While fame and fortune have arguable perks, we're betting it's tough to raise a family
when a film shoot or world tour takes you away from home for months at a time.
For these stars, "celebrity" just wasn't as important as providing a stable, nurturing
home life for their families.
Jessica Biel
When it comes to Hollywood power couples, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel definitely
make the list.
With his long-time music career, and her career in television and film, the pair are often
spotted on the red carpet for major events.
It would be easy for them to succumb to the LA lifestyle, but now that they have a son,
they seem to cherish a quieter life.
After relocating to New York City where Biel says they have a stable home life, she admitted
to ET that there are certainly challenges, but she puts her responsibilities as a mother,
first.
She said,
"My work, I leave it at work.
I don't bring it home."
"You have a 2-year-old who just wants to play with you and that's what's most important."
Robin Wright
Despite wowing audiences at the box-office for her amazing warrior skills in Wonder Woman,
and owning Washington in the Netflix series, House of Cards, Robin Wright has kept a relatively
low profile since becoming a mother.
It turns out that the woman who first won hearts in cult-classic, The Princess Bride,
wanted a slower pace of life for her family.
Married to Sean Penn for 20 tumultuous years, Wright chose to relocate to San Francisco
for 12 years while she focused on raising daughter, Dylan, and son, Hopper.
In reference to her decision to leave Hollywood behind, Wright told Entertainment Weekly,
"I didn't want to raise my kids in this weird, sycophantic society.
If you have celebrity parents, it's not a good recipe for the kids, or anyone at any
age."
Dave Chappelle
Back in 2005, Dave Chappelle's comedy sketch show was at the height of its popularity when
he abruptly walked away from the set — and a $50 million contract!
While people have theorized over the reasons why he left fans hanging, years later, Chappelle
set the record straight.
The married father of three, explained in People,
"I never stopped being on stage.
What I did was step off of the main stage because those lights were hot, and I was trying
to do other things with my life.
That kind of attention wouldn't have been conducive to raising a family."
Chris O'Donnell
After appearing in Circle of Friends, The Bachelor, and Batman and Robin, Chris O'Donnell's
heartthrob status was alive and well.
Still, despite being just 25 years old at the time, he started to pull away from the
spotlight to focus on impending fatherhood.
Now the father of five, O'Donnell told Redbook that he wanted to be a family man more than
a movie star, saying,
"I was being offered these huge films that would have taken my career to a different
level, and I decided to put on the brakes.
I knew if I continued on that track, I probably wouldn't have gotten married."
Once his children were a bit older, O'Donnell accepted his current role on NCIS: Los Angeles.
The stability of shooting in one location has allowed him to bring his kids to set,
and his youngest even filmed a small part on the show in honor of its 150th episode.
Jennifer Garner
Long before Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner filed for divorce, they were just another
Hollywood couple trying to raise kids in Tinseltown.
Since they both had thriving careers when they started a family, Garner revealed that
they took turns working, in order to be fair and supportive of each other's dreams.
Garner said,
"You'd be amazed how we figure it out.
I've never been away for more than, I think, four days."
"I sit down at the beginning of the movie and say to the people making the schedule,
'Let's look at this.'"
"Then I figure out where I'm going to take the kid and when I can get home."
Despite an ugly split, Garner continues to make her kids the priority and works with
Affleck to co-parent, telling Today,
"We are definitely a modern family.
You don't have a choice."
And for his part, Affleck told E! News:
"She's an amazing mother, and I'm really lucky to have her as a partner to co-parent these
kids with.
We try our best, we put them first and that's what we do."
Candace Cameron Bure
If you watched Full House in the '80s and '90s, you know Candace Cameron Bure.
More than two decades ago, however, her entire life changed when she married retired hockey
player, Val Bure, and the couple had their three children.
The actress only recently reemerged for the Netflix reunion series, Fuller House.
Fans of the original sitcom went crazy and, before long, Bure joined The View as a co-host.
Ultimately, though, her calling as a mother won out again and she decided to return to
domestic bliss.
In a televised announcement on the daytime talk show, Bure explained the reasoning behind
her departure.
"The commute of going West Coast to East Coast every single week for me has been tough on
me and hard for my family as well."
Demi Moore
When Bruce Willis and Demi Moore got married, they both had huge movie careers — but that
didn't stop them from starting a family.
While a nude portrait covering Vanity Fair took Moore's first pregnancy public, the mother
of three eventually chose to raise her daughters far from Beverly Hills — in Hailey, Idaho.
She shared on OWN, that it's still her greatest pride as a parent.
"The best thing was the choice that I made to be with them, and not work."
Moore explained to InStyle,
"One of my goals is to build a loving relationship so that my children, as adults, will want
to share their lives with me.
The foundation I lay — if it's not there now, it won't be later."
When daughter Rumer won the Mirror Ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars, the starlet couldn't
help but reflect on her upbringing.
"My mom had me when she was 25 and I'm 28 now and just to even imagine myself three
years ago starting to have children I'm so proud and kind of in awe of her."
Julia Roberts
After Pretty Woman hit the big screen, Julia Roberts became one of the most in-demand actresses
in Hollywood.
Having been engaged to Kiefer Sutherland and divorced from country singer, Lyle Lovett,
it was a surprise when she tied the knot with cameraman Danny Moder.
It was even more shocking when she basically disappeared from the public eye after becoming
a mother to son, Henry, and twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus.
As Roberts told Mario Lopez:
"I've been a soccer mom for a while, but [it's] soccer, basketball, aerial yoga."
Even her own kids don't fully grasp the fact that she's famous, thanks to their normal
upbringing.
Roberts recounted a story in Vanity Fair, saying,
"It was on a crowded street, and somebody noticed me, and then another person noticed.
Somebody said as we were walking past, 'Oh, that's Julia Roberts.'
We all just kind of kept going, and then Finn said, 'Yeah, my mom's Julia Robinson.'
That's what gives you perspective."
Family first
These stars show us that while it may feel impossible at times, it's possible to put
family first, even if you have to make some sacrifices.
While they may have given up their fame, or put it on the back burner for now, their decision
to put family first is an inspiration to us all.
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