Deciding to step out of their comfort zone and do something unexpected, these 5 stars have commented on taking risks with their careers. Some stepped away from the spotlight despite fearing they wouldn’t have a career to return to afterwards, while others just decided to take on an unusual part or mix things up by giving something entirely new a go.
Ben Affleck
Ben has said that he’s enjoyed risking everything and trying new things: ”When I see that when I look at this sort of back and forth of a career I take some satisfaction knowing OK, I’m probably doing something right because I’m taking risks and I’m trying different things and I’m not failing by virtue of just being boring when I fail. I’m failing because I’m trying something different. So risk is inherently valuable. Courage, the desire to take risk is really necessary.”
Cate Blanchett
Cate risked her career by running a theater company: “I am not perfect. The wheels are constantly falling off… When Andrew and I decided to run the theater company, in 2008, I didn’t think I’d have a movie career to go back to. But that was okay: When I consider the characters I might play, I find turning points to be very interesting. There’s a line from the novelist Jeanette Winterson: ‘What you risk reveals what you value’—and that’s always stuck with me.”
Emma Stone
Emma has been given the chance to try out new kinds of roles and has loved taking risks: “It’s been wonderful but it’s also challenging and I’m going into places that I’ve never really allowed myself to go before with ‘Birdman’ and ‘Cabaret’. I feel very lucky that I’m getting the opportunity to do it and I don’t know how long that opportunity will last – I’m trying to learn as much as I possibly can in this time. It’s been incredible but also slightly overwhelming at times just because it’s so different to anything I’ve done before.”
Jessica Alba
Jessica believes taking time off to become a mother was a big risk for her: “Even becoming a mother was risky. It meant cooling off from this business, which was all I had known my entire life. I had to peace-out at 28, completely shift my priorities, and not be apologetic and not care about the consequences.”
Kate Winslet
Kate is excited to challenge herself with new career risks: ”It’s time to get back. Back to the ‘I don’t f**k around,’ back to the basics of take some serious risks, put yourself out there. And just really push it.”
