MAKING it in Hollywood is a dream for most actors, but a rare few choose to leave it all behind for a life in the shadows.
This week reclusive star Daniel Day-Lewis, 66, was spotted enjoying a holiday in Mallorca with his rarely seen wife Rebecca Miller.
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The Gangs Of New York star is understood to be travelling via speedboat to join a yacht with legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
Throughout the actor’s career he regularly chose quietness and solitude over the glitz and glamour Hollywood had to offer.
In a 2008 Daily Mail article, journalist Paul Scott said Daniel’s “most customary role” was “as Hollywood’s most reluctant – and increasingly strange – star”.
He noted that the actor would drink alone in pubs, avoided eye contact and for the preceding 10 years lived a “relatively reclusive existence locked away on a 50-acre estate” in County Wicklow, Ireland.
In 2012 Daniel announced he was taking a break from acting – and after five years he returned for his final film Phantom Thread.
That same year the actor announced his retirement; while he did not pinpoint one specific reason, he listed problems including work not seeming “vital” or “irresistible”.
Since then dad-of-two Daniel’s rarely been seen – but has noticeably ditched the wild, long hair he sported in 2023 in favour of a cropped do.
Though he was encouraged by son Ronan to dip his toe back into the game last year, starring in his directorial debut Anemone, which the pair co-wrote.
He’s far from the only star to trade Tinseltown for a quieter life – and according to behavioural psychologist Emma Kenny, this can be due to them “living an amplified life”.
She told us: “Celebrities face the same challenges, emotions, and existential questions we all do, but under the relentless scrutiny of the public eye.
“While many relish the spotlight, some inevitably retreat from it, becoming recluses.”
From the actor branded “Hollywood’s most reluctant star” to an 80s actor dubbed the “next Jim Carrey”, we look at the lives of some of the most reclusive living celebrities.
Angus T Jones
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Two And A Half Men star Angus T Jones is unrecognisable from his role as Jake Harper on the hit US comedy.
He’s made a handful of rare public outings in Los Angeles over the past couple of years, now sporting a bushy beard and shaved head.
It’s been over a decade since the actor, who was paid up to £280,000 per episode, quit the show and swore off fame after being baptized by a Christian ministry called Forerunner Chronicles.
Now 31, Angus has since urged fans “stop watching” and “filling your head with filth”, claiming the show, which starred Charlie Sheen, was “contributing to the enemy’s plan”.
Yasmine Bleeth
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Yasmine Bleeth was only meant to have a guest appearance on Baywatch – but she proved so popular with fans that producers kept her on for five years.
She played Caroline Holden on the show and the exposure led her to be named in FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World every year from 1996 until 2001.
But at the same time, Yasmine’s drug use was spiralling out of control and by 2000, she had checked into rehab for cocaine dependence.
A year later she was sentenced to two years probation and 100 hours of community service after syringes filled with cocaine were found in her car after a near-fatal accident.
Celebrity recluses explained
TV behavioural psychologist Emma Kenny tells The Sun some of the contributing factors that could lead a famous star to leave the limelight.
Child stardom
From Macaulay Culkin to Amanda Bynes, we’ve seen many a tale of bright, young and talent child starsdimmed by the pressures of fame. The transition from child to adult actor is precarious. As children, they are often shielded from the harsh realities of fame. But as they grow, they become aware of the world’s expectations, and if these aren’t met, feelings of inadequacy can lead to withdrawal.
Introversion
Not every artist craves the limelight. Some, like the enigmatic Sia or the mysterious Banksy prioritise their work over public recognition. For these sensitive souls, the clamour of celebrity can be overwhelming.
Surviving trauma
The entertainment industry can be a hotbed of abuse, manipulation, and exploitation. Those who’ve endured such trauma might retreat to protect themselves.
Mental health preservation
Persistent attention and invasion of privacy can amplify mental health struggles. Without a sanctuary away from the lens, many celebrities find it difficult to maintain their sanity.
Reclaiming Privacy
Imagine your every move dissected and judged by millions. It’s not hard to understand why some celebs would want to snatch back some semblance of privacy.
Yasmine was fired from Baywatch and according to screenwriter Douglas Schwartz it was because she was “not showing up” and had “difficulties, again with men” due to her drug use.
