Celebrities | Pop Culture | Movies | 00s

She Was Hollywood's "It Girl," So Why Did Shannyn Sossamon Disappear?

Columbia Pictures / Miramax

As we've explained before, some actresses just seem to become mega stars one minute before vanishing from Hollywood without a trace.

It's not a case of their careers fizzling out, so there must be something to explain their disappearing act.

Shannyn Sossamon quickly became one of the biggest names to hit the scene in the early 2000s, but within a few years it seemed like everyone had forgotten her completely.

Columbia Pictures

As the actress reveals, people will often stop her to ask, "You look really familiar. Are you an actor? What you have been in?"

The answers are surprising, and so are Sossamon's reasons for leaving the limelight.

A Rising Star

She was born on October 3, 1978 in Hawaii, but was raised in Reno, Nevada. The day after her high school graduation in 1995, her and two friends moved to L.A. to study dance.

It was then that she changed the spelling of her name from “Shannon” to “Shannyn.” In a 2013 interview she would say “I actually wish I’d changed my whole name. I never felt like a Shannon.  So I added the Y.”

While in L.A. she found work as a model, appearing in commercials for The Gap and in music videos for Daft Punk, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Mick Jagger.

Sossamon in the music video for Mick Jagger's "God Gave Me Everything"Virgin Records

But it was her job as a DJ that ended up being her big break. One night she was spinning records at Gwyneth Paltrow's birthday party, and her stunning good looks landed her a big part in a major film.

"Yeah, sounds naive and cliche, but that's exactly what happened to me," she explained.

Her breakout role was as Lady Jocelyn, Heath Ledger's love interest in A Knight's Tale, and Sossamon's performance made her a star overnight.

Heath Ledger and Sossamon in 'A Knight's Tale.'Columbia Pictures

While A Knight’s Tale received mixed reviews, she earned two Teen Choice Award nominations and three MTV Movie Award nominations.

She followed up that performance with a leading role in the comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights starring alongside another early 2000s heartthrob, John Hartnett.

Sossamon in '40 Days and 40 Nights.'Alliance Atlantis

That's two big parts as the leading lady in back-to-back hit films. But by now you're probably struggling to remember what comes next for Sossamon.

In 2003, she actually co-starred with Heath Ledger again in the horror thriller The Order, but it flopped at the box office, and barely anyone saw it. Sossamon called the late actor "a very special spirit."

Sossamon reunited with Ledger in 'The Order.'20th Century Fox

After the film wrapped, Sossamon became pregnant. She gave birth to her first son, Audio Science Clayton (his father is children's book author Dallas Clayton) in 2003.

She later admitted the pregnancy took her by surprise, and it temporarily put her career on hold.

Family Comes First

The actress later told Nylon that her son "completely grounded me and made me look at myself, and my life just became completely different. It was just a gift, and perfect timing, too."

Sossamon had a small part in 'The Holiday.'Columbia Pictures / Universal Pictures

Sossamon took time to focus on her son but by the time she returned to acting, her career had cooled down, and she mainly appeared in short films and indie movies.

She appeared on one episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2004, but her next movie role was a small part in 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer.

While she had a small part in The Holiday and was the lead in some straight-to-DVD horror movies, Sossamon's attention was still devoted to her son, and another side project.

Sossamon is part of the band Warpaint.Superfora

Sossamon and her sister are part of the band Warpaint, and she put her acting career on the back burner for four years to focus on making music.

"Everything came completely to a total stop"

Shannyn Sossamon in 'Sleepy Hollow.'Fox

Sossamon had a leading role in the horror remake One Missed Call, and has appeared on TV shows like Mistresses, Wayward Pines, and Sleepy Hollow.

While the actress admits she's not a horror fan, she says she doesn't mind being typecast as a scream queen - even if she was once a leading lady.

"The only reason I've done a lot of genre is because it comes to me, and you have to work," she told Uproxx.

"And you know, some have gone better than others."

Fox

Sossamon also admits that she feels like she missed her chance at stardom, insisting that even in her early career she was never really "famous."

"I know in the beginning, I was 21, and I had done four big films, one after the other," she remembers.

"But when I had my boy I just kind of, I completely, everything stopped. Everything came completely to a total stop."

Still, the proud mom says that was "a blessing in disguise."

"I’m a creative person," she told Nylon in 2015, "so there are other things I can do and I can be easily distracted."

"But [acting] felt like it was supposed to be. I like to think it chose me instead of me choosing it, and I think I’m taking that very seriously now."

