Not everyone wants to live their life in the spotlight. Some celebrities decided to give up fame to live regular lives with ordinary jobs.
1. Geena Davis: Social Activist
Geena decided to let acting take a back seat to increasing the presence of female characters in the media. The actress founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Although Davis’s main focus is her activism, the actress made a return to acting in 2014, when she appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, and in 2016, in The Exorcist.
2. Kevin Jonas: Entrepreneur
A year after the band The Jonas Brothers broke up, Kevin decided to try his hand at contracting. At the same time, he became co-CEO of a marketing company and had a partnership with a popular website in the form of a video-sharing app. So basically, Kevin’s in the start-up world now.
3. Nikki Blonsky: Cosmetologist
After appearing in the film Hairspray and the short-lived series Huge, Nikki left Hollywood behind and worked at a shoe store in New York City. She later decided to pursue a career as a cosmetologist and was hired at a hair salon. In 2013, she made a brief return in the series Smash. In 2017, she appeared in the film Dog Years.
4. Gene Hackman: Writer
Gene Hackman has had an extremely successful career as an actor and has won many awards. In July 2004, Hackman announced that he was retiring. But that didn’t stop the former actor from excelling in another field. Hackman has written 3 historical novels with archaeologist Daniel Lenihan.
5. Vanilla Ice: House Renovator
In 1990, Vanilla Ice reached the top of the charts with the single Ice Ice Baby. But after suffering from some personal issues, he began flipping homes. In 2009, he starred in the reality TV series The Vanilla Ice Project, in which he renovated homes. He also published a real estate guide on how to succeed in buying and flipping houses.
6. Hayden Christensen: Farmer
He was offered a lot of opportunities after the Star Wars films, but he turned them all down. Instead, he bought land in Ontario, Canada, and started working on his own farm. He later started a clothing company, launched a production company, and acted in a film called First Kill in 2017. So it looks like he is coming back to the entertainment industry.
7. Chris Owen: Photographer
Chris Owen was getting plenty of acting work in the late ’90s and early 2000s. His most memorable role was the Sherminator in the American Pie franchise. But soon the actor found himself out of work. In 2013, he was spotted working as a waiter in a restaurant. He eventually quit and is now working as a photographer.
8. Dylan Sprouse: Brewmaster
Dylan Sprouse gained fame along with his twin brother, Cole, after appearing in movies such as Big Daddy and their own TV show, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Now Dylan and his partners own a meadery and bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he is the brewmaster.
9. Freddie Prinze Jr.: Chef
We remember Freddie from the movies She’s All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer. In 2002, he married Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Freddie has had a lot of career changes and finally decided to become a chef after writing his first cook book, Back to the Kitchen, in 2016
10. Jack Gleeson: Student
After his character was killed off in Game of Thrones, Gleeson announced that he would be retiring from acting: “It was always something I did for recreation with my friends or in the summer for some fun. I enjoyed it. When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it. It’s not like I hate it, it’s just not what I want to do.” He was going to finish his final year of school and then get his graduate degree.
