Cobra Kai's Courtney Henggeler steps away from acting: ‘I want to be the machine'
Courtney Henggeler has revealed in a candid post on Substack that she has officially called it quits on her acting career.
'After 20-plus years of fighting the good fight in the acting business, I hung up my gloves on Friday,' wrote the Cobra Kai star.
She added: 'I called my agents and told them I was tapping out. I no longer wanted to be a cog in the wheel of the machine. I want to be the machine.'
While Henggeler didn't specify what comes next, she made it clear that she is ready to forge a new path on her own terms.
Reflecting on her time in the industry, she implied that the reality of her career was more about grinding than acting.
'All I've ever known in my professional life was acting,' she continued. 'But not even the art or craft of acting. All I've truly ever known was the hustle. The grind. Occasionally sprinkled with the odd acting job—perhaps a line or two to TV's Dr. House. 'Sorry.' (That was my line. Genius.)'
Before gaining prominence as Amanda LaRusso in all six seasons of Netflix's Cobra Kai, Henggeler appeared in a variety of small roles across TV and film, including The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Criminal Minds, Bones, NCIS, Jane the Virgin, and movies like Friends with Benefits, Feed, and Nobody's Fool.
Despite her growing list of credits, she said, the industry rarely offered consistent security.
'After each job, it was back to the grind,' she said. 'We survived off the crumbs. We filled our cups with possibility, our mugs with delusion. Our plates were empty, but a golden goose hung over our heads. Today might be the day I reach the golden goose.'
Said 'golden goose' eventually arrived in the form of Cobra Kai —a breakout role, a steady paycheck, her face on billboards and even being directed by George Clooney.
Even then, however, Henggeler found herself unfulfilled.
'I was on a successful series. I made money. This, by all definitions, is the golden goose,' she wrote. 'But I was still famished.'
With the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai premiering on Netflix in February, Henggeler's decision comes at a natural ending point.
She closed her post with a series of questions that suggest she's found peace in moving on: 'What if we choose to believe we have the power? What if we had it all along? What if we never needed to run the gauntlet? What if we are the gauntlet?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
_n_S1_E4_00_11_52_06-(1).jpg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C612%2C0%2C348%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Adolescence was a ‘little stone' that caused a tsunami, says star
Actor Stephen Graham says his life has changed after the success of Adolescence, which has become one of Netflix 's biggest shows ever. The show follows Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, a young boy accused of killing a girl in his school, and the impact of his actions on his family, including his father (played by Graham). Adolescence has enjoyed global success, becoming Netflix's most-watched UK title ever with 66.3 million views within the first fortnight of its release. Graham, who co-wrote the series with Jack Thorne, joked that it is 'dead hard getting round the Tesco these days' in an interview with Deadline. He described the series as 'a beautiful little stone', saying: 'We threw it in the middle of a lake, and it caused a tsunami.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Netflix fans 'feel violated' after graphic spitting scene in trailer for new romcom series - gasping 'that really caught me off guard!'
Netflix fans 'felt violated' after a graphic spitting scene in the trailer for a new romcom series - gasping that moment 'really caught them off guard'. Too Much, from the mind of Lena Dunham, stars Megan Stalter (Hacks) as Jessica, a thirty-something, New York workaholic, grappling with a devastating breakup. The ten-part series, coming to the streamer on July 10, sees her move across the pond to London for a fresh start. There, she meets and falls messily in love with Felix, played by Will Sharpe (The White Lotus) - a layabout musician and an entirely unexpected, unlikely match. The trailer dropped on YouTube yesterday - but fans in the comments were shocked by a particular scene in it that jarred with its classic romcom vibe. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Too Much stars Megan Stalter (Hacks), left, as Jessica, a thirty-something, New York workaholic, grappling with a devastating breakup One shot shows Felix spitting into Jessica's mouth as they lie in bed together One shot shows Felix spitting into Jessica's mouth as they lie in bed together - prompting viewers to complain: 'The spitting in mouth scene violated me.'; 'That spitting scene is not gonna leave me for a while now.'; 'OK, I'm not alone. I stopped to read the comments at the spitting scene.'; 'The spitting really caught me off guard OMG.'; 'I felt violently touched after seeing that spitting scene.'; 'What in the spitting jump scare was that?' Punning on the show's title, one said: 'Yeah, the spitting scene was Too Much for me.' But some were not so taken aback by it as others, referring to Lena's most famous TV creation, Girls, which aired on HBO from 2012 to 2017: 'Those of you shocked by the spitting scene have clearly never seen Girls.'; The trailer dropped on YouTube yesterday - but fans in the comments were shocked by a particular scene in it that jarred with its classic romcom vibe But some were not so taken aback by it as others 'As a gay man, that spitting scene is tame. Y'all freakin' over nothing.' Fans were mostly very excited to see the series hit the small screen next month: 'Oh, this actually, genuinely looks good. Is this the start of a Dunhamaissance?'; 'We love a plus-size lead who knows what she wants. So excited for this!'; 'Too Much looks like exactly the kind of chaotic comfort watch I need right now. Who else is ready to binge this entire thing in one sitting?' The romcom boasts a star-studded cast, with Stephen Fry, Andrew Scott, Richard E Grant, Kit Harington, Rita Ora, Jessica Alba, Rhea Perlman, Jennifer Saunders, Emily Ratajkowski, Adwoa Aboah and Lena herself all starring. It is made by the producers of Love Actually and Notting Hill and is co-created by Lena, 39, and her husband, Peruvian-British musician Luis Felber, 38. Lena told Netflix news site Tudum their own love story is similar to Jessica and Felix's: 'When I first started coming to the UK for work... I thought to myself, "I want to write something about the experience of being a foreigner here and the fantasies we have of [London] versus the realities". 