Actors Who Walked Back on Their Decision to Retire

Once you get bit by the acting bug, it’s hard to step away from the business completely – and these celebrities prove it.

After Kathy Bates surprised fans by announcing that her starring role on the Matlock reboot would be “her last dance” after an illustrious five-decade career in September 2024, the Academy Award winner backtracked on her comments one month later.

“I think people got confused and thought I was going to retire,” she told People. “What I meant was, how can it get any better? I would love for this to keep going.”

Ahead of nabbing the titular role on Matlock – a twist on the original series starring Andy Griffith – Bates told the outlet that she had thought about retiring because roles for women of her age were becoming scarce.

“I remember calling my agents and saying, ‘I think maybe I want to go into, if not retirement, semi-retirement. If I can’t afford to keep my house, I’ll sell it and maybe go to New York,’” she recalled. “Then this happened. I couldn’t believe it.”

Keep reading for more celebrities who went back on their decision to retire from acting:

Jane Fonda

Fonda, whose career began with a starring role in Tall Story in 1960, famously announced her retirement from acting after 1991 after tying the knot with Ted Turner. The pair divorced after 10 years of marriage, and Fonda made her onscreen return in the 2005 rom-com Monster in Law, which also stars Jennifer Lopez.

“I left for 15 years, when I married Ted Turner, and I did not think I was gonna come back, ’cause when I married him, I thought it’d be forever,” the actress told Entertainment Tonight while promoting her comedy, 80 for Brady, in 2023. “But I came back, and frankly, if anybody told me that at 85, I’d be doing this kind of movie, I would have not believed them. So I feel very lucky.”

Since her early aughts return, Fonda has starred in countless productions, including Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, Georgia Rule opposite Lindsay Lohan, This Is Where I Leave You, The Newsroom, Book Club and its sequel and more.

Terrence Howard

After Howard was asked what his next move was after the end of his hit show, Empire, the actor said he planned on throwing in the towel on his acting career.

“I’m done with acting. I’m done pretending,” he told Extra in September 2019.

Though he declared he was done with the industry, Howard went on to appear in numerous productions following the end of Empire, including Cut Throat City, The System and The Best Man: Final Chapters, which aired in 2022. While promoting The Best Man, Howard claimed he was retiring again.

“This is the end for me. This is the end for me. I don’t know if it’s the end for the rest of them,” he told ET, referring to his costars. “I retired two years ago, for the most part. I was done.”

Since his second announcement, Howard has gone on to appear in numerous films, and starred on the Peacock mini-series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.

Cameron Diaz

Diaz, who rose to fame with her breakout role in The Mask opposite Jim Carrey in 1994, went on to quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses for rom-coms, dramas and more.

After nearly two decades of starring roles in films like The Sweetest Thing, There’s Something About Mary, Charlie’s Angels, Gangs of New York, The Holiday and Bad Teacher – as well as voicing Fiona in all of the Shrek movies – Diaz appeared in three final films (The Other Woman, Sex Tape and Annie) in 2014 before stepping away from the spotlight.

Diaz announced her retirement in March 2018 during an interview with Entertainment Weekly and her The Sweetest Thing costars, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair. After Applegate described herself as “semi-retired,” Diaz replied, “I’m semi-retired too, and I am actually retired, so I would love to see you ladies.”

Though she later said she got out of acting to focus on her family and her personal life (she shares daughter Raddix and son Cardinal with husband Benji Madden), Diaz came out of retirement in 2022 when she signed on to star in Back in Action opposite Jamie Foxx. The Netflix film is slated to premiere in January 2025.

Kathy Bates

Though Bates has been a mainstay in the industry for more than 50 years, appearing in blockbuster giants like Titanic, The Blind Side and Misery and starring on American Horror Story, she was thinking about retiring after parts for women of her age were getting harder and harder to come by.

As of October 2024, she stars on the Matlock reboot, and said she would continue acting as long as the opportunities arise.

Joe Pesci

Known for his roles in ’90s classics like Goodfellas, My Cousin Vinny, Casino, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Lethal Weapon 2, 3 and 4, Pesci announced his decision to step away from acting in 1999.

Despite wanting to focus on life out of the spotlight, Pesci made multiple cameos in productions like The Good Shepherd and Love Ranch, and ultimately returned to the big screen in 2019’s The Irishman. He also starred on Bupkis opposite Pete Davidson in 2023, and appeared in Day of the Fight that year.

Mara Wilson

Wilson, who catapulted to child star fame with her roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda and Miracle on 34th Street, stepped away from acting after 2000’s Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

Wilson returned to the industry in 2012 and has since worked on numerous projects, many of which are web series and podcasts, including Big Hero 6: The Series and Welcome to Night Vale.

In a blog post in 2017, however, Wilson explained the reason behind her exit from Tinseltown.

“Film can be exciting, but more often, it’s tedious. The celebrity aspect is nothing short of ridiculous, and auditioning is brutal and dehumanizing,” she wrote in part. “Every time I see a pretty young girl on the subway reading sides for an audition, my only thought is, ‘Man, am I glad I’m not doing that anymore.’ I never feel nostalgia, just relief.”