Lights, camera, action! Celebrities are just like us — they get burnt out on acting with some stars taking breaks from Hollywood and others retiring completely.
Emma Watson, for example, announced a year-long cooling off period in February 2016 for two reasons: personal growth and focus on feminist-led projects.
“My own personal task is to read a book a week, and also to read a book a month as part of my book club. I’m doing a huge amount of reading and study just on my own,” the English actress told Paper magazine at the time. “I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies. Then I realized that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading.”
The Perks of Being a Wallflower star also vowed to put more time toward expanding her feminist initiatives, including her book club, Our Shared Self.
“I’m on my journey with this and it might change, but I can tell you that what is really liberating and empowering me through being involved in feminism is that so much of the self-critiquing is gone,” she added.
Jennifer Lawrence opted for a year break in February 2018, in order to help young people become informed about politics and using their voice.
“I’m going to be working with this organization as a part of Represent.Us. … Trying to get young people engaged politically on a local level,” the Red Sparrow actress told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “It doesn’t have anything to do with partisan [politics]. It’s just anti-corruption and stuff trying to pass state by state laws that can help prevent corruption, fix our democracy.”
The following year, Selena Gomez revealed that she would be stepping back from music and acting to focus on her health amid her lupus battle.
“I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges,” the Spring Breakers actress said in a statement in December 2019. “I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”
Scroll down to see which stars took time off from acting, but later returned to the limelight:
Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.
