Celebrities get paid millions of dollars to play make believe for our entertainment. After a while, though, many actors cannot handle the stress of show business and end up leaving Hollywood in search of greener pastures.
Here are 10 actors who left Hollywood for “normal” jobs.
Scarlett Johansson quit acting after filing a lawsuit against Disney claiming a breach of contract. She decided that $20 million was not acceptable compensation for her starring role in Black Widow and reportedly stormed off the set in a huff. Since then, Johansson has served as General Manager at Applebee's in Montebello, where she gets degraded over quesadilla burgers and beef nachos for $75,000/year.
Ben Affleck left acting after not being given enough opportunities to use a Boston accent in Justice League. Affleck was repeatedly reminded that Batman is from Gotham and therefore would not have a Boston accent, but Affleck was relentless. In a fit of unwarranted rage, Affleck enlisted in the US Marine Corps and now serves his country as Chief Toilet Cleaner. Affleck admits that the job is shitty, but is happy that he can wear his Batman costume and speak in a Boston accent while performing his duties.
Halle Berry left acting after she was abducted by a group of schizophrenic fans and forced to perform Catwoman in a Chicago basement. I guess you could say she never left acting, not really.
Justin Timberlake left acting after looking in the mirror one day and realizing his true calling: camel racing. Timberlake's fascination with camels began as a child during a family trip to Saudi Arabia, where he saw several men racing camels across the sandy desert. With the success of NSYNC and a solo career tucked neatly under his belt, Timberlake is siezing the opportunity to relocate to the Middle East and purchase a prize-winning camel of his own. If this doesn't work out, Timberlake said he has a fallback option that involves dynamite and is illegal in 28 countries.
Natalie Portman ended her acting career after 27 wild years in the entertainment business. Now, Portman is spearheading a vegan activist committee and traveling the globe in a hail mary attempt to convert every person in the world to veganism. To date, Portman has visited over 100,000 homes by foot and successfully convinced three people to abstain from the use of animal products. Portman's passion for veganism takes her to extreme lengths, including poisoning the meat in grocery stores and dropping animal corpses into the streets from a private jet. As a last resort, Portman uses manipulation techniques to scare people away from animal products by insisting that eating meat and cheese will give you AIDS and turn you into a paraplegic.
Matt Damon never left acting but should.
Ryan Reynolds left acting after receiving a prestigious invitation from God to take over as ruler of the universe. Now that Reynolds is all-knowing and all-powerful, he vows to use his authority for the good of mankind, beginning with the complete destruction of Hugh Jackman.
Will Smith ended his acting career after constant abuse from notorious womanizer and sleazebag Martin Lawrence. According to Smith, Lawrence would often arrive on set with a posse of beautiful women who weren't allowed to speak without permission. Smith attempted to free the women but was instead assaulted by Lawrence and left for dead in a Del Taco bathroom.
James Franco left acting in order to dedicate his time to the rescue and rehabilitation of injured birds. He specializes in experimental wing repair and claims to have discovered a way to give humans the gift of flight. Franco now lives atop an old oak tree in a nest he constructed out of twigs and chewing gum.
Tom Hanks ended his acting career in order to save humanity because he was sick and tired of innocent people dying. Hanks’ acting skills are so good that many people cannot handle it and subsequently lose their mind, resulting in spontaneous head explosions. By quitting acting, Hanks has become a national hero and hopes that his retirement will stop additional heads from blowing up.