Rom-Com Star Elisha Cuthbert Reveals Truth Behind Hollywood Hiatus Ahead of Acting Comeback
Elisha Cuthbert has opened up about taking a break from Hollywood, explaining why she chose to put her career on hold.
June 18 2026, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Elisha Cuthbert has opened up about her Hollywood hiatus as she prepares to make her showbiz comeback.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the actress, 43, is starring in Prime Video series Every Year After, a coming-of-age drama, which is her first major role in four years.
'I Didn't Want To Be On Set'
Cuthbert wanted to put her kids first, instead of her career.
Now, she has revealed why she decided to take a break from the industry.
Mother-of-two Cuthbert said: "I realized I worked all four years through our first child.
"And it was hard to separate that mom from the working person I was.
"So, when we had our second (kid), I just felt like I didn't want to waste any second of it, and I didn't want to be on set."
The Old School actress shares her two children with retired NHL player Dion Phaneuf.
'I Didn't Feel Sexy At All'
The actress doesn't know how she ranked so high in 'sexiest women' lists.
Appearing on Today, she explained why it's a decision she does not regret.
She said: "I just felt like I needed to be at home with the kids, and I enjoyed every minute.
"They're in school now full time. I feel like I have the space and the energy and the heart to kind of leave them and do it."
After breaking out on 24 and becoming a pop-culture sensation in The Girl Next Door, Cuthbert found herself on countless "most beautiful" and "sexiest women" lists.
To the public, she was the quintessential bombshell. The reality, she says, felt very different.
The star told Yahoo: "What some people think of me is just so the opposite.
"I was so nervous, so shy, and didn't feel sexy at all for so long. It's interesting how that one project can make people think that's who you are."
'Pressured' To Take Part In Racy Shoots
The 'Old School' star doesn't look back fondly at her time as a pin-up.
In 2022, the actress admitted she felt "pressured" to pose for sexy shoots in men's magazines early in her career.
Speaking on the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson podcast at the time, she said she felt she had "no option" but to model in racy spreads to promote her movies.
Cuthbert added that she's unsure about how the images, which are still available online, will affect her children.
"I mean, Halle Berry was doing it, for God's sake… Jennifer Aniston was doing it. We were probably too young to be subjected to that, and feeling pressured to do that," she reflected.
"This is what I have to explain to my kids. This weird, bizarre outfit and hair extensions," she said.
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Cuthbert does admit, however, she 'didn't look bad' in her early 20s.
"I was in my early 20s. I didn't look bad, but did I look (like) that? I don't even know if the fantasy's real."
Cuthbert says she's less concerned with the expectations that once came with being one of Hollywood's most recognizable young stars and more focused on the life she's built away from the spotlight.
"Everything in life is sort of settling in in my 40s," she says. "I'm just feeling probably the most confident I have in a long time, even though I'm older."
