11 Actors Who Ditched Famous Roles Right At The Height Of Their Careers

Having an iconic role in the career is a dream for actors. While some marked their career at a young age, others had a breakout role later. No matter when they got their famous roles, they always remember them with the greatest performance.
A good movie creates a special bond between actors and their characters. In the film industry, it’s worth mentioning Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory”, Kelso from “That’s 70’s Show”, or Marissa from “The OC”. Thanks to these roles, actors peaked in their careers, getting more offers for other movies or valuable advertising contracts. Everything seems to be peachy, but some actors decided to leave the show right at the height of their success. No matter what the reason is, audiences express their sincere regret about their decisions. These Actors Who Ditched Famous Roles can be found here.
We’ve gathered some actors who left a show that made them really famous and discovered what happened. Check out these Actors who give up famous roles in this post.  

#1 Charlie Sheen was fired for bad behavior

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Charlie Sheen was un undoubtedly a star in the movie “Two and a Half Men” for 9 seasons, but in 2011, the series was suddenly suspended. The reason is that Charlie Sheen had pretty bad behavior, locking horns with Chuck Lorre, the creator of the show. Eventually, the actor was fired from the movie and his character went to Ashton Kutcher.

#2 Anna Faris gave up a memorable role in her career

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Anna Faris was best known for her role, Anna Faris, a single mother trying to make amends for some of the mistakes of her life, in the series Mom. However, after the seventh season, the actress suddenly decided to get rid of the show without a reason. Until now, we still haven’t figured out what happened there.

#3 Ruth Wilson faced some serious trouble on set

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For her great performance in “The Affair”, Ruth Wilson won a Golden Globe. But at the time, she suddenly left the show without no reason. After a while, she shared that she suffered from a toxic work environment and sometimes she felt unfit for the series’ plot.

#4 Christopher Meloni decided to not renew his contract

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Because the production team and Christopher Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler, couldn’t agree on his contract term, the actor left the show. Writers had a very elegant way of saying goodbye to the character in the story: Elliot Stabler simply retired.

#5 Mischa Barton left the series because she wanted to do different things

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During the movie production, Mischa Barton’s life was difficult as her character in “The OC”. She stated that she wasn’t interested in playing the role so her character was written off after dying in a car accident.

#6 Pamela Anderson preferred motherhood over acting

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In the 1990s, Pamela Anderson was famous for her iconic role as a lifeguard on Baywatch. But, after welcoming her first child, she decided to focus on her family and leave the show for good.

#7 Steve Carell left the show despite being the star of The Office

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Steve Carell had a contract for 7 seasons for the role in “The Office”. After 7 seasons, whether the actor wanted to stay or not, producers showed no interest in keeping him there. So that’s probably the reason why he was not really encouraged to make up his mind to stay.

#8 Kourtney Kardashian had enough of being on a reality show

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Due to the toxic environment for her and her family, Kourtney Kardashian decided to leave the movie “Keeping Up With The Kardashians”. After ditching her character, she built an empire of wellness and beauty products.

#9 Jim Parsons was overwhelmed with life, so he called it quits and stopped playing Sheldon onscreen

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“The Big Bang Theory” is one of the greatest movies of all time. Its success enhances actors’ careers. Fans suffered a huge shock when Jim Parsons who played Sheldon Cooper, left the series. He shared that he needed to try new things after having gone through “an intense summer,” in which he broke his foot and his dog died, all of which happened right before the crew started filming season 12 of the show.

#10 Jennifer Morrison decided to leave at a critical time for the series

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Jennifer Morrison played Snow White’s and Prince Charming’s daughter in “Once Upon a Time” for 7 years. Even though her character was iconic, she moved on to find new opportunities.

#11 Ashton Kutcher left in search of more challenging projects

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Ashton Kutcher starred in 7 seasons of “That ‘70s Show”, which boosted his career. After conquering fame, he wanted to look for more ambitious projects in terms of acting. The actor reappeared as a special guest in the last season and at the end of the series.