lives, there are those who decide to quit while they’re at the peak of their careers. And today, we would like to talk about the actors who’ve made this choice.

Cameron Diaz

• Her last on-screen appearance: the movie Annie (2014)

Before 2014, Cameron Diaz used to film a few movies a year. And it’s obvious why. From the moment the movie The Mask was released in 1994, almost every director dreamed of working with this beautiful blonde. During her 20-year-long career, she managed to reveal her talent in different genres, from action comedy movies (Charlie’s Angels) to historical dramas (Gangs of New York). Perhaps, Diaz got tired of the movie industry and decided to go on hiatus, and after that realized that she didn’t want to return. And her fans can only hope that one day some director will offer her a role that she won’t be able to say no to.

Zooey Deschanel

• Her last on-screen appearance: the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2016)

When the romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer entered theaters in 2009, it seemed like all of its starring actors would be famous. But unlike Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose career is on the rise, Zooey hasn’t been that successful. After 2009, she’s only had roles in a few movies and TV shows (including the popular TV series New Girl), and currently, she’s mostly involved in voice acting.

Meg Ryan

• Her last on-screen appearance: the movie Ithaca (2015)

In the ’80s and ’90s, Meg Ryan seemed to have appeared in almost every romantic comedy released at the time. Her beauty and talent would leave no one indifferent. However, in the early 2000s, her career stalled, and the actress almost fell off the radar. This could be connected with the problems in her personal life or with mental exhaustion. Her last on-screen appearance was in the drama Ithaca, where Ryan was also a director.

Jack Nicholson

• His last on-screen appearance: the movie How Do You Know (2010)

Being a living legend, Jack Nicholson can do anything he likes. If he doesn’t want to be in movies anymore (the last time we saw him on screen was 13 years ago), the only thing we can do about it is to accept his choice. The actor didn’t announce his decision to quit, but he never took on another role after the release of the movie How Do You Know. He could’ve had a role in the American remake of the German movie Toni Erdmann in 2018, but he changed his mind and turned down the offer.

Lara Flynn Boyle

• Her last on-screen appearance: Lucky Dog (2015)

In the ’90s, Lara Flynn Boyle was at the peak of her career after starring in 2 iconic series, Twin Peaks and The Practice, which got her an Emmy nomination. And in 2002, she was in the movie Men in Black II. But in the mid-2000s, her career began to decline, and she was mostly in low-budget projects. And since 2014, she hasn’t appeared in movies or series at all.

Chris Tucker

• His last on-screen appearance: the movie Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)

After Chris Tucker played a narcissistic radio host in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, it became clear that a new star had been born in Hollywood. The audience loved his performance, so Tucker was offered a starring role in the movie Rush Hour which was so successful that 2 more sequels of the film were released. It seemed that Tucker’s career had been secured for many years ahead. But after Rush Hour 3, the actor has appeared only in 2 more projects, Silver Linings Playbook and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. According to the media, Chris’s priorities in life have changed and he decided to be picky about the movie roles he wants to play. But his performance in The Fifth Element was so great that we can only hope he’ll find a project that will help him reveal his talent to the fullest.

Shannyn Sossamon

• Her last on-screen appearance: Sinister 2 (2015)

Shannyn Sossamon rose to fame thanks to her very first movie role. This happened in 2001 when she starred in the adventure film A Knight’s Tale. A year later, the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights was released, where Sossamon played the love interest of Josh Hartnett’s character, and the movie was very successful too. But after that, her acting career began to decline. Yes, she managed to appear in some other popular flicks like The Holiday, One Missed Call, and Doomsday, but this was more than 10 years ago. And since 2015, the actress hasn’t appeared in any prominent projects.

Sally Field

• Her last on-screen appearance: the movie Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)

Sally Field’s acting career spans 5 decades. She has 2 Oscars and many other prestigious awards under her belt. It would take us more than an hour to give a short synopsis of all the films she’s taken part in. Unfortunately, her appearance in movies has become less frequent during the last couple of years. It’s hard to believe this, but she starred in Norma Rae, Steel Magnolias, and Forrest Gump more than 20 years ago, and her last starring role was in the movie Hello, My Name Is Doris which was released in 2015.

Tom Welling

• His last on-screen appearance: the movie The Choice (2016)

Tom Welling rose to international fame thanks to the role of Clark Kent in the superhero drama Smallville. And it seemed that an actor with his talent and appearance would surely find his place in the romantic comedies that were so popular in the aughts. But this never happened. The actor has been in just in a few famous movies throughout his career. And nowadays, Tom mostly only appears in TV shows.

Matthew Fox

• His last on-screen appearance: the movie Extinction (2015)

Matthew Fox made his big screen debut in the 1993 comedy The Loneliest Boy in the World. But he became internationally famous 10 years later when he starred in the iconic series Lost. The actor was even nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. And it seemed that all doors would be open to him after that. However, after taking part in a few successful projects, including World War Z, Fox almost disappeared from the screen. Matthew’s last starring role was in the 2015 movie Extinction.

Nikki Reed

• Her last on-screen appearance: the movie Jack Goes Home (2016)

Twilight star, Nikki Reed, began to appear in movies in 2003. Catherine Hardwicke, a friend of her mother’s, invited her to work on a script with her when Reed said she was interested in acting. The movie Thirteen was quite successful, and Reed’s performance was praised by critics. But of course, The Twilight Saga became her breakthrough role, where she played Rosalie the vampire. Her last appearance on the big screen was the movie Jack Goes Home.

Eva Mendes

• Her last on-screen appearance: the movie Lost River (2014)

Eva started her movie career by acting in horror movies, but she was so disappointed in her performance that she soon hired an acting coach. According to Mendes, her breakthrough was the thriller Training Day, where she starred alongside Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington. And after taking part in more than 30 movies, Eva decided to quit her acting career in 2014.