While some left the country, others threw it away to spend time with their children: The stars who turned their back on fame

Hollywood is a fickle business. Stars can endure extreme highs and extreme lows.

For some, they achieved incredible success, then decided to step away from fame for a simpler life.

9honey takes a look at some of the biggest stars who turned their backs on the spotlight.

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Lindsay Lohan was one of the biggest Hollywood stars stacking up credits in hit films including Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and Herbie: Fully Loaded.

She first got her start as a child actress, however, appearing in 1998's The Parent Trap.

But despite being one of the biggest stars in the early 2000s, she soon took a break from the spotlight.

But it didn't last forever.

After moving to Dubai in 2014, marrying and starting a family, the star thrilled fans with her return to acting in Netflix films Falling for Christmas, Irish Wish and Our Little Secret.

She recently spoke about her move to Dubai and how good it was for her.

"Moving here was a fresh start," she told Emirates Woman.

"I really found that I had a private life... I really learned to appreciate what it is to go, do my work, and then leave and live a normal life."

Mara Wilson was a leading child star in the '90s.

She was known for Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street. But in the early 2000s she stepped away from her acting career.

"Film can be exciting, but more often, it's tedious. The celebrity aspect is nothing short of ridiculous, and auditioning is brutal and dehumanising," she reportedly wrote in an old blog post.



Wilson makes the odd red carpet appearance every now and then and is seen at the premiere of Knives Out in 2019.

She has some small acting credits to her name in recent years, including episodes of Ollie & Scoops and Helluva Boss.

She recently made an appearance at a Comic Con event at Rhode Island.

She is now a writer.

Frankie Muniz is known for the hit show Malcolm in the Middle, playing the titular character Malcom.

While the American actor, now 39, has acted on occasion in recent years, he has poured his efforts into becoming a professional stock car racing driver.

He recently told Fox News Digital it was the right decision for him to leave Hollywood and put his acting career on the backburner for a bit.

"As an actor, like, I've been fortunate to do a lot of great things and people tell me, 'I love your show, or I love this or love that,' but, you know, it's all based on opinion," he said.

"Where, as a race car driver, it's not subjective. It's in black and white. You either win and you're the fastest or you're slow."

A reboot of Malcolm in the Middle with some of the original cast has just been announced.

Meg Ryan was one of the biggest stars of the '80s and '90s with leading roles in some of the best rom-coms of the era. Then she took a step back.

Ryan is known for her roles in some of the most memorable films of the generation, including 1989's When Harry Met Sally, 1993's Sleepless in Seattle, 1998's City of Angels, and 1998's You've Got Mail.

The star, 63, recently explained why she took a ''giant break'' from her career and at the peak of her fame.

Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the release of her new film What Happens Later, which she directs and stars in, Ryan said she always thought of her acting career as "a job, not a lifestyle".

"I took a giant break because I felt like there's just so many other parts of my experience as a human being I wanted to develop," she told the publication.

"It's nice to think of it as a job and not a lifestyle. And that is a great way of navigating it for me."

American actress Grace Kelly was an icon of her generation, gracing the screen with appearances in 1954's Dial M for Murder and High Society.

She was a screen darling when she met royalty.

Cameron Diaz reportedly earned upwards of a whopping $54 million per movie.

She rose to fame following 1994's The Mask, before going on to star in the likes of There's Something About Mary and Charlie's Angels.

But Diaz, now 52, quit acting around 2014, confirming in 2018 she had "retired" from the industry.

She married Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden in 2015 and they started a family in that time. She also has her own organic wine range.

She told In Goop Health recently about her decision to step back: "I got a peace in my soul, because I finally was taking care of myself."

"It's a strange thing to say, I know a lot of people won't understand it, I know you understand it, but it's so intense to work at that level and be that public and put yourself out there. There's a lot of energy coming at you at all times when you're really visible as an actor and doing press and putting yourself out there."

However, she recently filmed Back in Action with Jamie Foxx, which is set to be released in 2025.

Canadian actor Rick Moranis was Danny O'Shea in Little Giants, who went head-to-head with his brother coaching a team of 'misfits'.

He is also known for The Flintstones, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Little Shop of Horrors.

Moranis, despite finding considerable success, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Little Shop of Horrors, left Hollywood about 20 years ago so he could raise his kids as a single father.

However in 2020, Moranis, now 71, returned to film a commercial with Ryan Reynolds.

Shelley Duvall, as seen in The Shining, became a standout star thanks to her role as Wendy Torrance, the wife of Jack Nicholson's character in the 1980 film.

But she said her said her mental health was impacted during filming.

"From May until October, I was really in and out of ill health because the stress of the role was so great. Stanley pushed me and prodded me further than I've ever been pushed before," she said in the book The Complete Kubrick.

The late star retired from acting in 2002.

She did, however, make a brief return to acting for Forest Hills, released in 2023.

She sadly died in July 2024 due to complications of diabetes.

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Men's Helpline on 1300 78 99 78 or in case of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

Freddie Prinze Jr. was a Hollywood heartthrob, winning over fans with films in the '90s including She's All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo.

But he turned his back on fame and acting to raise his family with actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.

"I became a full-time father," he previously told E! News.

He also recently said to CBS News: "I've really stepped away from the acting. I don't really do that anymore."

However, he's set to reprise his role in the hit franchise I Know What You Did Last Summer, recently spending time with his wife in Australia while they film Down Under.

It'll hit screens in 2025.