The entertainment industry can be a ruthless working environment. An aspiring actor may spend years, if not decades, getting rejected for various roles, only to make it big and have their project torn apart by critics while simultaneously watching their personal lives taken out of context and dissected by the tabloids. Not to mention that fame and fortune can easily spell disaster for someone who literally has to manipulate their emotions for a living.

Of course, the massive paychecks and the ability to work alongside some of the most talented individuals in the industry may well be worth the glare of the spotlight.

But there has been a fair share of A-list actors who have gladly walked away from Hollywood — whether it be because they had a negative experience or they simply wanted to try something new. These individuals often get a bad rap, as if they were somehow no longer able to cut it in the entertainment industry. In reality, it's no different than anyone else putting in their two weeks notice and giving something else a try.

The flip side of this is the actors who have found themselves blacklisted. In light of the #MeToo movement this is becoming all the more commonplace, as these less-than-stellar individuals are finally facing social backlash the likes of which has never been seen before. That isn't to say that all these actors have stopped working entirely - only that their off-screen antics have severely affected their careers and alienated them from mainstream success.

Here are 10 Former A-Listers Who Abandoned Hollywood (And 10 Who Were Kicked Out).

19. Left Willingly: Macaulay Culkin

After becoming one of the most famous child actors of all time — appearing in such classics as My Girl, Home Alone, and Uncle Buck — Macaulay Culkin took a prolonged break from the acting world after starring in the 1994 film Richie Rich.

He made his return nearly a decade later with a brief appearance on Will & Grace, and while the 37-year-old actor has sparingly popped up in a number of random movies and TV shows since, by Culkin’s own testimony, he is essentially retired from the acting world.   

After a highly-publicized childhood that wasn’t without its fair share of controversy — including being abused by his father and his unorthodox friendship with Michael Jackson — it’s no wonder that Culkin would want to limit his time in the spotlight from here on out.

18. Kicked Out: Roseanne Barr

After being one of the biggest TV stars of the 1990s, Roseanne Barr made quite the comeback when her sitcom was brought back for a revival season earlier this year. Despite being one of the highest-rated shows in years, Roseanne was promptly canceled after the actress sent out a racist tweet last month aimed at Valerie Jarrett.

This is far from the first time that the comedian has stirred up controversy on Twitter or on stage, though many were shocked that Barr would put her resurgence on the line for what she later referred to as a “bad joke.”

ABC is reportedly moving forward with a spin-off series without Barr, and it's unlikely that any other mainstream network would want to take a financial risk on the unstable actress anytime soon.

17. Left Willingly: Cameron Diaz

Ever since her star-turn opposite Jim Carrey in 1994’s The Mask, Cameron Diaz became been one of the most sought-after leading ladies in Hollywood. In fact, her movies have collectively made over $7 billion worldwide, making Diaz one of the highest-grossing box office actresses of all time.

However, the 45-year-old actress hasn’t starred in a feature film since 2014’s Annie, and she has more recently confirmed that she has retired from the acting world.

Reportedly, Diaz was tired of all the traveling that came with a film career.

In the years since she stepped out of the spotlight, Diaz married Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden. Diaz has also continued to work as an author, publishing her second health book in 2016.

16. Kicked Out: Louis C.K.

Ever since his 2007 comedy special Shameless, Louis C.K. began enjoying mainstream success the likes of which he had never seen before. His self-titled FX series earned him a number of Emmy awards, he was producing hit TV shows for others, and he even showed up in a number of feature films, including the critically-acclaimed American Hustle.

Then it all came crashing down when the 50-year-old comedian was accused of misconduct by multiple women. C.K. quickly confessed to his inappropriate behavior. FX, Netflix, and HBO quickly cut ties with C.K. and his latest film, I Love You, Daddy, was swiftly pulled from release.

15. Left Willingly: Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread

Often considered one of the greatest actors to ever live, Daniel Day-Lewis recently made headlines when he announced his retirement from the acting world after appearing in last year's Phantom Thread.

Day-Lewis has been nominated for six Academy Awards, winning three for his performances in My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln. He is known for his extreme commitment to method acting, which often finds Day-Lewis staying in character for the entirety of the film shoot.

This isn’t the first time the English actor has stepped away from the spotlight.

He took a three year hiatus before appearing in Gangs of New York, where Day-Lewis spent some time in Italy working as a shoe-maker. Therefore, we can only hope that Day-Lewis will make another unexpected return to film at some point down the line.

14. Kicked Out: Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan

Once a renowned child star and teen idol, Lindsay Lohan’s troubled personal life has greatly overshadowed her cinematic achievements in the last decade.

The actress sky-rocketed to fame at a young age thanks to her dual performance as twins in Disney’s The Parent Trap, and she later enjoyed more on-screen success with performances in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.

Beginning in 2004, Lohan was involved in a string of car accidents, which led to her being charged with several misdemeanors, including driving under the influence.

