“The Girl Next Door” star Elisha Cuthbert has revealed why she decided to walk away from Hollywood at the height of her fame, pausing her successful acting career to devote herself to spending time at home with her children.
Cuthbert, 43, who is from Canada, recently returned to the spotlight with a starring role in the Prime Video series “Every Year After,” which premiered on June 10 and marked the actress’ first major project since 2022.
Now, the actress, who shares two children with her husband, former NHL star Dion Phaneuf, has opened up about what led to her hiatus from her on-screen career. During an appearance on the “Today” show, Cuthbert revealed that while expecting her second baby, she realized it was time to shift her priorities.
“I realized I worked all four years through our first child, and it was really hard,” Cuthbert told hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones.
“So, when we had our second, I just felt like I didn’t want to waste any second of it, and I didn’t want to be on set. I just felt like I needed to be at home with the kids, and I enjoyed every minute.”
However, now with both of her children—daughter Zaphire, born in 2017, and son Fable, born in 2022— getting older, the actress said she felt like the time was right for her to return to the set.
“They’re in school now full time,” she said. “I feel like I have the space and the energy and the heart to kind of leave them and do it.”
“Every Year After” is Cuthbert’s first significant acting role in years. Her last major project was in 2022, in which she starred as Andrea in Allan Ungar’s crime film “Bandit.”
In her role as Sue in “Every Year After,” Cuthbert plays the mother of Charlie, played by Michael Bradway, and Sam, played by Matt Cornett, who falls in love with Percy, played by Sadie Soverall.
The romance series is based on Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel “Every Summer After.”
Cuthbert confessed that she was unaware of Fortune’s books before taking up the role, but has since become an enthusiast of Fortune’s works.
“It’s crazy because I hadn’t read any of Carley’s books, and then I got on the show,” Cuthbert said. “Obviously had the script, but I wanted to read the novel. And then I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m a superfan now.’”
Cuthbert further exposed her love for Fortune’s works by sharing that she’s read all of her books and recommends them to others.
“The Ranch” star also revealed that she’s grateful that Soverall, 24, won’t have to experience the same stress from fame that she endured at the height of her career in the 2000s.
“It was a lot of pressure,” she said. “Sadie Soverall, it’s nice that she’s in a time now where she doesn’t have to worry about those things. It’s very different.”
The Canadian actress got her start as a child model before making her acting debut in 1996, at age 13, as an extra on the horror series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” She became a regular on the show in 1999.
Cuthbert’s first feature film role came in 1997, in which she played Sarah in the Canadian family drama “Dancing on the Moon.”
She co-hosted a youth educational show, “Popular Mechanics for Kids,” with Jay Baruchel from 1997 to 2000, before taking on her first major breakout role as Kim Bauer on the hit Fox thriller series “24” in 2001.
She went on to star in the 2003 comedy “Old School” and 2005 horror “House of Wax,” with her last major role ending in 2020, as Abby Phillips-Bennett on the Netflix sitcom “The Ranch.”
Cuthbert took on only a few other minor roles following the show’s conclusion before stepping away from the spotlight.
During her time away from acting, the on-screen star also toyed with changing another significant aspect of her life—listing her longtime home base in Los Angeles for $3.13 million in July 2025, while simultaneously offering the dwelling as a $12,650-a-month rental.
The actress purchased the three-bedroom, two-bathroom dwelling in 2005 for almost $1.65 million, months after she appeared in the cult 2004 movie “The Girl Next Door,” which turned her into a veritable Hollywood pinup for the modern era.
Located just above the Sunset Strip and behind the Chateau Marmont hotel, the elegant abode sits above a street-level two-car garage.
The residence features a recessed entryway that opens to a center-hall foyer, which leads to a shared living and dining room with a walk-in wet bar. Additionally, the home has a den that opens to an all-white kitchen with marble countertops, an apron-front sink, a professional-grade range, and a breakfast nook.
Upstairs, the primary suite contains a luxe bath and Juliet balconies. The home has hardwood floors, hand-hewn beam ceilings, and accordion-fold glass doors, which open to a courtyard patio with a fireplace. The backyard even includes a turf-clad plateau with gorgeous city views.
However, property records indicate that Cuthbert and her spouse never actually secured a buyer for the residence, which was taken off the market in May of this year. It’s also unclear whether they managed to find a tenant for their home.
While the actress never revealed what prompted her to put the home on the market, she is known to spend much of her free time at her residence in Canada: a stunning waterfront estate on Prince Edward Island, which she and her husband have owned for years.
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