Everyone wants to be an actor, right? Well, perhaps that isn't the case...
The reality of starring in a movie can be quite different from the way that people imagine it. There are sometimes fights behind-the-scenes, folks get frustrated and have to work long hours, and then there's still all the publicity and traveling to deal with when the movie is finally released. For some people, this hectic and very public lifestyle can turn out to be more of a nightmare than a dream.
This is the reason why many actors decide to leave Hollywood behind. It's a tough industry to be in, with very little security and for many, there comes a time when enough is enough.
Today we're looking at actors and the films that made them quit the business. Some only made one movie while others had successful careers, but in the end, they all left acting behind.
15 Shelley Duvall Decided To Quit Acting After Stanley Kubrick Terrorized Her On The Set Of The Shining
Director Stanley Kubrick's methodical, and sometimes obsessive nature made him very difficult to work with. When Shelley Duvall starred in The Shining she discovered this side to Kubrick when he terrorized her on set so that she would deliver real fear for the camera. Duvall took very few roles after this and retired a few years later.
14 Mara Wilson Couldn't See Herself Working As An Actress After Her Mother Died During The Making Of Matilda
After a string of successful movies as a child actress including Miracle on 34th Street and Mrs. Doubtfire, Mara Wilson looked set for a Hollywood career. But while Wilson was making Matilda her mother sadly passed away which affected her deeply. She struggled to get roles after that and finally retired from acting in 2000.
13 Peter Ostrum Decided Being A Child Actor Was Too Hard After His First And Only Role In Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Peter Ostrum was 12 years old when he was discovered by talent agents and cast as Charlie Bucket in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. But Peter wasn't impressed by the experience and opted not to sign a contract for more movies. He instead returned to his studies, eventually qualifying as a veterinarian.
12 Jake Lloyd Couldn't Deal With The Attention He Received After Starring In The Phantom Menace
Landing the role of a young Anakin Skywalker should have been a dream come true for Jake Lloyd, but according to him, it turned his life into a 'living hell'. He was doing up to 60 interviews a day, being photographed all the time and was relentlessly bullied by his schoolmates. He vowed after the film to never act again.
11 After Receiving Terrible Reviews For The Two-Faced Woman, Greta Garbo Quit Hollywood Forever
In The Two-Faced Woman, Greta Garbo played the dual role of a woman who doubles as her own twin sister to try and save her marriage. The film was a flop and Greta seemed to realize this even before it was released. The reviews were so terrible that the then 35-year-old quit Hollywood and never made another movie again.
10 Omar Sharif Lost All Self-Respect After His Performance In The Box Office Bomb The 13th Warrior, So He Had To Quit
Omar Sharif, well-known for his epic roles in films like Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, claimed that he deeply regretted taking part in the box office flop The 13th Warrior. After this film, he started turning down roles, saying that he had lost all self-respect and that even his own grandchildren mocked him for this movie.
9 Jaye Davidson Refused To Take Any More Roles After The Crying Game, Because He Hated Being In The Public Eye
Jaye Davidson tried out for his role in The Crying Game on a whim and was surprised when he got the part. He tried to back out, but ended up completing the movie and receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance. But he never considered himself an actor and hated the fame, so he never made another movie.
8 Carrie Henn Didn't Make Another Movie After Aliens, Because She Didn't Like Being Separated From Her Family
Carrie Henn was only 9 when she caught the eye of Aliens director James Cameron, who thought she was perfect for the role of Newt in his film. Henn appeared in the movie alongside Sigourney Weaver, but opted not to continue with acting afterward as she did not want to be separated from her family.
7 Sean Connery Quit Movies After The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Claiming He Was Disillusioned With The Industry
There was plenty of tension behind-the-scenes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Sean Connery and director Stephen Norrington were at the center of it. The pair apparently had very different ideas about how movies should be made and for Connery, it seemed the film was the last straw. He hasn't made a movie since.
6 Heather Donahue Couldn't Land Leading Roles After The Blair Witch Project, So She Quit To Write Instead
Despite her heart-stopping performance in the 1999 horror hit The Blair Witch Project, Heather Donahue struggled for more than ten years afterward to land more leading roles. She eventually decided to quit the movie business for good. "I took all my stuff into the desert relating to my acting career and burned it all," she said.
5 Jack Gleeson Didn't Want A Movie Career, Because He Didn't Like The Acting Lifestyle He Was Exposed To On Game Of Thrones
It was Game of Thrones that made Jack Gleeson decide to focus on academics rather than acting. "It was always a recreation beforehand," he said, "but when I started doing Game of Thrones, perhaps the reality was made too real for me. The lifestyle that comes with being an actor in a successful TV show isn't something I gravitate towards."
4 Daniel Day-Lewis Felt So Depressed After Making The Phantom Thread That He Decided To Retire
Daniel Day-Lewis went all out for his role in The Phantom Thread, as he is known for doing with all his films. But this time it was different. Although his performance won him the praise of critics and movie-goers alike, he said the film left him with a profound sense of sadness. He announced his Hollywood departure not long afterward.
3 Gene Hackman Announced His Retirement After Welcome To Mooseport Bombed
Gene Hackman made a name for himself playing tough guys, but according to those who worked with him, he could be quite volatile behind-the-scenes, too. He was so disinterested in his final film, Welcome to Mooseport, that he didn't even attend the premiere, choosing to go straight into retirement instead.
2 Hayden Christensen Quit The Movie Business After The Backlash From His Performance In Revenge Of The Sith
Hayden Christensen was just 19 when he was chosen to play Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel films. But the media attention (and harsh criticism of his performance) that followed, left him feeling like a fraud, so he decided to escape from Hollywood and went to live on a farm.
1 Cameron Diaz Quit Acting After Annie, Because She Was Tired Of Constantly Being In The Spotlight
Cameron Diaz announced that she was taking a break from acting after her 2014 film Annie. “I started [experiencing fame] when I was 22, so 25 years ago — that’s a long time,” she said. “I’ve given more than half of my life to the public. I feel it’s OK for me to take time for myself now."