10 Actresses Who Made Powerful Comebacks After Break: From Drew Barrymore to Jennifer Lopez
Hollywood has seen several actresses take a break from the spotlight to focus on their personal lives or rediscover themselves away from the attention. When they return to the showbiz after years to deliver breathtaking performances, audiences cannot stop gushing. In an industry with "out of sight, out of mind" mentality, these actresses have proven that their fandom can wait years to see them grace the silver screen or television again, no matter how long their sabbatical was.
Here are 10 actresses who reclaimed their place in the industry and returned to acting after a break!
Nicole Richie
Comeback Project: Great News
Director/Producer: Tracey Wigfield
Release Year: 2017
Nicole Richie rose to fame with the reality show, The Simple Life, which also featured Paris Hilton and aired from 2003 to 2007. The show abruptly came to an end when both Richie and Hilton faced DUI charges. Post the controversy, she remained out of the spotlight for over a decade.
In 2017, she made a major comeback as Portia Scott-Griffith in the NBC sitcom Great News. She is now married and also has two kids. Richie also launched a successful fashion line, named House of Harlow.
Drew Barrymore
Comeback Project: The Wedding Singer
Director/Producer: Frank Coraci
Release Year: 1998
Drew Barrymore had a troubled childhood. After achieving immense fame as a child actor in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Firestarter (1984), the actress's life went downhill. She started drinking alcohol at 9, began smoking pot regularly by 10, and was addicted to cocaine by 12. She was sent to a rehab center at 13 and again at 14, when she tried to commit suicide by cutting her wrists. Despite her struggles and bad image, she continued to work in the industry, but the 1998 film The Wedding Singer brought her back to the forefront. After rebranding her image, she continued to be a highly bankable star in Hollywood.
Betty White
Comeback Project: The Proposal
Director/Producer: Anne Fletcher
Release Year: 2009
Betty White made a mark in the industry as a television actress on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977) and the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992). In 2009, she made her comeback in the romantic comedy film The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. She later starred in You Again and did voice work for several other projects. She died on December 31, 2021, seventeen days before her 100th birthday.
Jennifer Lopez
Comeback Project: Hustlers
Director/Producer: Lorene Scafaria
Release Year: 2019
After starring in the 2003 film Gigli with Ben Affleck, JLo didn't bag a major acting role, so she decided to focus on other passions, like singing. However, in 2019, she once again proved her acting prowess in Hustlers, which also starred Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Cardi B. Since then, she has delivered several groundbreaking performances in films like Marry Me, Shotgun Wedding, The Mother, Atlas, Unstoppable, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Next, she will feature in Office Romance, directed by Ol Parker, written by Brett Goldstein.
Hilary Duff
Comeback Project: Younger
Director/Producer: Darren Star
Release Year: 2015
Disney darling Hilary Duff shot to fame in the early '00s by playing Lizzie McGuire in the titular TV series and movie. She also played pivotal roles in Cheaper by the Dozen and A Cinderella Story. However, post that, she vanished from the screens and only made a few cameos here and there. In 2016, she decided to make a comeback with TV Land's Younger as the main lead, Kelsey Peters. The series' finale aired in June 2021. The role brought her back to the spotlight, and her fans were all praise for her performance.
Natasha Lyonne
Comeback Project: Orange Is the New Black
Director/Producer: Jenji Kohan
Release Year: 2013
Natasha Lyonne surprised fans with her acting in the 1999 teen comedy American Pie. However, she struggled to bag a major role in films or television shows later. After taking up several small roles, she bagged her breakthrough project in 2013. She starred as Nicky Nichols in Orange is the New Black and proved that it's never too late for a comeback. She later played the role of Nadia Vulvokov in Russian Doll, further cementing her status in Hollywood.
Winona Ryder
Comeback Project: Stranger Things
Director/Producer: The Duffer Brothers
Release Year: 2016
Before getting arrested in 2001 for shoplifting, Winona Ryder played several pivotal roles in films and television shows. When the controversy resulted in an unannounced ban from Hollywood, she took a four-year career hiatus. Even though she starred in several films from 2006 to 2015, her major comeback project is seen as Netflix's science fiction-horror series Stranger Things. In the show, she was seen as Joyce Byers, a single mother whose 12-year-old son Will vanishes mysteriously.
Jane Fonda
Comeback Project: Monster-in-Law
Director/Producer: Robert Luketic
Release Year: 2005
Jane Fonda's breakthrough role came in the 1965 film Cat Ballou. In 1968, she played the title role in the science fiction spoof Barbarella, which established her status as a sex symbol. She won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1971, for Alan J. Pakula's neo-noir psychological thriller Klute. In the 80s, she became the queen of fitness and released several workout videos. After a fifteen-year hiatus, she released two new fitness videos on DVD in 2010. In 2005, she returned to the screen with the box office success Monster-in-Law, starring opposite Jennifer Lopez.
Mädchen Amick
Comeback Project: Riverdale
Director/Producer: Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios
Release Year: 2017
Mädchen Amick was an acting sensation in the '80s and '90s. But her career saw a few years of quiet in the 2000s until she starred as Alice Cooper in CW's dark mystery TV show, Riverdale, based on the Archie comic book series. On the silver screen, she was last seen as Jean Brooks in the 2005 film Lies and Deception and also played a small role as Shannon Pace in the 2011 film Priest.
Marisol Nichols
Comeback Project: Riverdale
Director/Producer: Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios
Release Year: 2017
Marisol Nichols made her movie debut as Audrey Griswold in the film Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. She also starred in the drama series Resurrection Blvd.. The Princess and the Marine, Cold Case, and Blind Justice. Before a five-year hiatus, she starred in the ABC TV series GCB, with Leslie Bibb, Kristin Chenoweth, Annie Potts, Jennifer Aspen, and Miriam Shor. In 2017, Nichols starred as Hermione Lodge, the mother of Veronica Lodge, in Riverdale.
The journeys of these actresses who made powerful comebacks after taking a break are nothing short of inspirational. Each of them defied the odds, navigated personal and professional challenges, and returned to the screen with a renewed sense of purpose. In an industry that often sidelines women after a certain age, these women shattered stereotypes and redefined what it means to be successful on their terms.
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