Why The Girl Next Door's Elisha Cuthbert Stepped Away From Hollywood

Toy Story 5’s Joan Cusack Shares Why She Stepped Away From Hollywood

Elisha Cuthbert is back in the spotlight.

The Every Year After actress is sharing insight into why she took a four-year break from acting before landing a role in Prime Video's new hit TV series based on Carley Fortune's popular book series.

"I realized I worked all four years through our first child and it was really hard," Cuthbert—who shares two kids with husband Dion Phaneuf—confessed during her June 17 appearance on Today, "to separate that mom from the working person I was. So, when we had our second, I just felt like I didn't want to waste any second of it and I didn't want to be on set."

The 43-year-old—best known for starring in '00s films like The Girl Next Door and Old School as well as hit TV shows including 24 and Happy Endings—added, "I just felt like I needed to be at home with the kids and I enjoyed every minute."

But now that Cuthbert and her retired hockey player husband's daughter Zaphire and son Fable—born in 2017 and 2022, respectively—are a little bit older, the Canadian star is ready to take on new acting roles.

"They're in school now full time," she noted on Today. "I feel like I have the space and the energy and the heart to kind of leave them and do it."

And Cuthbert tapped into her maternal instincts for her first TV role in four years to play Sam (Matt Cornett) and Charlie's (Michael Bradway) mom Sue in Every Year After (streaming now on Prime Video).

Justine Yeung/Prime Video

"It's crazy because I hadn't read any of Carley's books and then I got on the show," she admitted of the series' source material. "Obviously had the script, but I wanted to read the novel. And then I'm like, 'Oh, I'm a superfan now.'"

"So," Cuthbert continued, "I read all her books, they're amazing. I recommend them."

And Cuthbert is glad series star Sadie Soverall is rising to fame in a time that's less harsh on women in entertainment.

"It was a lot of pressure," she reflected of her '00s icon status. "Sadie Soverall, it's nice that she's in a time now where she doesn't have to worry about those things. It's very different."

Cuthbert certainly isn't the first star to step away from Hollywood. Keep reading for more celebrities who escaped Tinseltown for quieter lives elsewhere.

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