Actors Who Are Making A Big Comeback In 2022

"Whatever happened to that actor?" This familiar question is often heard as actors step away from Hollywood, and sadly, many stars have retired over the past few years, leaving fans desperate for their comeback. Unfortunately, Bruce Willis, one of the world's most popular action stars has announced his retirement from acting this year due to his diagnosis of aphasia. Similarly, Jim Carrey and Brad Pitt have also hinted that they might be retiring from the silver screen.

However, there's some good news, too! 2022 promises to be a year of movie magic, as some actors we haven't seen in a while recently decided that retirement doesn't quite suit them. We're not sure whether it's just the old adage, "There's no business like show business," holding true, but it seems that it's tough to stay away from the glamour of Hollywood. Audiences are in for an exciting year, with several big-name actors poised to make a comeback in 2022.

Back in 2018, Cameron Diaz announced that she would be retiring from acting. Since her retirement, Diaz has been open about the clarity she has gained since leaving Hollywood. In a 2020 interview with Gwyneth Paltrow on "In Goop Health," Diaz stated that she "felt a lot of peace in my soul, that I was finally taking care of myself."

Fans were obviously disappointed to hear that the "Charlie's Angels" star would be leaving the big screen, but Diaz's retirement wasn't completely unexpected, since her last Hollywood film was the 2014 remake of "Annie."

Jamie Foxx (one of her "Annie" co-stars, who also worked with her in 1999 on "Any Given Sunday") announced that Diaz would be returning to star in "Back in Action" via a recorded phone call he shared on Twitter. Naturally, Foxx invited Tom Brady into the call to give Diaz a few tips on "unretiring."

So far, not a lot is known about the film that's lured Diaz back into acting, but it's been confirmed that Jamie Foxx will be her co-star, and Seth Gordon will direct. Considering the team, we suspect "Back in Action" will probably be a comedy.

One of the most famous child actors ever, Macaulay Culkin starred in "Home Alone," "My Girl," and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." "Home Alone" was the top-grossing film of 1990 and, for a long time, was the highest-grossing live-action comedy of all time ("The Hangover Part II" now holds that title).

After the global success of "Home Alone" and his atmospheric rise to fame, Culkin stepped back from acting in 1994, a move that also aligned with his parents' separation, the abuse allegations Culkin made against his father, and the removal of his parents from his trust fund, all topics he discussed in a recent interview with Esquire.

He's had a few roles since then, including the satirical "Saved!" and a role in 2019's "Changeland," Seth Green's directorial debut, in which Culkin acted as a favor to his long-time friend. Yet 2021 saw Culkin edging back into the big time with guest roles on "American Horror Story," and "The Righteous Gemstones," leading him towards his first major movie role in almost 20 years with "Rich Flu." Not much is known about "Rich Flu," but we do know it's a thriller about a pandemic, with Rosamund Pike and Daniel Bruhl co-starring.

In 2002, Hayden Christensen got his "big break" as he was cast in the role of Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones." Sadly, both "Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" were panned by critics.

Hayden Christensen was in for a particularly bad time after the release of the films, despite being heralded as a talented young actor prior to making "Star Wars." In a 2015 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Christensen spoke about the rush of fame he experienced and his decision to purchase a farm near Ontario and take a step back from Hollywood. While viewers may have seen the actor in smaller films over the past decade, 2017's "First Kill" with Bruce Willis and 2018's "Little Italy" with Emma Roberts, leading roles were few and far between.

Fast forward to 2022. "Star Wars" is everywhere, from "The Mandalorian" to the new "Obi-Wan Kenobi," where Christensen staged his own Hollywood comeback. So far, reviews have been mostly positive about Christensen's performance, and it looks like this won't be his last "Star Wars" project — he's also slated to appear in "Ahsoka" next year.

Josh Hartnett went from being a young, relatively unknown actor to a Hollywood A-lister in the space of just a few short years. After appearing in "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" with Jamie Lee Curtis in 1998, and "The Virgin Suicides" in 1999, he was cast alongside Ben Affleck in Michael Bay's World War II blockbuster "Pearl Harbor" in 2001.

With his leading man looks, he was considered to be the next Leonardo DiCaprio, and was sought after by directors for big-budget films; he was even approached to play Superman, but Hartnett turned it down and the role went to Brandon Routh. His slow removal from the Hollywood machine, the tabloids, and the overwhelming fame, was a deliberate move from the actor. Since then, Hartnett's been candid about his desire to choose projects he's passionate about, and to lead a quieter life outside of the limelight, according to an interview he gave with Variety in 2020.

Recently though, fans might have noticed Harnett's name on some bigger film projects, namely Guy Ritchie's action flick, "Wrath of Man," in 2021, and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," where he'll be acting alongside an ensemble cast of Hollywood greats: Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Gary Oldman, Robert Downey, Jr., and Kenneth Branagh, just to name a few.

Lindsay Lohan isn't the only one seeing a buzzy return to the screen this year: Chord Overstreet is co-starring with Lohan in "Falling for Christmas."

The talented performer got his big break as Sam Evans on "Glee," entering the show as a recurring guest star. Originally, Chord Overstreet wasn't sure he wanted to return to the series after Season 3, stating that he'd wanted to focus on other opportunities, but he ultimately returned as a series regular in Season 4, staying with the show through its final season.

Since the final season of "Glee," Overstreet has been more focused on his musical career with his band, OVERSTREET, and releasing an EP in 2019, "Man on the Moon." However, in a 2021 interview with Forbes, Overstreet explained that whenever he'd focus on one aspect of his career, acting or making music, he'd end up missing the other. Sounds like he's missed his time in front of the cameras. Not only is he starring in "Falling for Christmas," but fans can also see him in the 2021 film, "The Swing of Things" with Luke Wilson and Olivia Culpo, and in the Apple TV series, "Acapulco."

Considering the vocal talents of its two leads, perhaps "Falling for Christmas" should be a musical?

Sam Worthington's big break, "Avatar," is still the highest-grossing film of all time. The James Cameron sci-fi action film was visually stunning, and even Roger Ebert said that the film was "sensational entertainment," and really, who could disagree with that?

Before he was cast in the global sensation, Worthington was a rising indie-film star in Australia, winning an AACTA award for his part in 2004's "Somersault," Australia's highest recognition. Worthington moved to Los Angeles and was cast in "Avatar," which led to his role in "Terminator Salvation," due to Cameron's friendship with the director, McG.

The whole world has been eagerly awaiting the return of "Avatar" and its proposed sequels (production was famously announced and then delayed multiple times) for over 12 years. During that time, Sam Worthington continued to act in a few film roles, such as 2010's "Clash of the Titan," which, while a financial success, was panned by critics and audiences. He recently starred in "Under the Banner of Heaven" alongside Andrew Garfield, playing a radicalized fundamentalist Mormon.

And now, over a decade later, "Avatar: The Way of Water," is finally happening, giving Worthington the opportunity to make a splash again on the big screen.