Top 10 Actors Who Ditched Hollywood for Indie Roles

#10: Matthew McConaughey

In the 2000s, if you were a casting director for a romantic-comedy, McConaughey was your go-to selection. Yet once 2009’s “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” came out, something clicked in the actor as he’d lost his passion for the genre and the industry. McConaughey took a couple of years away from the business to recalibrate, even as one studio offered him $14.5 million to return to rom-coms, he stayed firm. Instead, he reinvented his career in the indie scene with more dramatic roles, such as 2011’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “2012’s “Magic Mike.” However, it was 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club” that sealed McConaughey’s new path as the film earned him his first Oscar for Best Actor.

#9: Richard Gere

Once one of Hollywood’s most reliable leading men, Gere appeared in many classic films since beginning his cinematic career in 1975. After all, he had 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” 1990’s “Pretty Woman,” and 2002’s “Chicago” under his belt. However, it wasn’t long after the latter film that Gere stepped away from Hollywood. According to some reports, his criticism of China over their occupation of Tibet led to studios being sceptical in casting him. Yet according to the actor, he was fed up with all the attention of being famous. So, Gere lent his skills and name to several indie productions, such as 2012’s “Arbitrage” and 2017’s “Three Christs,” earning him praise for it being some of his best acting work.

#8: Robert Pattinson

Usually, actors from franchise films don’t speak ill of the project publicly. But for Pattinson, it was a different story. In fact, it’s likely no actor hated being in a franchise as much as he did. After making his name in the “Twilight” franchise, and once it concluded with 2012’s “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” Pattinson dived headfirst into independent productions, testing himself as a performer. Pattinson wanted to move away from mainstream movies. He’s even spoken about his belief that working in indies is less of a gamble for an actor’s career than a Hollywood blockbuster. After critical success in 2014’s “The Rover,” the Brit boosted his reputation further with 2019’s “The Lighthouse,” with occasional returns to Hollywood sprinkled in.

#7: Elijah Wood

After being in one of the greatest film franchises of all time, you don’t get much better than your next job being one of the most celebrated indie flicks ever. Yet that’s what happened when Wood went from “The Lord of the Rings” to 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” With Wood focusing on the quality of a script rather than the cash of big productions, he continued his independent streak with 2005’s “Green Street” and hasn’t looked back since. His passion for the industry led to him supporting Scottish independence in 2014, before he realized he was asked about the country's possible departure from Great Britain, not its indie market.

#6: Peter Fonda

Fun fact: the iconic 1969 film, “Easy Rider,” filled with several stars, such as Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, and Fonda himself, has the feel of a big-budget production, but was actually an indie. Fonda got his acting start in Hollywood. After all, he was from an acting dynasty with his father, Henry, and sister, Jane, being big names of their own. But he never fit in with that lifestyle and soon began drifting towards counterculture. Yet what really turned Fonda away from Hollywood was starring and directing in 1971’s “The Hired Hand.” The experience with big studios made him move towards independent productions, something which he spent the majority of his career exploring before passing away in 2019.

#5: Kristen Stewart

Another actor to find their name reach the A-List after appearing in the “Twilight” saga, Stewart continued on big-budget productions, such as with 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman.” However, when the film negatively impacted her professional and personal life after an affair with the director, she began exploring independent work enthusiastically. Stewart also spoke publicly of her dislike of Hollywood not giving women directors enough of a chance. Stewart’s indie reign took off with films such as 2014's “Camp X-Ray” and 2015’s “Anesthesia.” Yet her biggest success came with the 2021 Prince Diana biopic, “Spencer,” receiving Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her performance. This outstanding transition to indie films gave Stewart the moniker of being one of the faces of the entire industry.

#4: Nicolas Cage

From the mid-2000s into the early 2010s, Cage seemed to be the most in-demand performer in Hollywood as he appeared in one big production after another. However, the actor later stated he did this due to financial problems. Once that was sorted, he could get into his love of creative indie work. Spurred on by a drive of creative freedom, Cage has received rave reviews for his work in 2021’s “Pig” and 2024’s “Longlegs.” However, while not every independent project has been a hit for him, he seems to thrive in that realm. Cage’s success in the indie market has also helped him in the mainstream industry, as his work has allowed him to command millions for even supporting roles, such as with 2023’s “Renfield.”

#3: Brendan Fraser

With appearances in “The Mummy” and its sequels, 1997’s “George of the Jungle,” and 2000’s “Bedazzled,” Fraser was one of Hollywood’s rising leading men. It was expected he’d be in big-budget productions for a while. But then, he vanished from mainstream productions. Instead, Fraser went to the indies, such as 2006’s “Journey to the End of the Night” and 2013’s “Gimme Shelter,” before moving into TV work. In 2018, we discovered why, as Fraser publicly stated that he was blacklisted from Hollywood after accusing industry executive Philip Berk of assault in 2003. While big productions started to come calling again following that revelation, Fraser stuck with indie work, earning himself a deserved Oscar for Best Actor in 2022’s “The Whale.”

#2: Emma Watson

Not many performers make their cinematic debut as one of the main characters in a generation-defining film franchise, but Watson isn’t like typical performers. After debuting in 2001’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,” when she put Hermione Granger to bed in 2011 she wanted to test her theatrical muscles on the indie scene. Firstly, with 2011’s “My Week with Marilyn,” Watson then appeared in 2013’s “The Bling Ring. She balanced this with occasional appearances in big-budget films, such as 2017’s "Beauty and the Beast.” However, after another Hollywood film, this time in 2019’s “Little Women,” Watson took a complete hiatus from the acting business, stating that she was unhappy with a lack of control over projects and being “caged.”

#1: Daniel Radcliffe

Even when he was leading the “Harry Potter” franchise for 10 years, the signs were there that Radcliffe was eager to test the acting waters. After all, he drew a lot of media attention for appearing nude in the stage play “Equus” in the late 2000s. Yet once Potter was done in 2011, as well as enjoying further stage roles, Radcliffe carved out a reputation for taking unusual, indie roles. For example, 2013’s “Horns” and 2016’s “Swiss Army Man.” This passion for favoring indies over paychecks led Radcliffe to also be considered one of the faces of the small-budget industry. The actor has spoken about taking these unusual roles, saying that after making his cash in Potter, he finds these roles “incredibly liberating.”

What other actor left mainstream filmmaking behind to develop a solid indie career? Let us know below!