Paparazzi and constant media attention seem to be simply part of the package of being a celebrity. Stars are constantly captured on their way to the grocery store, to the gym, while sharing a casual meal with a friend, and many have expressed frustration with it. Sure, some stars adore the attention and will even phone up paparazzi so that they know to expect them and snap some awesome shots. However, many stars simply complain about the attention… while they make their home in Hollywood, the land of celebrities and paparazzi.
Once you make it onto the A-List in Hollywood, it’s basically a guarantee that the media will want to know everything they can about you, as any piece of juicy dirt can become tabloid gold. Some celebrities complain about all the media attention, and then make their homes in the Hollywood area, frequenting the same haunts that other celebrities frequent, constantly getting captured by the paparazzi. However, there are a few celebrities truly don’t seem to want any attention, and are content to just keep a low profile and do their jobs. Many make their homes outside of the Hollywood area, even outside of the United States altogether, and while they may show up on the red carpet, their personal lives are fairly elusive.
Here are 12 A-Listers who keep a low profile.
12 Matt Damon
Matt Damon has a ton of A-List friends, such as Ben Affleck, his pal from childhood, and George Clooney. However, he’s not the type to spend every night on the town with his famous friends, hopping from one L.A. hot spot to the next, trying to get as much paparazzi attention as possible. Despite being a huge name in the entertainment industry, Matt Damon is very, very rarely on the cover of tabloids, simply because he keeps a low profile. Part of that is courtesy of his wife of 10 years, Luciana, who is just a regular (albeit gorgeous) girl rather than an actress herself. He manages to stay out of the spotlight, and when he’s not on set for a new film role, primarily just spends his time with his family.
11 Michelle Williams
Despite rising to superstardom as an early age playing bad girl Jen Lindley on hit television series Dawson’s Creek, and continuing to snag major roles over the years in films such as Brokeback Mountain and My Week With Marilyn, Williams has always managed to stay out of the spotlight. Part of the reason may be because of all the attention she received during perhaps one of the most difficult times in her life, the aftermath of Heath Ledger’s passing. Whatever the reason, Michelle and her daughter Matilda stay out of the tabloids. Sure, everyone loves Michelle Williams and there’s often romantic speculation if she’s seen out with another celeb, but at the end of the day, she keeps things on the down low.
10 Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock is the undisputed queen of romantic comedies, and commands a salary that tops nearly every female actress currently working in Hollywood. She is adored by her fans, and many people will go to see virtually any movie she’s in. Considering her A-List status and huge level of fame, it’s surprising that the public doesn’t know every little detail about her life – but that’s exactly how she wants it. Bullock spends a fair bit of time away from the bright lights of Hollywood, spending time in her Austin, Texas home, as well as her New Orleans residence. Now that she has an adopted son, Louis, she’s even more keen to get privacy for her budding family.
9 Kate Winslet
Unless you’re a Kate Winslet super fan, most individuals don’t really know much (if anything) about her romantic relationships and personal life. Sure, they know about her daughter Mia, as she’s referenced her in her comments about female body image and sending a good example. However, the majority of the public would be surprised to know that Winslet is currently on her third marriage, and has one child with each of her husbands. She’s definitely an A-Lister, and she continues to snag fantastic roles, such as the female lead, Joanna Hoffman, in the upcoming Steve Jobs. Winslet is passionate and outspoken about what she believes in, using her fame to bring awareness to issues she values, but you won’t find her spilling the details of her personal life to any tabloid.
8 Idris Elba
Idris Elba has been kicking around the entertainment industry for about twenty years, taking on countless small roles and guest starring appearances on television shows. However, it’s really only in the past decade that he started to make a splash, thanks to snagging roles in television series like Luther and The Wire, and playing the icon Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. At this point in his career, Elba is definitely considered an A-Lister – but who is the mysterious British dreamboat really? Not many know. He’s charming and debonair during media appearances, but whenever he’s not promoting an upcoming project, he prefers to lead a quiet life outside of the spotlight.
