These Actors Took a Major Hiatus From Hollywood

At different times in their career, celebs like Channing Tatum and Matt Damon have opted to step away from their projects and devote more time to their personal life -- whether that was spending time with family or just doing some reflecting. And at the end of their Hollywood hiatus, they came back stronger than ever, ready to take on whatever challenges come next.

Here are some of the stars who have temporarily taken a step back from acting…

1. Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum recently opened up about his break from acting, explaining that he felt burnt out after shooting four back-to-back films, including 2014's "22 Jump Street and 2015's "Jupiter Ascending." And in 2018, he even considered walking away from Hollywood for good, questioning what he really wanted to be doing with his life.

"I felt like I was the fat kid at the buffet, just working and working and working. I took four movies back to back without any time off. I wasn't as good as I wanted to be in those last two movies because I didn't have the energy…I got lucky. I won a creative lottery ticket. I made a little bit of money, so I could take a step back and figure out what life is," Channing told Variety.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow

Back in 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow announced that she was taking a break from acting in order to focus on her wellness company Goop. While she has made some brief appearances in Marvel films, Gwyneth really has no plans to return to acting right now -- unless her husband Brad Falchuk writes a really great role for her!

"I would have to be f---ing the writer! But that's sort of it! If my husband writes something and he wants me to do it, then I'll do it…And you know, I can never say never," Gwyneth said on "No Filter With Naomi."

3. Eva Mendes

Since welcoming her children, Eva Mendes has taken a step back from acting. She last appeared in 2014's "Lost River" and says that now that she's a mother, she's more selective about the type of work she chooses to do.

"As a mother now, there are many roles I won't do. There are many subject matters that I don't want to be involved with, so it limits my choices and I'm fine with that. I have to set an example for my girls now," Eva wrote on Instagram.

4. Jennifer Lawrence

In 2018, Jennifer Lawrence announced she was going to take a year-long hiatus from acting in order to focus her attention on becoming more politically involved. Jennifer teamed up with an organization called Represent.Us, which encouraged young people to get involved in local politics.

"I'm going to take the next year off. 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…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," Jennifer told ET.

While Jennifer did briefly reprise her role in the "X-Men" series during that time, her hiatus ended up lasting a little longer than expected as her next film didn't debut until 2021.

5. Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle skyrocketed to stardom with "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central but before the third season aired, Dave seemingly disappeared from the public eye. It was later revealed that the comedian had turned down $50 million to renew the series for Season 4 and Season 5. When he made his return years later, he said that despite his success, the "emotional content of it didn't feel like anything [he] imagined success should feel like."

"At the end of the day, ultimately I feel good about what I did. It was not easy, and I do not recommend it. But it worked for me. I took the Dave Chappelle detour. It was a scenic route. I'm glad I took the route, but it was a long, long, long detour," Dave told CBS.

6. Matt Damon

In 2016, Matt Damon announced that he would be taking a year-long break from acting for the sake of his family. At the time, he explained that he had filmed quite a few projects in a row and dragged his family "all over the world." He said that he finally wanted to give them a break.

"I took a bunch of roles in a row. I've done four straight movies in a row and I have one more to go…[My family is] really good sports. They're great travelers. But I'm excited to finish this year of work and take a year off and be at their behest for once," Matt shared with People.

7. Ryan Gosling

Like this partner Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling also took a break from acting. In 2013, he revealed that he wouldn't be working on any projects in the near future because he had been "doing it too much." He ended up taking off all of 2014 and returned to film "The Big Short" in 2015.

"I've lost perspective on what I'm doing. I think it's good for me to take a break and reassess why I'm doing it and how I'm doing it. And I think this is probably a good way to learn about that. I need a break from myself as much as I imagine the audience does," Ryan said in an interview at the time.

8. Tom Hiddleston

A few years ago, Tom Hiddleston took a step away from acting, although he says it wasn't a conscious choice. He explained that he considers the hiatus a "moment of consideration" after playing many different characters in a row.

"I'd been playing so many different people in so many different parts of the world, and it's very important to distinguish what's real in one's own life, and look after those things. Because if you don't look after them, they can be lost, or they can be marginalized, and then you come home one day and they’re not there anymore," Tom told Empire.

9. Freddie Prinze Jr.

Freddie Prinze Jr. was a major star in the late '90s and early 2000s but later decided to take a break from acting to focus on his family. He spent some time writing and producing, but majorly focused on being present with his young children.

"Yeah, I didn't miss [acting] at all when I walked away…I had kids and not having a dad, it was always more important to me to be a present father," Freddie told People.

10. Eddie Murphy

Back in 2010, Eddie Murphy made the decision to take a break from acting after winning the Razzie for worst actor of the decade. The award came after a string of movies that bombed at the box office and he felt that he needed to reassess things. He only intended for his break to last a year but it ended up being a lot longer.

"I was making s----y movies. I was like, 'This s--- ain't fun. They're giving me Razzies…Motherf---er gave me the 'worst actor ever' Razzie. [So I thought], 'Maybe it's time to take a break.' I was only gonna take a break for a year, then all of a sudden six years go by, and I'm sitting on the couch and I could sit on the couch and not get off it, but I don't want the last bunch of s--- they see me do [to be] bulls---," Eddie said on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast.

11. Rick Moranis

After the release of the final movie in the "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" franchise, Rick Moranis decided to end his acting career for the foreseeable future. His wife had passed away several years prior and he wanted to be more present for his children.

"For the first couple of years I was able to make it work -- doing one and a half pictures a year for three months with no problem. But I started to really miss them. It got to the point where I was doing a lot of pictures with kids -- really nice kids, but not my kids. So, I was like, 'You know what? I'm tired of talking to my kids from a hotel room. I'm going home.' So I turned down the next pictures that came along and the break just got longer and longer," Rick told THR.

In 2020, he revealed he would be ending his hiatus to take part in the upcoming "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" reboot.

12. Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie is no stranger to taking breaks from acting. After beginning her acting career as a teenager, she decided to take a break from acting in the 1960s. She had the opportunity to start a family and live a quiet life until she was drawn back to the spotlight for her iconic role in "Carrie."

"I had a whole other life for 15 years. I had a wonderful life in the country, became a mother and a sculptor and a baker. I had a happy life and never imagined I'd be working again, and yet somehow I knew that I might," Piper told The Detroit News.

She steadily appeared in films until 2012, when she decided to take another hiatus but eventually returned to acting in 2018.

13. Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser was a movie star in the '90s but seemingly faded away from the spotlight after years of success. Brendan later explained that over time, doing his own stunts in films had taken a toll on his body and he was in and out of the hospital for quite a few years. On top of that, he went through a divorce and was raising his children, leading him to take a step back from acting.

"Going to work -- in between being in and out of those hospitals, that wasn't always possible…I changed houses; I went through a divorce. Some kids were born. I mean, they were born, but they're growing up. I was going through things that mold and shape you in ways that you're not ready for until you go through them," Brendan told GQ.