Though she’s continued to pop up in lesser-known movies and TV shows, she’s become notoriously difficult to work with — putting a number of film production on halt and resulting in Lohan losing various roles.

13. Left Willingly: Amanda Bynes

Amanda Bynes

After being one of Nickelodeon’s most prominent child stars, Amanda Bynes made a successful jump to the film world in the 2000s, appearing in everything from What a Girl Wants to Hairspray.

However, her last film appearance came in 2010 when she starred alongside Emma Stone in Easy A. Since then, the actress has taken an active step back from acting, which has also found her undergoing some legal and mental health issues.

Staring in 2013, Bynes sent out a string of troubling tweets and was charged with a DUI, reckless endangerment, and marijuana possession. She was eventually hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation after setting a small fire in a stranger’s driveway.

The former child star has managed to stay out of the headlines in recent years, and Bynes is even rumored to return to the acting world later this year.

12. Kicked Out: Charlie Sheen

We’ve seen plenty of stars spiral out of control in front of the cameras; few have basked in the mania of it all quite like Charlie Sheen.

The actor’s meltdown began when he was fired from his hit sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which Sheen has been reportedly making $1.8 million per episode.

Though Sheen was always known as a partier and a playboy, his off-camera antics were apparently becoming too much for his fellow cast and crew members to handle, and he was let go following another stint in rehab.

Though Sheen has popped up in a number of movies and TV shows since — including Scary Movie 5 and the FX series Anger Management — it's clear that Sheen's tumultuous personal life has left him on the sidelines of mainstream success.

11. Left Willingly: Jack Gleeson

King Joffrey Baratheon in his royal armor, played by Jack Gleeson on Game of Thrones

Jack Gleeson is best-known for playing the tyrannical and downright sadistic King Joffrey on HBO’s Game of Thrones. If you’ve ever watched an interview with the actor, you know that Gleeson is far from the on-screen persona that he’s become synonymous with.

While it would have been nice to see the actor in a more lighthearted role following King Joffrey’s assassination, the 26-year-old Irish actor ultimately decided that the spotlight wasn’t for him — at least on a TV or film set.

Though the actor first appeared in Game of Thrones back in 2011, Gleeson had actually been working professionally since 2002, appearing in Reign of Fire and Batman Begins. More than a decade in show business is surely enough time to decide if it's the career for you, and instead, Gleeson remains active in the theater world.

10. Kicked Out: Shia LaBeouf

Shia LaBeouf sitting in a crowd.

There are plenty of ways to let people know that you know longer enjoy fame. Moving away from Los Angeles and ceasing to pursue work in the entertainment industry seems to make the most sense. Or you could take a more unorthodox approach and just show up to a red carpet event with a brown paper bag over your head that reads “I am not famous anymore.”

A bizarre string of events have found Shia LaBeouf no longer working within mainstream Hollywood.

On top of his various run-ins with law enforcement, LaBeouf has also been notoriously difficult to work with. He's hurled insults at the Transformers franchise along with Steven Spielberg, which is a sure-fire way to alienate yourself from a lot of talented actors and directors.

9. Left Willingly: Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Jonathan Taylor Thomas in I'll Be Home for Christmas

Anyone who grew up in the ‘90s surely remembers Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who appeared in eight seasons of the hit ABC sitcom Home Improvement and also provided his voice for a young Simba in The Lion King. Additionally, Thomas had leading roles in a number of other kids movies, including Tom and Huck, The Adventure of Pinocchio, and I’ll Be Home for Christmas.

However, the now 36-year-old actor walked away from the spotlight back in 2006, and outside of a brief appearance on Last Man Standing (which found him reuniting with his TV parents from Home Improvement), Thomas has been largely absent from Hollywood.

In the intervening years, Thomas has taken the time to expand his educational background by attending Harvard, Columbia, and St. Andrews University while he studied abroad in Scotland.

8. Kicked Out: Mel Gibson

While Mel Gibson continues to claw his way out of the hole he dug for himself over a decade ago, his recent film work is nowhere near that caliber it was before his highly-publicized meltdown.

Once the Academy-Award winning director of Braveheart and the star of the massively popular Lethal Weapon series, Gibson has had multiple run-ins with the law as a result of his problems with alcohol. He has also been caught making anti-semitic and other racist statements, which led to Gibson going five years without acting work.

While he continues to be the butt of many jokes, Gibson has had a bit of a comeback in recent years, though his checkered past has no doubt alienated him from many individuals within the industry.

7. Left Willingly: Rick Moranis

Rick Moranis

Canadian actor and comedian Rick Moranis first broke big when he when he stole the show as the nerdy Louis Tully in the 1984 hit Ghostbusters. He followed this performance up with leading roles in Little Shop of Horrors, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Flintstones, and Little Giants.

The unlikely leading man took a break from the acting world in 1997.

