Actor Steve R. McQueen made his first public appearance in seven years at the Forever Mystic Falls Fan Meet in Paris on Oct. 3.
The actor, who played Jeremy Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries, was photographed signing posters and posing for photos while wearing a buzzcut, jeans and a flannel shirt.
McQueen was joined at the convention by former castmates Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham, alongside The Originals actor Riley Voelkel. The main television series was led by Nina Dobrev.
Fans praised his return on social media. One user on X wrote that seeing the actor made them "feel so maternal," adding: "I will punch anyone who says something bad about him." Another added: "I just want to give him a hug and tell him that it's okay."
McQueen, 38, whose grandfather was the actor Steve McQueen, had begun stepping back from acting prior to the 2024 death of his father, Chad McQueen. He left The Vampire Diaries in 2015 and starred in Chicago Fire until 2018. His final role was a 2020 episode of The Warrant.
He told the New York Post in 2005 he had a good relationship with his biological father but viewed him "more like an uncle." He said his stepfather, Luc Robitaille, whom his mother Stacey Toten married in 1992, had "been more like a biological dad in my life."
Other actors who stepped away
Somerhalder also retired from acting after making the 2019 Netflix series V Wars. In a July podcast, Haley on the Go, he said he told his wife, Nikki Reed, he was 40 years old and did not want to spend two years working while "fully unpaid" for a year. He told E! News in November 2023 he had stepped away from acting a little over four years ago to focus on regenerative farming, having launched the 2020 documentary Kiss the Ground and its follow up Common Ground.
Terrence Howard told Extra in 2019 he was quitting acting after a five year run on his series Empire, and repeated the claim to ET in 2022 while promoting The Best Man: The Final Chapters. He has since appeared in projects including Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist and the Netflix film Shirley.
Jack Gleeson, then 21, told EW he was quitting acting after his role as King Joffrey on Game of Thrones ended in 2014. "I've been acting since age 8," he said. "I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to." He returned in 2020 for the BBC series Out of Her Mind, and has since appeared in Rebecca's Boyfriend, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Safe Harbor and The Famous Five.
Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement after the 2017 film Phantom Thread. A representative said he "will no longer be working as an actor." Focus Features announced in October 2024 he will return to star in the 2025 film Anemone, which he wrote with his son Ronan.
Evangeline Lilly announced an indefinite hiatus in June 2024 after 20 years in the industry. The Ant-Man and the Wasp star wrote on Instagram that stepping into her dharma replaced fear with fulfillment.
Jennette McCurdy stopped acting to focus on writing, directing and hosting her podcast Empty Inside. The former iCarly actor, who published the 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, told guest Anna Faris in a February 2021 episode she was ashamed of her past roles, adding she was embarrassed by age 15 while starring on shows between the ages of 13 and 21.
Cameron Diaz took a break after the 2014 film Annie to write her 2013 book The Body Book and 2016's The Longevity Book, and start a family with husband Benji Madden. She had made upwards of 40 movies since her debut in the 1994 film The Mask, saying on set "you're there for 12 hours a day for months on end." After an appeal from actor Jamie Foxx, she agreed to star in the 2025 film Back in Action.
Relocations to Europe
Ellen DeGeneres ended her talk show in 2022 after a 19 season run amid allegations of a toxic work environment. She released a final Netflix standup special, For Your Approval, in September 2024. She and wife Portia de Rossi moved to the Cotswolds in England in November 2024. DeGeneres told Richard Bacon in Cheltenham in July 2025 that they relocated their horses and chickens, and kept sheep for about two weeks.
Eva Longoria has split her time between Mexico and Spain with husband Jose Baston and son Santiago. The Desperate Housewives actor told Marie Claire in November 2024 she left Los Angeles because of changing vibes, homelessness and taxes. She clarified on The View: Behind the Table podcast that same month her move was driven by shooting Land of Women for six months in Catalonia, and Searching for Mexico for four months in Mexico, not Donald Trump's reelection. She has since starred in Only Murders in the Building and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip.
