Winona Ryder
Of all the comebacks on this list, Winona Ryder’s might be the most dramatic. In the ’90s, she was indie royalty—Reality Bites, Heathers, Edward Scissorhands. Then came the infamous 2001 shoplifting arrest, a string of forgettable roles, and a media takedown that felt wildly disproportionate.
For nearly a decade, Winona flitted in and out of supporting parts, mostly avoiding the spotlight. But then Stranger Things happened, and honestly the rest is history.
As Joyce Byers, Winona reminded the world why she’s a star. She brought gravity, warmth, and that inimitable Ryder intensity to a role that could’ve been flat. The show catapulted her back into the pop culture conversation, and now she’s part of one of Netflix’s most successful franchises. We like to call it justice.
Cameron Diaz
In the early 2000s, Cameron Diaz was everywhere. From There’s Something About Mary to Charlie’s Angels, she ruled the box office. But by 2014, she had quietly stepped away. Her last film was Annie, and then… nothing.
She later explained her decision to retire was about reclaiming her time, her health, and her identity. “I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life,” she told Gwyneth Paltrow in a now-viral interview. She focused on wellness, motherhood, and launching an organic wine brand, Avaline.
Then, in 2022, she announced her return to acting in a Netflix action-comedy with Jamie Foxx in a movie fittingly called Back to Action.
Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger has had a complicated relationship with fame. After dominating the early 2000s (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago, Cold Mountain), she retreated from the spotlight in 2010.
Part of it was burnout. Part of it was personal—she wanted to live a quieter life, away from the scrutiny of red carpets and tabloids. When she returned in 2016 with Bridget Jones’s Baby, it felt tentative. However, in 2019, she fully committed to her role as Judy Garland, delivering a haunting, Oscar-winning performance that left every critic speechless.
Since then, she’s taken another untraditional route—starring in the limited series The Thing About Pam (2022), which saw her in heavy prosthetics and a wildly unglamorous role. It was definitely unusual, brave, and totally Renée.
Meg Ryan
Ah, Meg, the queen of the rom-com. For a while, it felt like there was no one more beloved — When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail. But the mid-2000s weren’t kind.
A very public divorce, relentless media attention, and the rom-com genre going out of fashion meant Meg slowly receded from view. For over a decade, she largely stayed out of the public eye, directing a small indie in 2015 and then going quiet. But in 2023, she returned with What Happens Later, a romantic dramedy she wrote, directed, and starred in, opposite David Duchovny. It’s a mature, reflective take on love, timing, and missed chances—basically everything that made us love her in the first place, but with a little more gravity. Her return wasn’t flashy. The return was thoughtful, a little meta, and deeply reflective of Meg’s style.
Whether they vanished for a few years or over a decade, each of these women has proven that a Hollywood hiatus doesn’t mean a career is over. Sometimes, it just means the best act is still ahead.
