Whatever Happened To Elisha Cuthbert?
The early 2000s exploded with a plethora of new kids on the entertainment block. Young actors, such as Elisha Cuthbert and Ryan Gosling, arrived on the scene and established themselves as in-demand and talented performers with the world at their feet. They were presented as the next generation of movie stars, and audiences needed to invest in high-quality shades, because the future looked bright for them.
While some of these actors proved to be more than "ken-ough" in the end, there were others who didn't fulfill the potential that many believed they demonstrated when they first showed up. In the case of Cuthbert, she never disappeared from the entertainment industry entirely, but one cannot dispute that she lacks the star power she once commanded. That's okay, though: Life is anything but linear, and there are bigger and better things than starring in movies and television shows.
Even so, analyzing Cuthbert's career tells a story of where certain events and moments pushed her off the A-list path. From high-profile film failures to a desire to get away from the lifestyles of the rich and famous in Hollywood, let's take a look at what happened to Elisha Cuthbert.
Elisha Cuthbert couldn't shake off 24
Much like other young actors in Hollywood, Elisha Cuthbert started as a child star, appearing in smaller productions until the horror anthology series "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" (where a certain Ryan Gosling also makes an appearance) gave her career an oomph. In 2001, she received the big break after being cast as Jack Bauer's daughter Kim in the popular thriller series "24." The character of Kim appears as a main cast member for the first three seasons then sporadically thereafter.
The role exposed Cuthbert to a wider audience, who religiously watched the show. Unfortunately, Kim also became one of the most despised characters because of how she was written and portrayed. Entire articles and Reddit threads have been dedicated to pointing out how Kim featured in some of the series' worst moments. One Redditor wrote, "I think it's because in spite of the seriousness of the situation, she always manages to find a way to be an incredibly stupid and selfish character."
Now, all Cuthbert could do is play the character written on the page, so it's unfair to place any of the criticisms about Kim's storylines squarely on her shoulders. That said, the world of entertainment is far from logical, and some viewers will unfairly judge an actor based on a character they may not like on screen.
She didn't want to do nude roles
The 2000s were a different time in Hollywood. Sexualization and objectification of female actors were considered part and parcel of the business, so those who stripped down and bared skin were likely to receive bigger roles and opportunities. It took movements like #MeToo to expose the predatory behavior and notorious scumbags in the industry, but even so, this couldn't change what had happened in the past and how many actors lost gigs because of exercising autonomy over their own bodies. While Elisha Cuthbert was presented as a sex symbol, she refused to do nude roles. Instead, she employed a body double if it was required.
In a 2006 interview with the Houston Chronicle, Cuthbert explained how she doesn't want to be seen purely for her looks. She also added how posing or performing nude just isn't on the agenda for her either. "I just don't feel I need to do that," she said. "I'd like to keep some things to myself."
Infamously, Cuthbert chose to not go nude for her role in the 2004 teen comedy "The Girl Next Door," where she plays former adult star Danielle. According to Cuthbert, the filmmakers wanted her to show more skin on screen, but she felt it would be unnecessary and convinced them otherwise.
The Girl Next Door wasn't the hit it was expected to be
Raunchy teen comedies were all the rage in the early 2000s, and Luke Greenfield's "The Girl Next Door" had all the hallmarks of becoming an instant classic. It tells the story of high school senior Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) who falls in love with the girl next door, Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), whom he discovers used to be an adult star. The film also features a star-studded supporting cast including Timothy Olyphant, Paul Dano, and Olivia Wilde.
Despite the promise and premise, "The Girl Next Door" didn't turn into the "Pretty Woman" of the 2000s. Instead, it labored to $31.6 million from a $25 million budget and received a mixed reception from critics. The film washed away into the sea of 2004's releases, failing to raise any of the cast's profiles at the time.
Yet, time proves to be the great equalizer, as "The Girl Next Door" developed a cult following in the years since then, with fans believing it deserved more recognition and success than it did upon release. Speaking about the resurgence in popularity for the movie and some of her other work, Cuthbert told The AU Review, "Maybe it means the work is a little more timeless as opposed to being 'in the moment pop culture.' Maybe the work is becoming something that can always be revisited. I think it's a great thing because it keeps the work alive."
