Kelly McGillis became a major star after appearing in the Oscar-winning Top Gun alongside big names like Tom Cruise and Meg Ryan. However, her negative experience in the 1989 “Cat Chaser” discouraged her from wanting to pursue her acting career any further.
She continued to star in some films and TV shows here and there until she settled on being a theatrical actor and character TV actress. For that, we see no issues if she prefers to keep a distance from the mainstream media, and what better to do that than to transition to mostly theatrical roles? She has since come out as a lesbian in 2009.
Where's Prince Charming?
Freddie Prince Junior was the teen heartthrob of the 90s after starring in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series. Since his guest role on 24, the actor has been doing voice acting for animated shows and video games. The star also made a slight comeback around 2022 in “Clerks III” and “Christmas with You,” but these movies don’t come close to the movies he featured in in the 90s.
According to Prinze, his experiences with Kiefer Sutherland on the set of 24 caused him to want to quit acting because they were so negative. While Freddie is not acting so much these days, he is getting to enjoy more quality time with wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and their two children.
He Wasn't All That
Kel Mitchell had a lot of fans back when he starred as a regular on Nickelodeon's "All That" and "Kenan and Kel." It seemed like his decline began when he lost out to his former costar Kenan Thompson for a spot on "SNL" in 2003.
Now that Kenan has become the show's longest-standing cast member, the two have virtually stopped speaking, besides an appearance together on "The Tonight Show." That’s kind of sad because the two made such an epic team on their hilarious award-winning show. Nowadays, Mitchell appears in kids' shows and smaller roles, and has unfortunately not had any major roles in recent years.
Early Retirement
Phoebe Cates made jaws drop... for both men and women alike. She starred in 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." She continued to appear in several movies throughout the '80s and early '90s. However, following a time period during which she was completely absorbed in her film career, she disappeared.
It seemed that she retired from her career as an actress in 1994 to focus on her marriage to Kevin Kline and their two children. Since her retirement, she has acted in only one movie, "The Anniversary Party," as a favor to Jennifer Jason Leigh, who was the film's director.
Shallow Impact
It seemed like Sobieski could have had a promising career based on her performance in the blockbuster asteroid drama "Deep Impact" in 1998. The film brought her to the attention of many casting directors. Unfortunately, the movie didn't seem to have a deep impact on her career and the actress pretty much vanished afterward.
In 2012, Sobieski confirmed, "I don't do movie stuff anymore". Commenting on the reasons for her early retirement to Us Weekly, Sobieski said, "I am just focused on my kids. I think that's mainly why I stopped...Also, ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual stuff with other people, and I don't want to do that.