Fame and fortune may seem like the ultimate dream, but for some celebrities, life in the spotlight wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Instead of staying on red carpets and movie sets, these stars traded Hollywood glamour for more down-to-earth pursuits. From becoming entrepreneurs to starting completely unexpected careers, these famous faces found success and fulfillment beyond fame.
Jennifer Stone
Remember the always-upbeat Harper Finkle from Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, which also starred Selena Gomez? Well, guess what—Jennifer Stone traded her eccentric “reel” fashion sense for a set of hospital scrubs.
These days, she’s a bona fide nurse, taking care of the sick while looking like a million bucks, and she still waltzes into auditions whenever she can.
Frankie Muniz
Best remembered as Malcolm, in the hit sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, Frankie Muniz had critics and fans eating out of his hands. Once the show ended and the chaos of being a teenage superstar simmered down, Frankie swapped red carpets for racetracks.
He races for Ford, but along with that, is also a producer and a podcaster. Basically, he’s still in the middle of a lot of things, including fatherhood.
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Freddie Prinze Jr. was a heartthrob in the late 1990s and early 2000s, starring in iconic movies like She’s All That, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scooby-Doo. Despite his popularity, Prinze Jr. gradually faded from the Hollywood spotlight, choosing instead to explore his passions outside of acting.
One of his significant career shifts was joining the creative team at WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), where he worked as a writer and producer. His contributions included helping shape storylines and guiding wrestler performances. Prinze Jr. has often spoken about his love for wrestling, making this role a natural fit for him.
In 2016, he ventured into the culinary world, publishing a cookbook titled Back to the Kitchen, filled with personal recipes inspired by his childhood and family life with his wife, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, and their two children. Today, Prinze Jr. continues to enjoy a quieter life, focusing on family, cooking, and occasional voice-acting roles.
Bridgit Mendler
The all-around ray of sunshine, Teddy Duncan from Good Luck Charlie, is (or was) Disney darling Bridgit Mendler. Today, she’s blasting off into outer space—literally. In a cosmic twist of career paths, the 32-year-old singer and actress announced on X (yes, that thing we used to call Twitter) that she’s CEO and co-founder of Northwood Space, a California-based satellite data startup. From Disney to deep space—Good luck, Charlie, indeed!
Willa Ford
Willa Ford shot to fame in the early 2000s with her hit single I Wanna Be Bad. Despite early success, her music career stalled due to industry changes and label disputes. Instead of staying in the spotlight, she pivoted to interior design, launching her company WFord Interiors.
Ford quickly gained a reputation for creating stylish, personalized spaces, working with high-profile clients, including Scott Disick on Flip It Like Disick. She has since found fulfillment in the design world, appreciating the creativity and control it offers over her work.
Rick Moranis
From his nerdy but perfect comedic timing in movies like Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, to his near disappearance from the big screen, Rick Moranis has been a bit of a Hollywood misfit—but one with a great heart. After losing his wife to cancer, Moranis decided to become a full-time dad and quit acting.
Since then, he has dabbled in writing, voice acting, and other personal projects, although you can still spot him on the big screen, from time to time.
Drew Barrymore
From being a child actor in E.T. to epic romantic movies like Never Been Kissed, or action flicks like Charlie’s Angels — Drew Barrymore did it all before moving to different, if greener, pastures.
Today, she has a talk show, and runs the DREW magazine, along with being an entrepreneur in the beauty industry. Clearly, a woman of many talents—along with a stunning smile!
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons played Hilary Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—the fashion-forward cousin who was always a shopping spree away from maxing out her dad’s credit card. While this character catapulted Karyn Parsons into stardom, she later decided she had a bigger story to tell.
Parsons founded Sweet Blackberry; a nonprofit dedicated to creating animated films about remarkable figures in Black history. Her passion for storytelling and teaching kids is fierce, and she’s now using her comedic talent to inspire little ones far beyond any sitcom set. She’s also an author.
Ian Somerhalder
If you are still debating Team Stefan or Team Damon, then you are an ardent fan of The Vampire Diaries, and Ian Somerhalder, aka Damon Salvatore, stole hearts faster than his fangs dropped. This brooding, occasionally snarky vampire became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces but seems to have traded in his fangs for a passion project: saving the planet by becoming an environmental activist.
He founded the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, devoted to protecting our environment and promoting all things green. Clearly, the real heroes aren’t the ones drinking synthetic blood on screen, but the ones leading the charge for a healthier planet. He’s also an entrepreneur who wears many hats.
These celebrities prove that success isn’t limited to the spotlight. Whether pursuing passion projects or embracing quieter lives, they’ve shown that true fulfillment often comes from following your heart — even if it leads far from Hollywood.
