There's no business like show business, and for some people, that's a good thing.
For others, fame brings pressure, scrutiny, and seriously hectic schedules that they just
can't handle and would rather avoid.
Some of these stars ditched the limelight in favor of low-key lives doing everyday jobs,
and they never looked back.
Others simply didn't have a choice, because, well, Hollywood is a cruel, fickle place.
Nikki Blonsky
You might remember Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad in 2007's cinematic adaptation of
the stage-version of Hairspray.
It was her first big screen role, and she rode that wave of success to star in the small
screen series Huge in 2010.
Since then, she's expressed frustration at not finding and landing many roles — but
she hasn't stopped hustling.
To make ends meet between acting and voice-over gigs, she worked in a high-end shoe store
in her native Long Island, then as a cosmetologist in a salon.
Tiffany
'80s singing sensation Tiffany was at the height of fame in the "I Think We're Alone
Now" days, with her stunning face, fiery red hair and catchy tunes.In 2012, she opened
Tiffany's Boutique, a vintage clothes shop in Nashville.
And three years later, she closed Tiffany's Boutique with plans to open a clothing truck.
Really.
She told the New York Daily News that she long had an interest in fashion.
"I was a shopaholic as a teenager.
I've been collecting vintage pieces for 10 years now [for my] tiny little store.
I'm still involved in the music industry, so I'm always traveling.
And shopping!"
Hey, as she once put it, hearts never lie.
"Cause our hearts never lie"
Dylan Sprouse
Former Suite Life Of Zack And Cody star Dylan Sprouse set fans and haters into a tizzy in
2013 when it was revealed that he worked as a host in a New York City restaurant while
going to college.
He took to his Tumblr page to clarify that he wasn't broke, just trying to live with
some, y'know, normalcy.
He wrote,
" I did not take this job because I 'lost all my money,' I am financially secure, and
took this job as a way to primarily feed my over bountiful video game addiction.
I also took this as a way to try a new experience, working somewhat below the means I'm used
to, as well as a way to socialize and get out of the house."
He added that he didn't feel like his pause from acting was a step down, but that he was
just trying out a new path.
After all, he's been acting since he was just a baby, taking turns with his twin brother
Cole to star on TV's Grace Under Fire and in Adam Sandler's Big Daddy.
Looks like we know where that video game addiction came from...
Jonathan Bennett
Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett went from smooching an in-her-prime Lindsay Lohan to
a spin instructor.
The erstwhile Aaron Samuels is now possibly the most handsome staffer at Flywheel in Los
Angeles, where he specializes in encouraging aspiring stars in his classes.
He's still landing supporting screen roles left and right throughout his workout work.
But it looks like he's using time between takes to stay healthy and make some spare
cash.
Michael Schoeffling
Sixteen Candles hunk Michael Schoeffling, who starred as heartthrob Jake Ryan, left
Hollywood for good in the early 1990s.
The Washington Post reports that the married father of two now works as a carpenter in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and somehow that makes Jake Ryan even dreamier.
Charles Korsmo
Charles Korsmo, who starred as Robin Williams' son Jack in Hook and danced his way through
our hearts in Can't Hardly Wait left Hollywood as a teen to pursue academic endeavors.
He explained to The New York Daily News,
"At 13, I realized I didn't have any friends my own age."
He went on to earn a degree in physics, then advised the then-newly formed Department of
Homeland Security after the attacks on September 11, 2001.
He eventually went to Yale Law and is now a lawyer in New York and a professor — and
he says his acting experience actually helps him on the job because he doesn't suffer from
nerves while taking the stage in his classrooms.
Kevin Jonas
While brothers Nick and Joe continued in the music business, Kevin Jonas became a contractor
when the Jonas Brothers band dissolved.
He told The New York Daily News,
"I've always looked at everything I do as a business, including the Jonas Brothers.
I like to get my hands dirty.
I've been blessed in my life where I get to say, 'You know what?
I want to do this.'"
While the job does bring some risks — and he's not been completely absent from the screen
scene, as he starred in his own reality show — at least he's carving out his own path
nowadays and his brotherly connection is stronger than ever.
"Now our relationship is stronger, better, Joe and Nick see each other on the road constantly
for different radio shows and different things, I'm not there that much, but that's because
my life here is where it's at for me."
Peter Ostrum
Peter Ostrum starred as Charlie Bucket in the iconic screen adaptation of Willy Wonka
& The Chocolate Factory, which might have been a big platform for any other burgeoning
star.
But instead, Peter chose to never act again.
"After the film, I always denied my involvement with Willy Wonka.
I was just..
I didn't really want to have anything to do with it."
Instead, Ostrum became a veterinarian in Lowville, New York and lives a very quiet life far away
from everlasting gobstoppers and snozzberry-flavored wallpaper — except for those rare occasions
when he does reconnect with his former co-stars.
Chris Owen
Being "hey, you're the Shermanator" from American Pie doesn't pay the rent, so in 2012 Chris
Owen picked up a job waiting tables at a high-end Sushi eatery.
Owen said customers often recognized him and he liked the instant connection his screen
fame earned him.
We're guessing that means he got good tips.
Josh Saviano
The Wonder Years star Josh Saviano retired from acting and is now a lawyer, consultant,
and podcast partner.
He's also still close with former co-star Fred Savage, with whom he's regularly reconnected
on the small screen for nostalgia style reunions over the years.
Amazingly, he's been able to combine both his careers in recent years by playing an
attorney on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit after two decades away from the TV scene.
It just goes to show you, it's never too late for a cool comeback for any of these stars.
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