12 Popular Actresses From the Early 2000s Who Suddenly Disappeared From the Public Eye

Millions of people around the world dream of becoming actors and shining on movie screens. And some of them manage to do it — they turn into real stars and the center of attention for the whole world. However, sometimes, fame is fleeting, and idols of the past get replaced with the new ones. But it also happens that the actors themselves abandon the big screen and either turn to independent cinema or find something else to do.

Bright Side has returned to the past decades to remember the actresses who shone brightly in those years on TV and movie screens.

Jessica Alba

Despite her immense popularity in the first half of the last decade, Jessica Alba put her family above her movie career. In 2008, she got married and gave birth to her daughter, and 3 years later — she had another baby. Now, the actress is raising 3 children.

Today, she occasionally appears on the big screen, but her main occupation, in addition to her family, is her own company which manufactures environmentally friendly goods. Her company is valued at more than $1 billion, and in 2015, Forbes magazine even placed Alba on one of its covers.

Elizabeth Hurley

English actress, Elizabeth Hurley, is one of the women who was called a sex symbol. Despite the fact that she had played the roles of seductresses before, she received this status thanks to the film Bedazzled with Brendan Fraser, which was released in 2000. Now, Hurley mainly stars in TV series and is actively involved in charity work.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer Love Hewitt became famous thanks to the teen horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, released in the late 1990s. However, the actress became really sought-after and popular after her role in the 2001 comedy Heartbreakers, where she and Sigourney Weaver played a daughter and mother who trick men. But since the middle of the last decade, after a series of failures on the big screen, Hewitt has mainly been taking part in TV series, and her most popular character was the role of Melinda Gordon in the Ghost Whisperer TV series, which was ran from 2005 to 2010.

Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff began acting in childhood, and the TV series, Lizzie McGuire, in which she played the main role, made her a teen idol at the beginning of the millennium. That time was the heyday of both her music and acting careers, but at the end of the decade, she started to focus on independent cinema projects. Today, Duff is raising 2 children and acts in various TV series. She also has her own business, a company that produces children’s goods.

Tara Reid

Tara Reid, the star of perhaps the most famous series of teen comedies of the late 1990s and early 2000s, American Pie, is almost never seen on screen today. However, it’s possible that Reid still has a promising career ahead of her — not very long ago, the actress announced that she was working on several films and TV projects that could bring her back to the world of big cinema.

Carmen Electra

In the early 2000s, Carmen Electra could be seen on the covers of many men’s magazines and in advertising campaigns for various brands. She got quite a lot of screen time as she has taken part in more than 30 films. Today, the actress appears in TV series and shows from time to time and is engaged in charity work, helping children affected by violence, brain tumor survivors, and people with debilitating conditions.

Mischa Barton

Mischa Barton began her career as a child in the theater scene in New York. Real success came to the actress at the age of 17 when she was invited to take on the role of one of the main characters in the teen TV series, The O.C. After that, she took part in several comedies, and toward the end of the decade, Barton switched to working on independent films, where she mainly appeared in horror and drama flicks. Today, she can be seen on various TV series.

Denise Richards

The acting career of Denise Richards started back in the 1990s. In 1997, she played in the science fiction film Starship Troopers, and 2 years later — in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. In the early 2000s, the actress worked a lot in television, participated in numerous advertising campaigns, and various publishers included her on their lists of most attractive women.

In 2011, Richards published a memoir that became a national bestseller. Now, the actress acts in TV series and movies, and takes part in a reality show.

Elisha Cuthbert

The path to the film industry began with small roles for Elisha Cuthbert. For example, she starred in the hit film Love Actually. But popularity didn’t come her way until The Girl Next Door, which was released in 2004. A year later, the teen horror flick, House of Wax, was released and while it was widely criticized, Cuthbert’s acting skills were hard not to ignore.

In 2013, an American edition of Maxim magazine named Elisha Cuthbert “The Most Beautiful Woman on Television.” Currently, the actress works primarily on TV shows.

Ali Larter

The popularity of model and actress, Ali Larter, brought her a role in one of the most famous horror films of the ’00s, Final Destination. This was followed by a role in the comedy Legally Blonde, which was ambiguously accepted by critics, but gained popularity among viewers. And in 2007, the actress played a part in Resident Evil.

In 2010, Larter took a break from acting to focus on her family. After returning, she starred in several independent films and now, she is working on various TV projects. The actress is also interested in cooking and in 2013, she released a cookbook.

Shannon Elizabeth

Shannon Elizabeth was remembered by audiences thanks to her role as Nadia, the girl from Eastern Europe, in the legendary teen comedy American Pie and its sequels. However, this role played a cruel joke on the actress — she got stuck in the same line of roles, which never managed to bring her the same success.

Since 2006, Elizabeth has been playing poker professionally, and she participates in international tournaments. Shannon is a vegan, and she is actively involved in charity work and helping animals in different parts of the world.

Leelee Sobieski

The TV mini-series, Joan of Arc, which was released in 1999 starring Leelee Sobieski, made the actress a star. In the early 2000s, Sobieski starred mainly in horror films, like Joy Ride and The Glass House, as well as in other films created by independent filmmakers.

In 2012, the actress finished her acting career and decided to focus on her family and art. She creates paintings, including digital ones, and is also exploring sculpting. In 2018, Sobieski held her own personal exhibition of her artwork.

Do you have a favorite actress from the 2000s who we forgot to mention?