Some actors obtain fame and stay staples within the leisure business for many years, if not the remainder of their lives. Others, nonetheless, discover themselves thrust into the highlight just for that mild to fade a couple of years later. The 2000s had been a golden decade for movie and tv. Whether or not it’s iconic teen dramas, rom-coms, or blockbuster motion franchises, this period propelled numerous stars to fame.
Many actors’ faces and names are synonymous with the 2000s. Nonetheless, not all of them are nonetheless as related as they as soon as had been. Some deliberately selected to step away from the business, whereas others had been pushed to obscurity for one purpose or one other. Regardless, the nostalgia nonetheless holds sturdy for followers who consumed content material throughout that point. Try these well-known actors from the 2000s we simply do not hear about anymore.
12 Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton debuted within the longstanding cleaning soap opera All My Kids within the ’90s. Barton did regular work by way of the rest of the last decade and really blossomed within the 2000s. Many acknowledge her as Marissa from Fox’s The O.C. This landed her on the duvet of virtually each teen journal, with most anticipating her to rise to A-list standing.
What Occurred Subsequent
The general public was reminded of her in 2016 when she competed in Dancing with the Stars. After The O.C., Barton labored on smaller, unbiased tasks and had some visitor appearances on collection. It is unclear whether or not this deal with area of interest roles was by selection or not. However, Barton’s performances are sometimes praised by those that do catch her current work.
11 Amanda Bynes
Nickelodeon helped launch Amanda Bynes‘ profession as a solid member in All That, a sketch comedy present. She visitor starred on varied Nick exhibits earlier than nabbing her personal, titled The Amanda Present. Bynes later turned a staple in teen comedy movies, delivering 2000s classics like She’s the Man and What a Lady Needs.
Fame Is not for Everybody
Sadly, psychological well being and substance abuse points shook issues up. In 2010, Bynes took a step again from performing. She ventured into podcasting in 2023 however opted out after only one episode. It seems this once-child star desires to get pleasure from life out of the general public eye.
10 Taylor Lautner
Taylor Lautner‘s most well-known position is within the Twilight franchise as Jacob Black. Group Edward vs. Group Jacob discussions had been inescapable after 2008 when the primary movie premiered. Nonetheless, this wasn’t Lautner’s first performing gig. He starred in a Disney movie, The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl, and had a supporting position in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Taylor x3
At any time when a franchise is as profitable as Twilight, it may be onerous for actors to enterprise into different roles. Lautner dabbled in performing after Twilight, however nothing ever on the identical stage. His identify was introduced up once more when individuals realized he married a girl additionally named Taylor, and the 2 of them took a photograph with Lautner’s ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift.
Associated
Deliver It On: Each Film within the Franchise, Ranked
The 2000s cheerleading franchise Deliver It On spanned seven films over the course of 20 years; these are all seven films ranked.
9 Olsen twins
The Olsen twins made their performing debut within the position of Michelle Tanner in Full Home. As they grew, they created their very own model, together with films, TV exhibits, books, and a profitable clothes line. Vacation within the Solar was a enjoyable film that additionally noticed Megan Fox’s performing debut. New York Minute is a enjoyable comedy individuals nonetheless get pleasure from at present.
Goodbye, Hollywood
However these two had been overworked. They determined to retire from performing and as a substitute focus their vitality on vogue. Many followers had been disillusioned once they did not reprise their position in Fuller Home, the Full Home reboot. It appears these women are content material with a quieter life having fun with the fruits of their labor from constructing an early empire.
8 Matthew Lawrence
Matthew Lawrence’s greatest roles got here within the ’90s, first in Mrs. Doubtfire alongside Robin Williams and later as Jack Hunter in Boy Meets World. These gave him the cred within the enterprise to proceed constructing his portfolio within the 2000s. He appeared in lots of movies and collection, primarily comedies, comparable to The Scorching Chick.
No Runaway Hits
It appeared he was primed to be the subsequent Main Lad of Hollywood. But that did not occur. He by no means landed a real breakout position that edged him out over the competitors. It was good when he popped up in an episode of Lady Meets World in 2015. In addition to that, we do not hear a lot from this actor.
7 Ian Somerhalder
When most individuals consider Ian Somerhalder, they in all probability consider the brooding vampire brother Damon he performed on The Vampire Diaries. That collection premiered within the late 2000s, however he was a working actor properly earlier than that. He starred in Misplaced from 2004 to 2010, during which he performed one of many survivors of a airplane crash.
