These 11 Celebrity Stars Quit Hollywood And Don't Mind Explaining Why

Some celebrities walk away from Hollywood and never look back, even when the spotlight is still waiting for them. For these 11 stars, leaving the industry was less about scandal and more about choosing a different life.

From child actors to major movie names, each person on this list stepped away for their own reasons, and in some cases, they have been very open about why. That makes the stories more interesting, because the decision was not always dramatic, just deeply personal.

Here are 11 celebrity stars who quit Hollywood and are focused on something else now.

1. Jennette McCurdy

Jennette is mostly known for her role on iCarly, but she has stated that she took a break from acting and is now pursuing writing and directing. "My experience with acting is that I'm so ashamed of the parts I've done in the past," Jennette revealed.

"I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played, and I felt like they were the most cheesy and embarrassing.

I did the shows that I was on from age 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15 weren't like, 'Oh, cool, you're on this Nickelodeon show.' It was embarrassing."

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2. Meghan Markle

Meghan left her home in Toronto and her role on Suits for life in The Firm. However, she and her husband might be coming back into the business with their multi-year deal with Netflix.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

3. Cameron Diaz

Cameron definitely deserved a break after working in film since 1994, and she decided to start her break after the 2014 film Annie was finished. She says, "I had gone so hard for so long, working and making films, and it's such a grind.

When you're making a movie—it's a perfect excuse—they own you. You're there for 12 hours a day for months on end, and you have no time for anything else."

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4. Terrence Howard

Terrence is done with the big screen since his five-year run with Empire is over. He says, "Oh, I'm done with acting. I'm done pretending."

He also states that he's focused on bringing the truth to the world.

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Hollywood tension is real, just like Kaley Cuoco’s set moment when an A-list actress overlooked her on “Charmed”.

5. Jack Gleeson

Jack told E! that he is getting out of the acting game. "I've been acting since age 8," the Game of Thrones star explained regarding his decision.

"I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to." This might change, though, as he might resume on the big screen in the series Out Of Her Mind.

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6. Phoebe Cates

Phoebe has been stepping away from the business for a while since there was an agreement to never have her and Kevin Kline working at the same time so one could watch their children. However, every time her solo work comes up, she decides to stay with the children.

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7. Rick Moranis

Rick stepped away from acting around 1991 when his wife passed away. Since then, he has focused his time on their children.

Though his time on the big screen is over, he is said to return for a Disney reboot of Shrunk.

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8. Leelee Sobieski

Leelee states that film is no longer an interest of hers to stay within the boundaries of her relationship. "Ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual content with other people, and I don't want to do that," she explained to Vogue.

"It's such a strange fire to play with, and our relationship is surely strong enough to handle it, but if you're going to walk through fire, there has to be something incredible on the other side."

She also states that she feels the main reason she quit is to focus on her kids.

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9. Sean Connery

Sean says that he has no regrets about quitting in 2006. He states that "retirement is just too damned much fun."

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10. Portia De Rossi

Portia quit Hollywood because she said she was looking to find something different. Here's more on that.

"I was approaching 45, and I just kind of... was wondering if there was something that I could tackle now that I've never done before that would be really challenging and different," she explained on her wife Ellen DeGeneres' eponymous talk show in 2018.

"I kind of knew what acting would look like for me for the next 10 to 20 years, so I decided to quit and start a business."

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11. Daniel Day-Lewis

Shortly after winning his sixth Oscar, he issued a statement essentially quitting acting. The statement reads, "I will no longer be working as an actor.

I am immensely grateful to all of my collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision, and neither I nor my representatives will make any further comment on this subject."

Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Hearing some of these actors follow their dreams or simply try something new shows that it's okay to switch career paths, even if you are deemed to be "in the perfect position." Sometimes there's more to it than just the money.

Sometimes, people just want to switch things up or simply don't like what the industry offers anymore.

Before you decide, see what happened when someone debated attending a best friend’s wedding after being ghosted. Debating Whether to Attend Best Friends Wedding After Being Ghosted - WIBTA?