Zendaya has recently announced that she will be taking a break after 2026. The year is packed for her with HBO’s Euphoria Season 3 and several other movies, including The Drama and Dune: Part Three. In an interview with Fandango, Zendaya said, “I’ll tell you what, after this, I’m disappearing for a little bit. I’m going into hiding.”
Well, before Zendaya, several celebrities similarly decided to step away from acting for a while. Let’s find out their names.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
After the success of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio quickly rose to superstardom. The film was a major critical and commercial hit, taking home several Oscars. But the actor said that the fame that followed was intense, and he decided to take a break from acting for a couple of years. DiCaprio called those times “bizarre” and “surreal” for him.
2. Emma Watson
British actress Emma Watson became a global phenomenon thanks to her role as Hermione in the Harry Potter film series. However, the actress decided to step down from showbiz after 2019’s Little Women. As per Variety, Emma explained that she felt caged to sell something over which she didn’t have control. The actress stated that she couldn’t say whether her work aligned with her viewpoints. As of 2026, Watson hasn’t appeared in any film since Little Women.
3. Tom Holland
Tom Holland also took a break from acting at one point. In 2023, he decided to take a break from acting after appearing in the television series The Crowded Room. As per Buzzfeed, Holland revealed that he enjoyed doing the series, but it took a toll on his mental health. Holland resumed acting after his year-long break.
4. Al Pacino
Legendary actor Al Pacino has been active in Hollywood for several decades. However, he briefly left acting in the mid-1980s after the failure of his film Revolution, as per Movieweb. Pacino stated that he was feeling burnt out. The actor decided to do theatre plays and was largely missing from films between 1985 and 1989. His decision was believed to be a mix of the film’s failure and his exhaustion after doing multiple projects for many years. He eventually returned with Sea of Love.
5. Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence had a realization in 2021. The Hunger Games actress stepped away from acting as she felt that the public had gotten “sick” of her. She said that she couldn’t do anything right at that point. Lawrence eventually returned to the limelight and continues to act.
6. Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams disappeared from movies for two years in the 2000s. She had starred in several successful titles like The Notebook and Mean Girls. As per People, McAdams said that she wanted to stay “sane” in that period, and the work wasn’t jiving with her personality. She eventually returned and appeared in films like Married Life and The Lucky Ones.
7. Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz took a hiatus from Hollywood that lasted for a decade. She married Benji Madden in 2015 and started a family. This is when she decided to take a break, which was eventually broken in 2025. Diaz returned with the Netflix action film Back in Action.
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