To anyone who’s seen “Mean Girls” as much as I have, you would recognize that attractive face anywhere. Jonathan Bennett played the hunky Aaron Samuels as Lindsay Lohan’s love interest. Following the role, he virtually disappeared from the acting world for several years.
At one point, he was even reported to be working as a spin instructor in Los Angeles. Nowadays, his career is on a steady incline. He currently is serving as the host of Food Network’s “Halloween Wars,” having hosted the previous “Cake Wars.” Other recent noteworthy roles include “The Christmas House” in 2020, and he starred in 8 episodes of the comedy series “Awkward” in 2016.
Boardwalk to Nowhere
Paz de la Huerta seemed destined for fame when she acted on "Boardwalk Empire" for two seasons. The series went on air from 2010 to 2014 and was such a hit that it won a hefty 20 Emmy awards. However, her career quickly petered after the role. Since then, she hasn't made any high-profile appearances.
In 2015, it was reported that de la Huerta was suing the filmmakers, for ruining her career. Paz has also made allegations against Harvey Weinstein, an act which she describes as having made her life take a sharp dark turn. She became depressed and after a second season, HBO did not renew her contract.
Dethroned
Surely, no Game of Thrones fan could forget Jack Gleeson. Jack played television's most despised enemy, King Joffrey. Despite the high-profile role, Gleeson has not acted since 2014. In 2012, the actor hinted at his intention to retire from acting to pursue an academic career once his work on Game of Thrones was finished.
In 2014, Gleeson confirmed he would be permanently retiring from acting after concluding his work in "Game of Thrones." In the same interview, he said that while he previously had the desire to pursue a degree, he has since gone off that idea. He is currently busy running his own touring theater company, which has a puppet show.
A Second Career
Sometimes, when you have a good enough reason, you're ready to say goodbye to your career as an actor. Gene Hackman's time was up after 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport." With two Oscar wins under his belt, the veteran actor is sitting back and enjoying life with his wife of 26 years, Betsy Arakawa. He got an Oscar in 1972 for his role in “The French Connection” and again in 1993 for his work in “Unforgiven.”
Retiring from acting allowed some free time for his writing career. In the last two decades, he has finished five novels, including three works of historical fiction, a Western, and a police thriller. The guy is living proof that it’s never too late to make a big career change!
From Hollywood to Harvard
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was one of the most iconic teenage stars of the 90s. Since his contributions to the voice of Simba in "The Lion King" and as Randy Taylor on "Home Improvement," JTT has just about vanished from the acting world. While most people only dream of achieving the type of success he had as a child star, the actor decided to walk away from it all in 2000.
He told People Magazine that he'd been working nonstop since he was eight years old and he wanted a chance to travel and study. While he has been missed, we are very impressed to see that he graduated from Harvard University. He has made minor appearances here and there but nothing comes close to the roles he held back in the day.