In the late '90s, Denise Richards became a household name thanks to her work in film
and television as well as her tabloid marriage to notorious Hollywood bad boy Charlie Sheen.
In recent years, Richards' profile has quieted down significantly and her face is no longer
a mainstay on screens or magazine covers.
So, what's she been up to lately?
Let's take a look at why we don't hear much from Denise Richards anymore.
Typecasting woes
Richards landed a number of high-profile film roles in the late '90s, playing everything
from a plucky space cadet in Starship Troopers to a duplicitous high school siren in Wild
Things.
Those early breakthrough flicks featured the former model in substantial roles that showcased
her tenacity and sex appeal.
She even found herself in the enviable position of starring as a brainy Bond girl in The World
is Not Enough.
However, any momentum Richards made to avoid being typecast as the resident buxom beauty
seemed to stall, and she eventually found herself frequently cast as a shallow sexpot
in movies such as Scary Movie 3 and Good Advice.
"Okay, geez.
Why does everybody want something from me?"
At least she's kept a sense of humor about it.
"It's no secret what I'm best known for.
Just mention my name and most people will say it's my funbags."
TV fizzle
As her cinematic efforts stalled, Richards simultaneously started striking out on the
small screen as well.
Several would-be series proved to be non-starters, including UPN's Sex, Love & Secrets, ABC Family's
Twisted, StyleHaul Network's Vanity, and The CW's Significant Mother.
Without a starring TV vehicle or movie franchise to fall back on, her work opportunities seemed
limited to TV movies and straight-to-DVD fare.
Becoming a mom
Another major reason Richards has disappeared from headlines is because she's been busy
mothering her three daughters: Sam and Lola Rose, whom she shares with Sheen, and her
adoptive daughter Eloise.
In addition to caring for her own children, she also stepped up to the plate to take in
their half-siblings, Bob and Max, whom Sheen had with subsequent wife Brooke Mueller, after
L.A.'s Department of Child and Family Services removed the kids from Mueller's care.
For Richards, motherhood has marked a whole new chapter in her life.
She told Extra that she's trying to teach them how to hack it as young women in the
modern world, saying, "I teach my daughters whatever it is they believe in, to believe
in it and not be swayed by peer pressure or what others might think of them, and to stand
strong in that, and it's okay if there are differences.
That's what's really great about our world, even though someone might have a different
opinion, you still need to respect their opinion, respect who they are."
Perhaps Richards is trying to lead by example and steer clear of roles that might undermine
her wholesome mom image.
Speaking of which…
PG-rated
Long gone are the days when Richards put her bodily appeal front and center.
One look at her Instagram feed shows that the actress has definitely dialed back on
the R-rated antics that made her such a screen sizzler in her heyday.
She even joked about one of her character costumes that showed a little skin, writing,
"luckily, it's the character."
She's still a stunner, no doubt, but she's working with a much more family-friendly image
than she did at the start of her career.
In her memoir, she wrote about refusing to pose in her skivvies, even in her early modeling
days, and how she said no to a clothes-free love scene in Starship Troopers, saying, "I
didn't think it related to my character or the movie, which had more than enough going
on between the action and the undercurrents of social and political commentary."
That ethos may be admirable, but it also might limit what kinds of opportunities she receives
down the line.
The war at home
Richards has been actively working to keep a low profile and avoid the tabloid drama
that plagued her broken relationship with Sheen, which included a financial-support
battle.
She has since admitted that she left Sheen because of his increasingly chaotic behaviors
"It's like a trainwreck, watching someone go on that path."
However, Richards has made a very concerted effort to stabilize the family's public profile
for the kids' sake.
In mid-2017, she even shared a rare family photo with Sheen and her three daughters and
captioned it, "We've had a colorful year…at the end of the day we're still a family."
Keeping the peace might not sell magazines, but at least she's providing a stable family
life for her little ones.
Animal welfare
Richards is also heavily involved with rescuing and fostering pets in her home.
As she explained to WebMD, she's devoted an entire room in her house to her dogs—many
were sprung from the local animal shelter before they could be euthanized.
She also spends her free time volunteering at pet shelters in Los Angeles and tends to
take home animals too old or too ill to be rescued by the organizations with whom she
works.
She said of her affection for four-legged friends, "I usually end up with many that
can't make the transport, dogs that are too old or sick or injured.
My heart always goes out to the ones that are older.
And it's good for my girls."
Having a house full of kids and fur babies probably takes up a lot of spare time she
might've otherwise spent practicing for auditions.
Side hustle
In addition to her professional and philanthropic work, Richards has also unleashed her entrepreneurial
spirit.
Not only is she a high-profile landlord—who rented her Hidden Hills, Calif. estate to
Angelina Jolie for $30,000 a month—but she also launched her own boutique store in New
York called Denise Richards House of Style and designed a collection of home decor and
accessories for Urban Home.
Time for a comeback?
Denise Richards has recently made some positive progress in Tinseltown by going back to her
roots as a network TV guest star.
She'd made a splash early on in her career thanks to memorable small-screen cameos in
shows such as Melrose Place, Seinfeld, and Friends, so it makes sense that the actress
might pursue a career reboot where it all began.
She recently landed buzzy guest stints in shows like Jane the Virgin and Girlfriends'
Guide to Divorce.
It's a far cry from the bright lights of her past, but it's a step in the right direction,
and we can't wait to see what she does next.
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