"I've learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me": 5 movies that forced actors to end or pause their careers

Disillusionment with the film industry is not uncommon among actors. We are talking about both stars who have worked in this field for many years and newcomers (usually children) who have played one or two roles. Some of them are tired of numerous interviews and exhausting schedules, while others - of beauty standards on red carpets or strange demands of directors.

OBOZ.UA has prepared a selection of movies that have become the last straw for celebrities' patience. After filming, they publicly announced the end of their acting careers.

1. Annie (2014) - Cameron Diaz

American actress, supermodel, writer, and environmental activist Cameron Diaz quit acting after playing Miss Hannigan in the movie Annie (2014). Every time she went to the set, the movie star thought about this difficult decision, which she shared on the Goop Podcast: "The way I look at it is that I’ve given more than half of my life to the public. I feel it’s okay for me to take time for myself now to reorganize and choose how I want to come [back] into the world. If I decide to."

When Cameron quit filming, she published her own book, The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time. In addition, she has invested in healthcare and biotech startups, including Seed Health and Modern Acupuncture, and in 2020, she launched the organic wine brand Avaline. After a long break, Diaz returned to filming. Thus, you will be able to see her in the action comedy movie from Netflix Back in Action (the premiere is scheduled for January 2025).

2. Phantom Thread (2017) - Daniel Day-Lewis

The English actor Daniel Day-Lewis has quit filming twice in his career: the first time was in the 90s (temporarily), and the second time in 2017 (as he thought, for good). So, in the late 90s, he announced that he was tired of acting and settled in Italy, where he worked as a shoemaker. Later, film director Martin Scorsese, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and producer Harvey Weinstein convinced him to change his mind and play the lead role in Gangs of New York (2002). By the way, Daniel was nominated for an Oscar for this film!

Despite his overwhelming success, the actor was reluctant to take on new projects: after each shooting, he took breaks for 4-5 years. The last straw was Phantom Thread (2017), where Day-Lewis played the role of fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock. To make his performance convincing, he watched archival footage of fashion shows from the 1940s and 50s, studied the lives of designers and, most importantly, learned to sew... When he saw the result, instead of the expected joy, he felt empty inside.

"Before making the film, I didn’t know I was going to stop acting. I do know that Paul and I laughed a lot before we made the movie. And then we stopped laughing because we were both overwhelmed by a sense of sadness. That took us by surprise: We didn’t realize what we had given birth to. It was hard to live with. And still is. We chose fashion and then realized, What the hell have we let ourselves into? And then the fashion world got its hooks into me," Daniel admitted in an interview with W Magazine.

"I didn’t want to be drawn into it. All my life, I’ve mouthed off about how I should stop acting, and I don’t know why it was different this time, but the impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do," the actor summarized.

In October 2024, it became known that Daniel had returned to work in movies after a 7-year break. Thus, the star will be seen in the upcoming film by his own son Ronan, called Anemone. It was reported by The Guardian. The father and son co-authored the script, which focuses on the difficult relationships between fathers, sons and brothers, as well as the dynamics of family ties.

3. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - Jake Lloyd

American actor Jack Lloyd gained worldwide fame for his role as young Anakin Skywalker in the cult film Star Wars. Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It would seem that this is a great start for a 9-year-old boy who wants to conquer Hollywood. However, after the filming was completed, he decided not to return to the movie industry. Why?

"My entire school life was really a living hell. Other children were really mean to me. They would make the sound of the light saber every time they saw me. It was totally mad. I've learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me," Jack said in an interview. He added that he had to give about 60 interviews a day. He was so angry at the movie directed by George Lucas that he destroyed all his Star Wars memorabilia.

4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - Peter Ostrum

Peter Ostrum's first and last role was the character of Charlie Bucket in the musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. After the movie was released, the young actor received numerous offers from directors. However, he deliberately refused all of them... Due to the exhausting filming and the fact that he often had to be in the spotlight (on red carpets, premieres in different cities and interviews), Peter realized that acting was not his true passion. With the money he earned from the musical, the boy bought a horse. And when he grew up, he studied at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and became a famous veterinarian.

"You know, I love what I do now, I’m a veterinarian. Being in the film industry as a child was hard, and I couldn’t keep it going. But in the end leaving was the right decision. I’d tell him to keep all his opportunities open, and when new experiences knock, open up the door and follow through," Peter said in an interview with Hollywood Chicago.

5. The Shining (1980) - Shelley Duvall

The iconic work of American actress Shelley Duvall was the role of Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's horror film The Shining based on the novel by Stephen King. Do you remember the famous shot where she stands terrified behind a door with an axe stuck in it? After filming, the celebrity suspended her career for several years (she planned to leave it completely but changed her mind).

The truth is that filming The Shining had a negative impact on Shelley's mental state. Kubrick was constantly pranking her, so the actress was stressed and afraid. Because of his scrupulousness to the smallest manifestations of emotion, he looked for real despair and hysteria in Duvall's behavior. It was physically and emotionally exhausting for her.

"This role required me to cry 12 hours a day, five or six days a week for nine months straight... Going through day after day of excruciating work. Almost unbearable. At the end of the day, we knew that it was for the purpose of enhancing the performance. There were no grudges," Duvall told Roger Ebert in 1980.

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