Actors often become familiar faces in our lives, but we don’t always notice when they step away from the screen. Many stars have retired, but sometimes their unexpected return creates a buzz and reminds us of how much we loved them. It’s a shame they don’t always pick the best productions to return in.
Numerous talents have been missed on screen and have been tempted out of retirement. Some return for one movie, others for a whole new chapter. Here are the stories behind why these actors returned to the spotlight.
10. Phoebe Cates (The Anniversary Party, 2001)
Phoebe Cates rose to fame in the 1980s with roles in movies like Gremlins (1984) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988). Her iconic swimming pool scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) cemented her place in cinematic history.
Despite her success, Cates retired in 1994 to raise her children, Owen and Greta, leaving acting to her husband, Kevin Kline. However, she returned in 2001 for one movie.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming’s The Anniversary Party convinced Cates to return. She agreed only because of her friendship with Leigh, whom she had worked with on Ridgemont High. Cates insisted on bringing her children. The movie stars Cates, Kline, and their children. [1]
9. Joe Pesci (The Irishman, 2019)
Joe Pesci became famous for his roles in crime movies, such as Once Upon a Time in America (1984), the Lethal Weapon series, and the Home Alone franchise. The Irishman, a major gangster movie, needed him. But he had retired nearly ten years earlier.
Director Martin Scorsese enlisted Robert De Niro, who had worked with Pesci in many movies.
Scorsese sent De Niro to persuade him, but Pesci declined the role of Russell Bufalino up to forty times. He finally agreed when Netflix guaranteed financing, assuring him a decent paycheck and the completion of the ambitious project. [2]
8. Jane Fonda (Monster-in-Law, 2005)
Jane Fonda, from a famous Hollywood family, was destined for stardom. Her father, Henry, and brother, Peter, had long careers. Jane, who had been in movies since 1960, retired in 1991 to marry media baron Ted Turner.
After marrying Ted Turner, she retired to enjoy wealth and luxury. But they divorced in 2001, and Fonda considered returning to acting.
Fonda starred opposite J.Lo in the rom-com Monster-in-Law. She enjoyed playing the over-the-top mother-in-law, finding humor and happiness in the role. [3]
7. Jack Gleeson (Out of Her Mind, 2020)
Jack Gleeson, known for his role as King Joffrey Baratheon on HBO’s Game of Thrones, played one of the most hated villains of all time. After his character was killed off in the fourth season, Gleeson questioned whether acting was for him.
Gleeson decided to step away from acting, focus on academia, and continue charitable work for GOAL, a global poverty charity.
English comedian Sara Pascoe brought Gleeson back to the small screen in her BBC miniseries Out of Her Mind. He played Casper, the ghost of Pascoe’s aborted child. Pascoe was advised to cast an actor that everyone wished was dead, making King Joffrey the perfect choice. [4]
6. Robert Redford (Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia, 2020)
Robert Redford had a long career, starting in 1960 and appearing in 46 films. He announced in 2018 that The Old Man & the Gun would be his last film.
His appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019) made people think he had changed his mind. However, he had filmed his scenes as Alexander Pierce before The Old Man & the Gun.
The film that brought him back to acting was Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia, an absurdist anthology film co-directed by Redford’s grandson Dylan. Redford voiced a dolphin named Lokia as a favor to his grandson. [5]
5. Shelley Duvall (The Forest Hills, 2023)
Shelley Duvall is known for her role as Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). Her career included working with directors like Tim Burton, Jane Campion, Terry Gilliam, and Woody Allen.
Duvall starred in multiple films throughout the ’90s, but her career dwindled as she moved into supporting roles. After more than 20 movies, she retired in 2002 to support her brother in Texas, who had spinal cancer.
Twenty years later, Duvall returned to acting in Scott Goldberg’s indie horror The Forest Hills, alongside Edward Furlong. Despite this return, she hasn’t signed onto any other new projects yet. [6]
4. Sean Connery (Sir Billi, 2012)
Sean Connery, the definitive James Bond, had a career that started on a high. He continued to act in thrillers, dramas, and action movies into his seventies. After a tough time as Allan Quatermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), he retired.
Nearly a decade later, Connery voiced the title character in the children’s animation Sir Billi. His grandchildren convinced him to do it.
Filmmakers Sascha and Tessa Hartmann sent Connery a sample DVD of their animation, asking him to star. Connery said his grandkids had watched the DVD repeatedly and that he would take the part, despite turning down films as big as the fourth Indiana Jones. [7]
3. Cameron Diaz (Back in Action, 2024)
Cameron Diaz was a staple of late-1990s and early 2000s cinema. By the mid-2010s, she was appearing in more middling movies.
After 2014’s Annie, Diaz quit, wanting a more normal life and to start a family with her husband, Benji Madden.
Eight years later, Madden persuaded her to return to acting. He agreed to accompany her and their daughter to film in London. Back in Action was released on Netflix in 2024, and Diaz is signed on to star in Jonah Hill’s next movie, Outcome. [8]
2. Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York, 2002)
Daniel Day-Lewis has retired from acting multiple times. After 1997’s The Boxer, Day-Lewis retired and became a cobbler.
When Martin Scorsese was casting Bill the Butcher for 2002’s Gangs of New York, he and Leonardo DiCaprio wanted Day-Lewis for the role. Scorsese sent DiCaprio to persuade him to return. DiCaprio convinced him over dinners and pitches.
Day-Lewis retired again in 2017, after starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. [9]
1. Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2022)
Ke Huy Quan was known as Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Data from The Goonies (1985). His film career stalled, and he retired in 2002. He graduated from USC film school and worked behind the camera.
Nearly two decades later, Quan returned to acting after watching Crazy Rich Asians (2018), wanting to be part of the new representation for Asians onscreen. He began to look for the right project.
Quan couldn’t refuse the script for the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once. He felt the multiverse variations of his character were written for him and that the parts found him at the right point in his life. [10]
These actors prove that retirement isn’t always the end of a career. Sometimes, the right role comes along at the right time, drawing them back to the screen. Whether it’s for family, friendship, or a perfect part, their comebacks remind us of their talent and the joy they bring to audiences.
Which of these comebacks surprised you the most? Leave your comment below!