She didn't become a high-profile scream queen
Another genre Elisha Cuthbert found comfort in was horror. Undoubtedly, her most high-profile film role came as Carly Jones in Jaume Collet-Serra's "House of Wax," the remake of the 1953 film starring Vincent Price. Despite the negative reviews, the film made $70 million from a $35 million budget and received a lot of press — namely because Paris Hilton's character Paige suffers a gnarly death.
Cuthbert followed up "House of Wax" with the 2005 psychological thriller "The Quiet" and another horror in the form of 2007's "Captivity." Judging by her choice of roles, the belief was that she would soon establish herself as a scream queen. Unfortunately, horror movies struggled to produce legitimate stars in this era, and Cuthbert never found the role that would turn her into the next Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott.
Even though she didn't rise to become a notable scream queen, Cuthbert continues to be active in horror — just not at the level some may have envisioned back in her early career.
Elisha Cuthbert stepped away from the Hollywood lifestyle scene
From the outside looking in, Hollywood looks glamorous, promising a world of abundance and the chance to create a legacy in the entertainment industry. Elisha Cuthbert understood she had to move from her native Canada to Los Angeles to advance her acting career, so she did so upon finishing high school and acclimatized to the town. However, those few years of lunchtime mimosas with superficial friends in L.A. cured her for a lifetime.
"For a long time I was naïve about who I was surrounded by," she told Women's Health. "I got caught up in the L.A. scene." While Cuthbert said she was never into the excess or overindulgence of the lifestyle, she never felt like she belonged among the people she met and befriended.
As a result, she made a conscious effort to step away from the scene and establish more meaningful relationships. This also included finding a healthier work-life balance where she stopped obsessing about her career as much as she did before.
She married a celebrated ice hockey star and started a family
In 2008, Elisha Cuthbert gushed about her relationship with renowned Canadian ice hockey player Dion Phaneuf, referring to their union as the first authentic romance in her life and how important it was to her. Unlike a lot of famous couples, though, they actually stayed together for the long haul and supported each other's careers along the way. The continued to go from strength to strength, becoming engaged in 2012 then marrying a year later in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Their family expanded too, after the birth of their two children, Zaphire and Fable. As a mother, Cuthbert is undoubtedly more aware and self-conscious about her career choices and decisions, especially realizing the impact they can have on her family. In fact, she revealed how she has had to explain her past appearances in men's magazines to her children and why she looked a certain way in those pictures.
Her film career veers toward the low-budget side
Even though Elisha Cuthbert has had a steady flow of work throughout her career, it's remarkable to note that 2005's "House of Wax" remains her last big movie — or at least one with a higher catering budget than most indie films' lifetime gross. Since then, it's been low-budget adventures to fill up her IMDb credits.
In the late 2000s, she starred in pictures like "He was a Quiet Man," "My Sassy Girl," and "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay." Cuthbert's 2010s were largely spent in television; however, she still found time to appear in movies like 2014's "Just Before I Go" and 2017's "Goon: Last of the Enforcers."
Budget aside, none of these films have made as much of a scratch on the movie sphere. They have been forgettable projects with little to no fanfare, as only hard-core Cuthbert fans or straight-to-video connoisseurs know about them. But hey, their mere existence means they secured work and paychecks for people in the film industry, so it's doubtful anyone is complaining about them too much.
She had a comeback on two sitcoms
While Elisha Cuthbert's film career failed to sustain itself at the A-list level, her television work proved to be more fruitful for her in the long run. Not only did she have a recurring role on the crime drama "The Forgotten," but she also starred in two notable sitcoms. In 2011's "Happy Endings," Cuthbert plays one of the leads, Alex Kerkovich. Considering the ensemble approach and the focus on a group of pals, comparisons were naturally made to other sitcoms like "Friends." In the end, "Happy Endings" ran for three seasons before receiving the ax from the network. That hasn't stopped fans from campaigning for its return, however.
Cuthbert also appears as Abby Phillips-Bennett in Netflix's "The Ranch," which also stars Ashton Kutcher. In Season 1, Abby features in a supporting role before being promoted to the main cast for the remainder of the series.
Ultimately, both of these roles afforded Cuthbert lengthy runs on two noteworthy shows that kept her top of mind for television viewers.
