Pop Culture | Celebrities | 90s
She Basically Disappeared After The '90s, So What Has Leelee Sobieski Been Up To Since?
Leelee Sobieski was one of the most popular stars of the 90s and early 2000s. She seemed to have a part in basically all our favorite movies, and had such a promising career ahead of her. Even though we all expected her to be around for a long time, she seems to have vanished from the public eye. Where did she go?
Her real name is actually Liliane Rudabet Floria Elsvea Sobieski, so she shortened it to Leelee because that is much easier to fit on a movie poster. She was discovered when she was really young, and was cast in the TV movie called Reunion.
She was only 11-years-old when it was made, but it was the catalyst that started her bright career. She was in the Tim Allen comedy Jungle 2 Jungle, the hugely successful Deep Impact, and the critically acclaimed film A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, all before she was 16.
Sobieski acted along A-list stars like Drew Barrymore in the rom-com Never Been Kissed, and Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut. She earned nominations for prestigious awards and her star seemed to be on the rise.
But where is she now?
Leelee Sobieski seemed to withdraw from Hollywood slowly. She was in Joy Ride and The Glass House in 2001, but then seemed to focus on smaller projects. She started acting in more independent films, but did take a role in the often mocked Nicolas Cage Movie, The Wicker Man in 2006.
While the movie didn't do well, personally she was doing pretty great. She ended up going to Brown University to study literature and fine art, and during that time she took on very few parts in small independent movies. She's only had a handful of roles since 2006, but that's because she has been busy with some other big life moments.
She has actually been married twice. Her first marriage was to actor, Matthew Davis, who she divorced in 2009. In 2010, she married designer, Adam Kimmel, in 2010 and now they have two young children.
She says that the kids keep her too busy to keep acting. "I don’t do movie stuff anymore,” Sobieski said. "I am totally an outsider! I…am just a mom and an outsider. I am just focused on my kids. I think that’s mainly why I stopped."
She's got a lot going on, so there is no time for big Hollywood movies. "My daughter is learning how to ride a bike and my little boy is just so cute … though he’s a handful!” Sobieski said. "I help my husband with what he does and I paint, secretly!”
Her thoughts on Hollywood have helped influence her decision in focusing on her family life. “Ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual stuff with other people, and I don’t want to do that,” she explained. “It’s such a strange fire to play with, and [her relationship with her husband] is surely strong enough to handle it, but if you’re going to walk through fire, there has to be something incredible on the other side.”