Leelee Sobieski was a '90s teen star who counted the likes of Tom Cruise, Drew Barrymore, and Josh Hartnett as her co-stars.
But while her star power was on the rise with titles such as Eyes Wide Shut, Deep Impact, Never Been Kissed, and The Glass House under her belt, she made the difficult decision to step away from the limelight.
So, what made her quit her budding career in Hollywood, and what has she said about her life then and now? Here is what we know.
© Getty Images
Leelee at the age of 14
Her breakout
Leelee's breakout role was in the 1998 disaster movie Deep Impact, which propelled her to stardom. A year later, at the age of 14, she starred in Stanley Kubrick's controversial film Eyes Wide Shut alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Reflecting on her age at the time, Leelee confessed: “I was fourteen. That’s really young… I didn’t read the script; I wasn’t allowed.”
She thrived in the rom-com Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore, and her performance in the TV movie Joan of Arc earned her a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress at the 1999 Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe nomination in 2000.
© Getty ImagesLeelee in a famous scene from Deep Impact
Early retirement
Rather than leaning into her popularity, Leelee gradually began scaling back her work, choosing to take on guest spots and smaller TV parts instead.
"I don't do movie stuff anymore," she told Us Weekly in 2016. "I am totally an outsider. Just a mom and an outsider."
Her final role was in The Last Film Festival in 2016, appearing alongside Dennis Hopper.
© Getty ImagesLeelee in Never Been Kissed
Brought to tears
Leelee took on several risky roles throughout her career, including the thriller The Glass House and the indie flick Lying, but ultimately, she grew to dislike the inner workings of the entertainment industry.
She later explained to Another Magazine: "It's kind of a gross industry. In acting, you’re selling your appearance so much."
The former star particularly disliked romantic scenes, adding: "I would cry every time I had to kiss somebody; I couldn’t stomach it. I would think, 'I like this person, so I don’t think they should pay me to kiss them,' or 'I don’t like this person, so I don't want to kiss them.' Why is my kiss for sale? It made me feel really cheap."
© Getty ImagesLeelee with Drew Barrymore, David Arquette and Marley Shelton
Double standards
Leelee insisted that being so young made for a very confusing professional environment. "It might have been acting, but it was real for me as it was my first or third kiss, so it was confusing," she explained.
"I don’t know why it’s legal for a child to act unless they can sell oranges or whatever legally, too. It’s a crazy double standard, and that’s super weird for me."
Leelee is a mom to two children
Motherhood
Leelee eventually turned her focus to being a hands-on mother. She has two children with her husband, fashion designer Adam Kimmel: daughter Louisanna Ray, born in 2009, and son Martin, born in 2014.
She says she doesn't regret her acting years but is happy with the choice she made for the sake of her family. "I don’t want my children to look at Netflix and see me on screen in the arms of someone who’s not their dad," she said.
Leelee with some of her artwork
New career, new name
She has since changed her name and now goes by Leelee Kimmel, working primarily as a painter. "I always said, ‘I don’t want to act. I paint,’" she told Interview.
Her art has been showcased in numerous galleries across the globe. Today, she and Adam raise their children in New York City.