Her sitcom was canceled after six episodes
After "Happy Endings" came to an end, Elisha Cuthbert received another chance to lead her own sitcom. In the Ellen DeGeneres-produced "One Big Happy," Cuthbert plays Lizzy, a gay woman who is pregnant with her best friend Luke's (Nick Zano) baby. Matters are complicated when Luke announces his engagement to Prudence (Kelly Brook). The sitcom didn't exactly endear itself to critics, receiving a pitiful 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. TV Insider's Matt Roush didn't hold back, writing: "You may be tempted to think 'Three's Company,' but why spoil the memory of a better, classic broad comedy? 'One Big Happy' is not remotely in that league."
The bad reviews weren't exactly compensated for by having a large and happy viewership who couldn't wait for the next episode to air. In fact, the show debuted to average ratings and never improved from there. By the sixth episode, NBC pulled the plug on it entirely, deciding to cut its losses and move on.
Elisha Cuthbert experienced controversy on Canada's Drag Races
In 2020, Elisha Cuthbert received the opportunity to be the guest host of "Canada's Drag Race" — a spin-off of the wildly popular series "RuPaul's Drag Race." Unfortunately, Cuthbert's appearance came with its fair share of controversy through no fault of her own, as she told The List.
Cuthbert explained what led to the incident. "When I got to set, the producers of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' said, 'Listen, we're going to do it a little differently because Ru's not here. Brooke Lynn's going to have parts of Ru's iconic lines, but every guest judge that comes in will also get some of the iconic lines as well.' I was gagged, because the fact that I get to say some of these iconic lines of Ru's ... I was so honored."
Ultimately, since Cuthbert was the first guest host on the program, the fans didn't know about the new format where RuPaul's lines were given to the hosts. The actor received backlash from the fandom, but emphasized it wasn't her decision to appropriate RuPaul's lines; it was an instruction given to her by the producers of the show and she simply followed it.
She spoke out about posing for men's magazines
While Elisha Cuthbert refused to pose nude, she appeared in racy photoshoots for men's magazines in the 2000s. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for the era, as many female actors adorned the pages of "FHM" and "Maxim," especially in the promotional cycles for films and television series. However, Cuthbert revealed she didn't have a choice in the matter at the time.
Appearing on the "Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson" podcast (via Entertainment Tonight), Cuthbert said: "But there was really no option back then, though. You were out promoting something. That's what the studio wanted you to do." She added how she understood the pressure to appear in these publications since they had massive readerships and were a large part of promotional drives that seemed to work, but she appreciates how times have changed for the better.
At the same time, Cuthbert doesn't put any stock in being nominated for accolades such as "The Hottest Woman in the World," saying they are meaningless in the long run and don't add any significant value to her as an individual or performer.
She is trying to make a comeback
Hollywood is the one industry where it's best to adopt the "never say never" mantra. Everyone loves a good comeback story, and Elisha Cuthbert is embarking on her own career resurgence. In 2022, she appeared in two films that had her fans talking. The first was Shudder's haunted house feature "The Cellar," which once again cemented horror as the genre in which Cuthbert does her best work. The second feature was the Allan Ungar-directed "Bandit," which tells the real-life story of career criminal Gilbert Galvan Jr. In the film, Cuthbert stars as Andrea Hudson and she shares the screen with the likes of Josh Duhamel and Mel Gibson.
In terms of what the future holds for Cuthbert, she has made no secret about what she is after now. "For me, I'm excited for the next chapter," she told The Daily Beast. "I feel I've been waiting for a long time to get to a point where I can play characters that have more depth, more responsibility, and tell stories about women for women my age. I'm embracing that."
Elisha Cuthbert wants to be recognized as a serious actor
It would have been all too easy for Elisha Cuthbert to follow the formula laid out for her in showbiz. Perhaps her status would have been at a higher level now — or maybe not. After all, there are no guarantees in the entertainment industry and many compliant actors get chewed up and spat out of the system without much concern or cause. Instead, Cuthbert stepped out of the Hollywood circles, choosing her own personal happiness and unique career path.
What is clear from her decisions, though, is that she wants to be recognized for her acting ability and performances. She never wanted to become a star based on her looks or peeling off her clothes for directors; she wants to be seen as a serious actor with something to offer the industry. Considering how the climate of the business has changed in modern times, it's possible she may have a chance to finally achieve what she set out to do in the first place. In fact, don't bet against the Elisha Cuthbert comeback tour becoming a reality in the near future.