This decision came a few years after Moranis’ wife passed away from cancer, and the actor decided that it was too much to juggle working in Hollywood and being a single father.

Since then, Moranis has continued to do a bit of a voice acting, but he has not appeared in a feature film for over 20 years.

6. Kicked Out: Mike Myers

Remember when Mike Myers was one of the biggest comedy stars around? Throughout the 1990s, this former SNL cast member was the mastermind behind such hits as Wayne’s World 1 and 2 and the Austin Powers film series. He also provided his voice as the titular character for the Shrek films.

Beginning in the early 2000s, Myers had a string of critical and commercial flops, including The Cat in the Hat and The Love Guru. This, coupled with reports that Myers is a nightmare to work with, may no doubt be the reason we never see Myers headlining movies anymore.

In fact, the only notable work that the former A-lister has taken in recent years is impersonating Tommy Maitland on a revival of The Gong Show — which is quite the step down from being one of comedy's most successful leading men.

5. Left Willingly: Sean Connery

Despite his controversial statements about believing it's okay to hit women, Sean Connery was actually the one who called it quits on Hollywood, rather than the other way around.

The Scottish actor is best known for playing James Bond in seven feature films and is still considered by many to be the best incarnation of the character. He starred in a string of other action films throughout the ‘80s and ’90s, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, and The Rock.

He notoriously (and thankfully) turned down the chance to play Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and instead starred in the abysmal League of Extraordinary Gentleman in 2004. Shortly thereafter, he announced his retirement and Connery hasn’t appeared in a film since.

4. Kicked Out: Randy Quaid

Randy Quaid may have never been leading man material, but he worked as the wacky side character in a number of box office hits, including the National Lampoon’s Vacation series and Independence Day. However, it appears as though the actor’s off-beat persona has extended beyond his on-screen characters, as Quaid and his wife have had multiple run-ins with the law.

These indiscretions first began in 2009, when the couple was arrest for fraud for trying to pay a $10,000 bill with an invalid credit card. The following year they were also charged with burglary and forging a signature, which eventually led to them being arrested in Canada for their outstanding warrants in the U.S.

Quaid now resides with his wife in Vermont, as they could both still be arrested for their crimes should they travel outside the state.

3. Left Willingly: Gene Hackman

For nearly fifty years, Gene Hackman was one of the most critically acclaimed actors of his generation. He was nominated for five Academy Awards between 1968 and 1993, winning two for his performances in The French Connection and Unforgiven.

Hackman hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2004, and the 88-year-old actor currently enjoys the retired life living in New Mexico.

During this time, Hackman has continued to work as a novelist, publishing a Western love and revenge story titled Payback at Morning Peak in 2011, and a contemporary police procedural titled Pursuit a few years later.

While it seems unlikely that Hackman will ever return to the acting world, it's just unfortunate that his last feature film was Welcome to Mooseport — which currently holds a 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

2. Kicked Out: Wesley Snipes

Thanks to his extensive background in martial arts, Wesley Snipes became a major action star after his appearance in Demolition Man and his portrayal of Blade in the film trilogy.

The only movies that Snipes seems to appear in in recent years have largely been direct-to-video releases, which is likely a result of his multiple run-ins with the law.

He’s been cited for reckless driving, carrying a concealed firearm, and tax evasion — the last of which he spent nearly three years in prison for.

Before that, he was notoriously difficult on the set of Blade: Trinity. Snipes even sued New Line Cinemas over violation of his contract for the film, which may dissuade other major studios from wanting to work with the actor.

1. Left Willingly: Mara Wilson

After appearing in a number of hit ‘90s movies, including Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and Mathilda, Mara Wilson was on track to becoming one of the biggest child stars of her generation. When she was just 13 years old, Wilson made her final film appearance in the 2000 movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

In her memoir, the former child star said that after her mother passed away in 1996, Wilson’s interesting in acting began to diminish.

She stuck with it for a few more years since it provided some consistency during an otherwise complicated time.

Since she’s been out of the spotlight, Wilson has continued to work as a writer and a spokesperson for equal rights, and she’s been quick to defend fellow child stars who have fallen on hard times.

20. Kicked Out: Kevin Spacey

Ever since fellow actor Anthony Rapp came forward to accuse Kevin Spacey of misconduct, more than a dozen other men have stepped forward to share similar stories.

Thankfully, justice was swift and fast, with Spacey immediately being fired from Netflix's House of Cards, where the actor was expected to reprise his role as Frank Underwood in the upcoming season. The 58-year-old actor was also replaced by Christopher Plummer for his performance in All the Money in the World, even though his part had already been filmed and the movie was mere months away from release.

While Spacey will appear in the upcoming Billionaire Boys Club (another movie that was filmed before these allegations became mainstream), it’s unlikely that Hollywood will accept him back any time soon.

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Which one of these A-listers were you surprised to see go? Let us know!