Completely different Priorities
Those that frequented Tumblr within the 2000s know simply how well-liked Somerhalder was. In recent times, his priorities have shifted. He is married to a different actor who performed a vampire, Nikki Reed. Now, Somerhalder has retired from performing to focus extra on household life and different enterprise ventures. He instructed E! Information, “I simply did [acting] for thus lengthy. We had a tremendous run.”
Associated
Greatest Ian Somerhalder TV Sequence, Ranked
Here’s a checklist of Ian Somerhalder’s greatest TV collection, they usually aren’t all about vampires.
6 Frankie Muniz
Malcolm within the Center is considered one of Fox’s most profitable and beloved exhibits of all time. It ran for seven seasons from 2000 to 2006 and earned a number of Emmies, a Peabody, and even a Grammy Award. On the forefront of the present? An adolescent named Frankie Muniz. The sitcom’s success earned him different roles in kids’s movies, comparable to Large Fats Liar and Agent Cody Banks.
An Uncommon Path
Whereas it is common for actors to modify careers, many had been shocked when Muniz introduced his enterprise into open-wheel racing. The actor-to-racecar driver pipeline is uncommon, however he thrived in that house. He is began to return to the display screen, like co-hosting Dancing with the Stars in 2018 and finishing work on a sci-fi movie, Renner, in 2024.
5 Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere began performing as a baby and did a ton of labor earlier than breaking out. She has performed every thing from voice performing to tv cameos spanning genres to movies. Within the 2000s, she starred in a superhero collection known as Heroes and within the movies Deliver It On: All or Nothing and Ice Princess, amongst others.
A lot Wanted Time Away
Many retailers adopted her, anticipating her to be the Subsequent Large Factor. She was busy on the set of Nashville within the 2010s, however issues slowed down afterward. Panettiere has overtly spoken about her struggles with postpartum melancholy, dependancy points, and being a part of abusive relationships, as reported by Yahoo. She appeared in Scream VI in 2023 and followers are hoping extra roles are coming.
4 Chad Michael Murray
One Tree Hill. Dawson’s Creek. Gilmore Ladies. A Cinderella Story. Freaky Friday. What teen-centric present or film wasn’t Chad Michael Murray in in the course of the 2000s? If a script known as for a preferred boy love curiosity, there was likelihood Chad Michael Murray was solid.
The Customary Love Curiosity
Upon growing older out of these teen roles, Murray’s momentum slowed. He by no means stopped working like some actors on this checklist, however his tasks did not attain the identical stage of business success are earlier ones, or he had only a minor position. Nowadays he usually stars in numerous Hallmark-esque Christmas films and can reprise his position within the sequel Freakier Friday.
3 Abigail Breslin
Think about being nominated for an Academy Award earlier than you are a young person. Effectively, Abigail Breslin would not should think about that. After her heartwarming efficiency in Little Miss Sunshine, that was her actuality. She demonstrated sharp performing chops from a younger age, together with within the emotional My Sister’s Keeper that includes Cameron Diaz.
So A lot Expertise
Breslin did have a resurgence of recognition when she starred in Scream Queens. Nonetheless, as soon as that present ended, her identify fell out of individuals’s minds. Her most adored work stays the movies she did in the course of the 2000s. These performing chops are nonetheless there and loads of followers are ready for the fitting position to return round for her within the 2020s.
2 Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams filmed Imply Ladies and The Pocket book in the identical yr. If that does not show her versatility as an actress, what is going to? A long time on, Imply Ladies is taken into account a basic teen movie, with McAdams’ portrayal of Regina George an enormous purpose why. The Pocket book has reached an analogous standing within the romance film house.
High quality Over Amount
Within the 2000s, McAdams was being tracked as the subsequent Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock. Whereas she by no means fully disappeared, she did purposely take a step again. A-list standing wasn’t the aim for McAdams, high quality tasks had been. Right now, she balances each blockbuster (like her position within the MCU) and smaller-budget tasks and did a stint on Broadway.
1 Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes got here to prominence within the late ’90s and early 2000s, primarily in movies. Her resume spanned genres, from romantic comedies to horror to motion movies. She was in Coaching Day alongside Denzel Washington, a part of the Quick & Livid franchise, and Hitch with Will Smith. An opportunity for her to be the lead appeared inevitable.
Why She Bowed Out
Mendes voiced frustration at how onerous she needed to work to get solid as a Latina actress. After performing in her husband Ryan Gosling’s movie Misplaced River, Mendes retired from performing. Gosling famous Mendes’ sacrifice to placing her profession on maintain to boost their household throughout an acceptance speech on the Golden Globes in 2017.