Top 10 2000s Stars Who Fell Off the Map

90s kids might know Erik von Detten’s voice better than his face given that he was the voice of Sid Phillips - the evil kid next door in “Toy Story.” He also starred in one of the most beloved Disney Channel Original Movie, 1998’s “Brink!” 2000 kids will also remember him as Mia’s original crush, Josh Bryant, in “The Princess Diaries.” But speaking of “Toy Story,” while von Detten saw success in the aughts, his cameo as Sid (now a garbage man) in 2010s “Toy Story 3” was his last role prior to his retirement from acting. He now works at a commodities firm as a sales manager.

As the daughter of the lead singer of a very popular rock band, Liv Tyler was on the star map pretty early in life. Her film career got going in the 90s, with films like “Empire Records” and “Armageddon.” Tyler took her star status to the next level in the 2000s playing Arwen Undómiel in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Betty Ross in 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk”. Tyler kept busy acting throughout the 2010s and in 2020 appeared in the first season of “9-1-1: Lone Star.” For those who still feel like they haven’t seen her in awhile, she just reprised her role as Betty Ross in the MCU movie “Captain America: Brave New World” set for release in 2024.

Taylor Lautner had a pretty great 4 year run from about 2008 through 2012. It was during that time that he became a movie star and a bonafide heartthrob with his role as Jacob in the “Twilight” movies, which showcased his amazing physique. He also got rich and in 2010 he was the highest paid teen actor in Hollywood. But after this string of high-profile roles and opportunities, his star turned downward from 2012 on. In fact, the biggest thing he’s done recently is probably appearing in a 2023 music video for Taylor Swift’s “I Can See You.”

After starring in a couple “American Pie” movies, Tara Reid began showing up as the hot blonde in a number of 2000s comedies from “Van Wilder” to “My Boss's Daughter.” Unfortunately for Reid those films didn’t find the same success as did the “American Pie” films, and it would appear that the higher-profile offers stopped coming. Reid has worked a lot in the last decade and a half, but mostly in lower budget productions and made-for-tv movies. Although, fans of the “Sharknado” series might argue with our claims of her fall, as Reid did have a main role in all six of those films.

Although it only lasted 2 seasons, Jessica Alba’s profile rose significantly with her portrayal of Max Guevara in “Dark Angel” from 2000 to 2002. The rest of the decade saw her become an even bigger star with roles in a number of box office hits, including “Sin City” and “Fantastic Four.” Alba hasn’t seen the same kind of box office success in the last decade or so. And while she might appear to have fallen off the star map, she’s been standing big and tall on the business map as the co-founder of The Honest Company. The company, founded in 2011, IPO’d in 2021 and, as of February of 2022 was valued at around $550 million.

Jesse McCartney has done some acting, but is best known for his voice. And not just because he was the voice of Theodore in the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movies. No, McCartney’s voice was responsible for his pop star status in the 2000s. He released three albums between 2004 and 2008, with each one charting in the top 15 in the United States. His biggest song, “Leavin’,” released in 2008, rose up to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. McCartney released his 6th studio album “New Stage” in 2021, but it didn’t make much of an impact. In fact, the biggest impact he’s made in the last few years is probably coming in second on “The Masked Singer” in 2020.

From slasher movies to teen rom-coms to “Scooby-Doo,” Freddie Prinze Jr. was all over our movie screens in the late 90s and 2000s. Since the end of the aughts Prinze has shown up on both the big and small screen but is not in the star spotlight like he once was. Still, he has been a presence in the lives of wrestling fans, having worked for the WWE behind - and in front of the scenes from 2008 to 2012. He also has his “Wrestling With Freddie” podcast which he started in 2021.

From 1999-2006 things were looking good for Jesse Metcalfe. From his role on the NBC soap opera “Passions” to having an affair with Eva Longoria on “Desperate Housewives,” both he and his great abs became quite popular. He rode that popularity to the big screen with the starring role in “John Tucker Must Die,” but after seven years on the map Metcalfe began his fall off it. In 2007 Metcalfe took some time off to go to rehab for alcoholism, but since his return he hasn’t been able to make much of an impact in popular culture. However, fans of the Hallmark Channel will of course tell you that he was the star of “Chesapeake Shores” for five seasons from 2016 to 2021.

If you didn’t know who Sam Worthington was at the beginning of 2009 you sure did by the end of the year. You may not have seen him in “Terminator Salvation” in May, but he was very, very hard to miss when “Avatar” came out that December. As Jake Sully, Worthington had the lead role in what would become the highest-grossing movie of all time. The next year he took the lead in yet another blockbuster, “Clash of the Titans.” Worthington has done good work since then, but nothing that put him front and center in Hollywood… that was until “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022. And with three more sequels planned, he might end up back on the map at some point.

From 2000 to 2006 Frankie Muniz was the star of Fox’s hit show “Malcolm in the Middle” and one of the most popular kid actors in Hollywood. But it wasn’t just the TV series. Once the show made him famous, Muniz jumped to the silver screen with a string of movies during that time as well. From “Big Fat Liar” to “Agent Cody Banks,” Muniz was, as CBS News called him in 2003, “one of Hollywood's most bankable teens” - at least among his core audience A couple years after “Malcolm” ended Muniz took some time off from acting to race open-wheel race cars. He came back to acting in 2010 doing mostly smaller films and TV guest spots.