Richard Gere moved to Madrid with his Spanish wife, Alejandra Silva, and their sons Alexander and James. The Chicago actor told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in November 2024 his wife gave him "about seven years" in the United States, and his children would flourish in Spain. He also shares an adult son, Homer, with his ex Carey Lowell.
Christina Milian and her French husband, Matt Pokora, moved to Paris so their children could attend school in France, the singer told The Jennifer Hudson Show in November 2024. She said the couple had been commuting every six months for three or four years. She has sons Isaiah and Kenna with Pokora, and a daughter, Violet, from her marriage to The-Dream.
Lindsay Lohan told Bustle in March 2024 she moved to London and then Dubai to escape the paparazzi, later marrying Bader Shammas in 2022 and having a son, Luai, the following year. The Parent Trap and Mean Girls actor has continued to star in films including Our Little Secret, Irish Wish and Freakier Friday.
Josh Hartnett left Hollywood for the Hampshire countryside in England with his wife Tamsin Egerton and their four children. The Black Mirror and Black Hawk Down actor told People in July 2024 he wanted to be around people doing different things. He has recently taken roles in Verity, Fight or Flight and Trap.
Rosie O'Donnell moved to Ireland with her son Clay in January 2025 due to political developments, saying in a TikTok video she would consider returning "when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights."
Career changes and family focus
Antonio Banderas moved to Malaga, Spain, to focus on theater after a near fatal heart attack in 2019. The Mask of Zorro actor told The Times in March 2026 the event made him realise he was a theater actor.
Elisha Cuthbert took a four year break before starring in Every Year After. The Old School, 24 and Happy Endings actor told Today in June 2026 she left Los Angeles to raise her two children with husband Dion Phaneuf.
Diane Farr, known for Fire Country, Numb3rs and Rescue Me, announced on Instagram in July 2026 she had sold her Los Angeles home of 30 years to start a new chapter away from Hollywood.
Tyra Banks moved to Australia with her son York, whose father is her ex Erik Asla, and boyfriend Louis Belanger-Martin. She told Today with Jenna & Friends in April 2025 she relocated to expand her ice cream company, SMiZE and Dream.
Meghan Markle left Suits to marry Prince Harry, following the path of Grace Kelly. The couple stepped down from their senior royal roles and moved to Montecito, California, signing a production deal with Netflix. She released the 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, the 2025 lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, and the brand As Ever.
Bridgit Mendler took a break in 2018 to study at MIT and Harvard Law School, before becoming CEO of her satellite startup Northwood Space in February 2023.
Eliza Dushku Palandjian became certified in psychedelic assisted therapy. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bring It On actor told Boston Magazine in September 2024 it was her "real calling."
Phoebe Cates stopped acting to raise her children, Owen and Greta, with husband Kevin Kline, whom she married in 1989. She made a cameo in Jennifer Jason Leigh's 2001 film The Anniversary Party, but now runs the New York boutique Blue Tree. Jennifer Aniston later took on Cates's Fast Times at Ridgemont High role in a September 2020 virtual table read. Greta is a singer who uses the stage name Frankie Cosmos.
Rick Moranis stepped away after his wife died of breast cancer in 1991 to raise their children, Rachel and Mitchell. He hasn't had a live action movie role since 1997, passed on a cameo in Paul Feig's 2016 Ghostbusters remake, and was reportedly assaulted in New York in 2020. He is set to return alongside Josh Gad in the Disney reboot Shrunk.
Leelee Sobieski quit acting after marrying Adam Kimmel in 2010 and having children Martin and Louisanna. She told Vogue that 90 percent of acting roles involve "so much sexual stuff," before adding to Us Weekly in 2016 she was focused on her kids.
Jesse Eisenberg lives in Indiana with his wife Anna Strout and son Banner. The A Real Pain actor told CBS News Sunday Morning in February 2025 he prefers to be away from an industry he finds unstable.
Portia de Rossi quit acting after roles in Ally McBeal, Nip/Tuck, Arrested Development and Scandal to start the art company General Public. She told Ellen DeGeneres in 2018 she wanted a new challenge as she approached 45, but returned for five episodes of Arrested Development after creator Mitch Hurwitz wrote her into the script.