In 2012, he told Esquire: “That’s why we let Yasmine go off the show because it was too difficult to deal with her after a while.”
Yasmine’s final TV appearance was on Howard Stern On Demand 2006 and since then she has shunned the spotlight.
The actress, now 56, has been pictured a few times since, usually while walking her dog in her pyjamas.
Bridget Fonda
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Nineties star Bridget Fonda was a highly sought after actress thanks to impressive performances in Jackie Brown, The Godfather Part III and Scandal.
She earned two Golden Globes and an Emmy for her scene-stealing portrayals before making her final acting appearance in the 2002 film Snow Queen.
The following year, Bridget suffered a serious car crash that fractured her vertebrae, and has since largely stayed out of the spotlight.
She got engaged in 2003 and two years later decided to quit Hollywood to become a full-time mum to her son with legendary composer Danny Elfman.
Bridget has rarely been seen out since and in April 2023, when she was photographed at LAX airport, she cast doubt on any plans to return to acting.
When asked if she wanted to be famous again, the now 61-year-old told paparazzi: “No. I don’t think so. It’s too nice being a civilian.”
Jack Nicholson
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Award-winning actor Jack Nicholson has starred in scores of Hollywood hits including The Shining, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and The Departed.
In his heyday, he was labelled “a man no woman could resist” and allegedly bedded 20,000 women including stars Sandra Knight, Joni Mitchell and Angelica Huston.
But since his last film How Do You Know came out in 2010, Jack has led a considerably quieter life and insiders claim he has quit acting for good.
A source told Radar: “There is a simple reason behind his decision – it’s memory loss, quite frankly… Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him.”
They claimed the megastar, now 88, had no intention of “retiring from the limelight or public life” – but in recent years, he’s rarely been seen outside of his home.
Until April 2023 – when Jack was pictured on the balcony of his Beverly Hills compound – he hadn’t been seen publicly in 18 months.
A friend told Radar: “He’s made it clear, his home is his castle. But people just wish he’d come out of the house and pop up to tell them how… or at least reassure folks he’s OK.”
They claimed Jack was “in touch with certain relatives”, including his ‘protege’ son Ray, but said “his socialising days are long gone”.
Jack, who used to be a regular at Los Angeles Lakers basketball games, now only shows up occasionally – including once in May 2023.
Despite this, friends expressed their concern that he would “die alone”.
Greg Pead (aka Yahoo Serious)
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He was dubbed the ‘next Jim Carrey‘ thanks to his comedy roles in 80s flick Young Einstein and his 1993 film Reckless Kelly, and appeared on the front cover of Time magazine.
But Australian actor Greg Pead, who’s arguably better known as Yahoo Serious, disappeared from the spotlight in the early Noughties, around the time he tried to sue the search engine Yahoo! for trademark infringement – and lost.
Despite appearing in a short documentary film called In the Cannes in 2007, he continued to fade into obscurity.
In 2007 he divorced his wife of 20 years, Lulu Pinkus.
Now 71, Serious was evicted from his rental property in Sydney‘s Avalon Beach in 2020 for failing to pay rent for five months and was ordered to pay his landlords $15,000 (£12,000).
It was then reported that he moved into the granny flat behind a home in Palm Beach belonging to a man called Charles Phillip Porter, who has dementia and is now living in a nursing home.
Mr Porter allegedly let the former actor move in because he was living rough in his battered BMW Sedan, and when he was put into care, Serious moved into the main home.
A tribunal heard how Serious then refused to leave when it emerged the three-bedroom property was to be sold to pay for Mr Porter’s nursing home costs.
He denied squatting, telling the Australian Daily Telegraph in March: “It will be a very complex thing, there’s been advice by – he goes by Phillip – Phillip’s attorney has advised that I should stay in the property and be the caretaker.”
He also revealed he had been “very close to death” recently but is “coming good” despite having trouble with “recall of day to day things”.
In an application filed to the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), Mr Porter’s power of attorney, landlord Margaret Charlton, said he risks being removed from his current care facility if the home is unable to be sold.
Find out more about Emma Kenny’s work here: www.ekenny.co.uk.