'Then, when I met my husband Luis, I felt like I was experiencing all of that but in the context of a relationship.' Fans were mostly very excited to see the series hit the small screen next month But she also said, at a Next on Netflix event in London earlier this year, Megan had made the role of Jessica her own. 'She is truly an old-fashioned physical comedian in the vein of Carol Burnett or Elaine May but she has something really modern and also really sweet about her and she can move between intense comedy and heavy drama with ease', Lena gushed. 'She just felt like the perfect foil to feel how Americans contrast against the people of this nation. 'Because it didn't take very long for me to realise that while you technically speak the same language, there are some vast differences I am still coming to understand.' Megan loves how the show overturned tropes both about romcoms - and how Americans see London: 'The show does a really good job of knowing what it is but then also flipping it on its head.' Her co-star Will agreed: 'It has such an awareness of rom-com... but it also does have some rougher edges. 'That makes the sweeter aspects all the more powerful because there's an honesty to it.' Megan saw herself in her character: 'Jessica and I both wear our hearts on our sleeve. We're emotional, we're dramatic, we're weird and remain that way as adults.' Lena said while the show does have some serious moments, she hoped it could mostly act as a source of escapist joy for viewers. 'You can take a half hour away from your day and feel like you are part of a world that is truthful but just a little more sweet and tender than the actual world we live in,' she explained. Since working on Girls, Lena has continued her acting work, appearing in American Horror Story, The Simpsons and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. She has also kept working as a writer, producer and director, creating American comedy Camping, starring Jennifer Garner and David Tennant. She also directed some episodes of British show Industry, about newbie investment bankers, and wrote 2022 medieval comedy Catherine Called Birdy, starring Bella Ramsey, Billie Piper and Andrew Scott. Lena swapped her $2.8million Los Angeles bungalow for a property in London after marrying Luis in September 2021, at a members-only club in the capital. The pair met in January 2021 on a blind date, which they were set up on by friends. Luis has previously told The New York Times their first date was about eight hours long - and they moved in together just months later. The pair met in January 2021 on a blind date, which they were set up on by friends. Pictured: Lena at their London home 'I think when you know, you know', he said. 'I've only been alive for 35 years in this lifetime, and I think it's another archaic thing for guys to hide their feelings. 'I'm way more into the flow of getting to know the person. 'And I think Lena's the same, and I think - I'm going to sound cheesy - but when you find your soulmate, you just know.'
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
OceanGate tragedy shares eerie link to couple who died in Titanic shipwreck
The doomed Titan submersible, which imploded in 2023, shares a chilling link with the Titanic One of the most iconic love stories from the Titanic has a bizarre link to the ill-fated Titan submersible, as revealed in Netflix's Titan: The Oceangate Disaster. Isidor and Ida Straus were renowned for their unwavering unity on the sinking Titanic back in 1912. Ida famously declared in their final moments: "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so we will die together." Eyewitnesses recounted seeing them clasping hands as the ship went down. This tender scene was captured in James Cameron's blockbuster film, Titanic, showing an elderly couple holding each other tight as the vessel sank. Intriguingly, Wendy Rush, the wife of the late Titan innovator Stockton Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of the devoted Straus pair. According to her LinkedIn, Wendy holds the role of director of communications at OceanGate, reports the Irish Star. Tragically, the Titan's voyage claimed the lives of Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and Suleman Dawood, when it imploded underwater in 2023. Since tying the knot in 1986, Wendy and Stockton shared an extraordinary connection to the Titanic's history. With three expeditions to the site of the RMS Titanic wreckage, which lies deep in the North Atlantic, Wendy continues to honour their legacy. Wendy's maiden name reflects this lineage. Born Wendy Hollings Weil, she descends from Minnie Straus Weil, the progeny of Isidor and Ida Straus. The German-born couple, long-time American residents, were already in their golden years – 67 and 63 respectively – when tragedy struck on the Titanic. Documents at the National Archives reveal that the venerable Strauses were travelling back from a trip to Germany with Ida's maid, Ellen Bird, and Isidor's valet, John Farthing, when the catastrophe occurred. Isidor launched his successful retail venture by leasing space in Macy's in 1888. By 1896, he and his brother Nathan had taken full ownership, and he even served as a US Congressman. Ida's loyal maid, survivor Ellen, later recounted the last wrenching moments she spent with the couple. She recalled Ida, in the midst of chaos, entrusting her luxurious mink coat to Ellen, stating she would have no further use for it. In later years, Ellen endeavoured to present the cherished mink back to the Straus heirs, but they respectfully refused it. While searchers recuperated Isidor's body, Ida's was claimed by the ocean. An inscription at their New York mausoleum poignantly reflects their love: "Many waters cannot quench love - neither can floods drown it."
