Where Did They Go? Former A-Listers That Fell Off The Map

While everyone wishes their favorite actor or actress could work forever, sometimes people’s time in the spotlight ends. Whether it’s due to them walking away or the quality of their work dropping, here are movie and television stars that fell off the map for various reasons in recent years.

These people may still be seeing some work, but it’s nowhere near the number of projects they appeared in during their peaks.

JONATHON TAYLOR THOMAS

Speaking of teen idols, there may have been no bigger 1990s teenage heartthrob than JTT.

Jonathon Taylor Thomas rose to stardom starring on Home Improvement and films like The Lion King and Pinnochio. However, Taylor Thomas left the industry to focus on academics.

Since then, he’s made cameo appearances, but for the most part, he’s moved on from his time as a teenage A-list celebrity.

WESLEY SNIPES

Throughout the 1990s, Wesley Snipes was one of the premiere action stars. Best known for his roles in White Men Can’t Jump and Blade, it seemed like Snipes would become not just a premiere action star but one of the best actors in the industry.

However, Snipes grew an ego that drew people away. Combined with his issues and imprisonment for tax evasion, his stock plummeted.

JIM CARREY

One of the most successful comedy stars in the 90s, Jim Carrey has an impressive filmography. He reached superstardom thanks to his work on comedies such as Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Venture.

In the 2000s, he took on more dramatic roles like The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. No matter the film, Carrey delivered at the box office. Yet, in the 2010s, he started to work less and less. In addition, he’s on the record for not being comfortable with the amount of violence in films like 2013’s Kick-Ass 2 following the Sandy Hook shooting.

It became surprising news that he is slated to return to the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 later this year.

RICK MORANIS

The Canadian-based comedian began to make a name for himself in the 1980s. Rick Moranis first starred in Strange Brew before seeing his star power grow. However, thanks to his performances in Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Moranis solidified himself as one of the premiere comedic actors of the 1980s.

After the death of his wife in 1991, Moranis scaled back his time as an actor to devote more time to his family. He will return to live-action films in the upcoming Disney movie Shrunk, the newest entry in the “Honey, I…” franchise.

MICHAEL CERA

Michael Cera seemed destined to be the next big star for a while.

After a supporting role in Arrested Development, he landed leading roles in films like Superbad and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Then, in the late 2000s, moviegoers couldn’t go anywhere without seeing Cera on the big screen.

As time passed, however, Cera appeared in fewer and fewer projects. You can argue that his stock is starting to rise again, though. His most notable roles of the past few years have been a one-off appearance in Twin Peaks: The Return and an appearance as Alan in 2023’s Barbie.

JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

The Fox sitcom Party of Five made Jennifer Love Hewitt one of the most successful 90s teen idols. She used that success to launch a successful movie career, starring in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Can’t Hardly Wait, and Heartbreakers.

However, just as quickly as Jennifer Love Hewitt’s star rose, it came crashing down. Despite finding steady work in the mid-2000s, she never matched her peak in the late 90s and early 00s. Currently, she’s starring in another Fox television series: 9-1-1.

FREDDY PRINZE JR.

Jennifer Love Hewitt’s I Know What You Did Last Summer co-star was equally as popular in the teen idol scene. Freddy Prinze Jr. was among the biggest leading men of the ’90s and early 2000s. His roles in She’s All That, Scooby Doo, and other films helped launch him to superstardom.

In the late 2000s, Prinze Jr. took a break from the movie business and began to work behind the scenes at WWE. As a huge wrestling fan, he began working on the business’s creative side for a handful of years.

CAMERON DIAZ

After her first breakout role in 1994’s The Mask with Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz became a prominent Hollywood actress through the 2000s and mid-2010s. She starred in films such as Charlie’s Angels, Shrek, and Bad Teacher.

Yet after 2014, she stepped away from the spotlight, retiring from acting. She mentioned how she was tired from all the travel for filming movies. However, she did write two books in the mid-2010s before returning to acting in Netflix’s upcoming film, Back in Action.

EDDIE MURPHY

While Cameron Diaz had a self-imposed exit from the Hollywood spotlight, Eddie Murphy’s has more to do with a string of bad films.

The comedy star seemed untouchable in the 80s and 90s. Classics such as Beverley Hills Cop, Coming to America, 48 Hours, and Shrek helped make Eddie Murphy a superstar. Yet a string of bad films in the 2000s led to a downfall in his career.

Recent movies, such as Dreamgirls and Dolemite Is My Name, have helped spur a career resurgence. He is set to star in Netflix’s reboot of the Beverley Hills Cop franchise.

MIKE MEYERS

The famed Saturday Night Live alum made it big with the Austin Powers and Shrek franchises. After that, moviegoers lined up for his films regularly until, one day, they didn’t.

After the 2008 flop, The Love Guru, Meyers left the spotlight. It was eight years before he returned to supporting roles for two 2018 films: The Terminal and Bohemian Rhapsody. However, with rumors of a fourth Austin Powers movie, Meyers seems ready to return to the spotlight.