7 Eminem
Eminem is undisputedly one of the biggest rappers the music industry has seen, and he’s definitely not shy about sharing all the skeletons in his closet within his lyrics. However, stop to think for a moment – what do we know about the rap superstar apart from what he himself has revealed in his songs? Not much. Besides his ex-wife Kim and pop superstar Mariah Carey, Eminem has never really been linked to anyone romantically, as far as the media knows. Even his daughter, who he’s rapped about throughout his career, is known only by her name. When a photo surfaced of a teenage Hailie, the public couldn’t believe she was all grown up, because she had been off living a normal life rather than growing up in the spotlight. Eminem gets enough attention for his sick rhymes – he doesn’t need to court the tabloids and spill about his personal life.
6 Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington absolutely skyrocketed to superstardom when she took on the role of Olivia Pope on Shonda Rhimes’ hit show Scandal. Everyone wanted to be a gladiator with her, every woman suddenly felt better about drinking wine and eating popcorn for dinner, and she quickly became known for her portrayal as one of the most admirable, powerful female cahracters on television. But what do we know about Washington? She married an NFL superstar – in a private wedding in Idaho. She’s absolutely gorgeous and on the cover of countless magazines – but never the tabloids. She’s utterly classy and knows how to keep her private life private – and that’s exactly why we love her.
5 Lupita Nyong’o
Academy award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o had the type of rise to stardom that most actresses wouldn’t even dare dream of. She got her start in the entertainment industry as a production assistant, directed a documentary, starred in a Kenyan television series, and then went back to school to get her MFA at Yale. What was her first feature film role? One of the leads in 12 Years a Slave, the role for which she won an Academy Award. Not a bad way to start your career. She quickly rose to the A-List, as everyone wanted to know what she was wearing, what her secrets were, what she did in her down time, anything. However, Nyong’o has kept an incredibly low profile, and we don’t really anticipate that changing anytime soon.
4 Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is a bit of a mystery, an ethereally gorgeous woman who seems to float on and off the red carpet, on and off movie sets, delivering awe-inspiring performances and then disappearing for awhile. In her professional life, she’s played characters from real royalty to Hollywood royalty. In her personal life, she’s just a mother and wife, and has been married to her partner, Australian playwright and screenwriter Andrew Upton, for nearly 20 years. They have four children together, in what we can only assume is a house jam-packed with talent. I mean, who knew? She definitely plays it close to the chest.
3 Daniel Craig
Once you snag the role of a cultural icon like James Bond, suddenly the media wants to know everything about you. Where do you shop? What do you drive? Where do you eat? It’s truly endless. However, in Daniel Craig’s case, the media hasn’t been too successful in digging up dirt. In fact, most people don’t even know that he’s married to fellow A-List actress Rachel Weisz, because he rarely dishes about their relationship. He just seems to be a handsome British gentleman who appears on the red carpet and then goes off to do whatever he does in his off time, keeping a profile so low he may as well be underground.
2 Julia Roberts
From Steel Magnolias to Erin Brockovich, Eat Pray Love to August: Osage County, Julia Roberts has had a long acting career and earned her spot as an undisputed A-List superstar in Hollywood. However, for the past 15 years or so, Roberts has kept an incredibly low profile. She married cameraman Danny Moder in 2002, and the couple have three children together. She might spend some time in Los Angeles if she’s filming, but for the most part, she splits her time between beachy Malibu and a farm in Sante Fe, New Mexico. She definitely doesn’t let her A-List status (and salary) go to her head, and prefers a life filled with simple pleasures.
1 Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the most intriguing and mysterious actors working in Hollywood today. Why, exactly? Well, unless he’s promoting his latest film, he basically avoids the entertainment industry altogether. He has property in the United States, but the majority of his time is spent on his tucked away country estate in County Wicklow, Ireland. Every few years, he emerges from the lush Irish countryside to deliver an absolutely mind-blowing performance in whatever film project he’s selected, and then he retreats again for a few years. Day-Lewis is basically the dictionary definition of a celebrity who keeps a low profile.
Sources: therichest.com, crushable.com, madamenoire.com, dailymail.co.uk