Feeling old yet?

LA Daily News

While we're taking a trip down memory lane, let's remember Sossamon's frequent co-star, Heath Ledger.

Before he passed away, the talented young star had a daughter with actress Michelle Williams.

The couple met on the set of Brokeback Mountain, and Williams said it was "love at first sight."

Ledger with his former fiance Michelle Williams and their daughter, Matilda.Daily Express / Autografas

In fact, the couple welcomed their daughter, Matilda, just two years later.

Despite the fact that Ledger and Williams split before his death in 2008, he was on good terms with the actress and his then two-year-old daughter.

Daily Mail

A decade after her famous father passed away, Matilda is now 12, and many say they see a resemblance to her late dad.

With two talented actors for parents, maybe she'll take up the family business someday.

While we're remembering classic actresses, do you remember the great Lori Petty?

And here are 15 more great actors we totally forgot about.

[H/T: Daily Mail, LA Times]

More Throwbacks

Celebrities

'Mighty Ducks' Star Shaun Weiss Arrested Again Only Months After Leaving Rehab

After Shaun Weiss' arrest in August left everyone worried about the former child star, the actor was forced to re-evaluate his choices. His mugshot showed a gaunt, sickly, and unrecognizable man, but Weiss believed this was his "rock bottom" and hoped to come back from it stronger than ever. In a statement released to his Facebook page after the arrest, Weiss revealed that he realized he was in "danger." Oroville Police Department"At this time, in an effort to break free from the self destructive patterns of behavior and drug abuse that have landed me at rock bottom, (to be

Celebrities

91-Year-Old 'Boy Meets World' Star Scared Off Burglars After They "Kicked In" His Door

Mr. Feeny will forever be a character that every 90s kid cherishes. He was the teacher. The one teacher we all wished we could have in real life, the one teacher who could have given us helpful advice, and above all else, he was the one teacher who would have been the best neighbor ever.William Daniels was a legend and an icon long before Boy Meets World, because he was the voice of KITT in Knight Rider. Not only that, but he won two Emmy awards for his role on St. Elsewhere. Daniels is a talented man, and his

70s

James Karen, Legendary Actor Known For 'Poltergeist' And So Much More, Dead At 94

You probably don't know his name, but you definitely know James Karen's face. The prolific character actor, best known for his role as the unscrupulous developer Mr. Teague in 1982's Poltergeist, passed away in his Los Angeles home on Tuesday at the age of 94.MGM/UA Entertainment Co.Over the course of his seven-decade career, Karen racked up over 200 acting credits across movies, television, and even video games. If you watch just about any of the most popular television shows from the 1970s, 80s, or 90s, you're guaranteed to see him pop up sooner or later. Born Jacob

Movies

Macaulay Culkin Clears Up Some Confusion About The 'Home Alone' Recreation

When that amazing new Google Assistant ad dropped yesterday starring Macaulay Culkin recreating all of the iconic scenes from the 1990 classic Home Alone, People absolutely lost their minds. But here's the thing, you watch it once and you're like, "Oh wow, that's hilarious!" But if you watch it a second time, you'll see that they really went all out to recreate it shot for shot. Honestly, it's almost creepy how well they did. Whether he's jumping on the bed:20th Century Fox / YouTube - GoogleUsing his aftershave:20th Century Fox / YouTube - GoogleTrimming the tree:20th Century Fox / YouTube

Movies

Macaulay Culkin Is Back As Kevin From 'Home Alone' And It's Actually Amazing

It's Christmas time, and you know what that means! It's time to watch a family abandon their son in their home and not even call anyone to go take care of him while he fends off burglars and makes an enormous mess of their house! That's right, every year we all gather around the TV and watch Home Alone for the millionth time, enjoying the hilarious antics that young Kevin McCallister gets into. Macaulay Culkin's portrayal of the character is what made the movie work, well, that and the fact that the 'Wet Bandits' were pretty funny. Culkin made a

Movies

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The New Aladdin Is Here And At Least One Of Our Wishes Was Granted

We've been waiting patiently, okay mostly patiently, since Disney announced that Aladdin was being remade. The cartoon remains one of the most iconic movies of all time, and the fact that they were going to try and bring it to life with real humans instead of the animated versions was kind of concerning. We saw the first trailer a while ago, but the only character we actually saw up close was Aladdin himself. We didn't see how the Genie looked, or Jasmine, or any of the other characters. But now, Entertainment Weekly has given us all the first look at