Alicia Silverstone was the it girl of the '90s after starring in the cult classic 1995 film Clueless, as well as projects like Batman & Robin and Excess Baggage.
Despite her incredible fame, the blonde beauty quickly began to withdraw from the limelight, preferring to take on smaller parts rather than blockbuster films.
Stepping away
© GettyAlicia revealed that she had to take a break from Hollywood because it "didn't feel as fun" to work in the industry while dealing with her unmanageable fame.
"I think there was a time where it didn't feel as fun, and then I was so engaged in activism and writing my books, The Kind Diet, The Kind Mama. Then, having a baby and being a present mommy," she told Fox News Digital.
See Alicia's triumphant return in the new series Irish Blood...
The 48-year-old welcomed her son, Bear Blue Jarecki, with her former husband, Christopher Jarecki, in 2011. The couple sadly split in 2018 after 13 years of marriage.
She went on to explain how her love of theater blossomed when she stepped back from the spotlight.
"I've been working all along, but then I at some point realized, 'Wait, I really love acting,' and I was starting to do a lot of theater," Alicia said.
"I'd been doing tons of stuff. Many Broadway shows and many theatre productions, and I think I found my joy in it and thought, 'Let's do this, let's do it.' You can do it all, but you have to do it carefully. It is very difficult."
The price of fame
© Getty ImagesSpeaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Alicia further detailed how the fame that Clueless brought left her struggling to cope.
"It was very complicated and I don't think I knew how to manage it: I didn't have the foundation, the good tools to deal with it," she recalled.
"I wasn't prepared for it in any way, shape, or form. I really had no idea what was happening, and it didn't feel comfortable."
© WireImageThe mother of one added that she "wasn't happy, and what I did was really extract myself a bit from my acting career and went more into my activism".
"I went to Africa to help the elephants, I went to Peru to try to help the rainforest. I found my passion for writing books on healing and health. The Kind Diet books came a bit later, but that was the start of the journey there."
Comeback queen
© Szymon Lazewski/AcornTVAlicia returned to our screens in the new drama Irish Blood, which follows an LA divorce lawyer trying to unravel her family secrets in Ireland.
"I think that it's really a fun mystery, the crime elements are fun, it's a quirky show, and it's an emotionally rich drama," she told Fox News Digital. "I think that audiences will really have a great time with it. Quick storytelling, and it grabs you, and it is fun."
© CBS via Getty ImagesAside from this project, the actress will also appear in Peacock's upcoming Clueless TV series, reprising her role as the kind-hearted and fashionable Cher Horowitz.
Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are set to write the sequel alongside Jordan Weiss. Clueless creator Amy Heckerling will executive produce, as will Alicia.
