Sometimes the best way to move forward in life is by taking a giant leap backwards.
Today, more stars are finding that the refreshing change they need doesn’t lie in what’s ahead, because it’s found in the past. For these famous ladies, revisiting a time before they made it big was not only a humbling and rewarding experience, but it’s given them a new perspective on why they chose the profession that they did.
Tina Fey
Fey has been a household name for well over a decade, and her success just keeps climbing. As Picturebox’s movie blog contributor Matt Roper said in a recent article on funny women in film, “She’s intelligent, she’s sharp, and she’s downright hilarious. She’s also the hottest lady in comedy right now.”
So what does a woman who fills theatres with her hit films, hosts the Golden Globes, and constantly wins awards for her work do when her career is red-hot? She goes home to perform at the 1,650-seat Upper Darby theatre in the little-known town of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
Delco Times reported that “It is not only the auditorium for her alma mater, Upper Darby High School, it is the theatre where she performed and directed for at least five years as part of Upper Darby Summer Stage.”
This is actually Fey’s 10th trip back to her hometown theatre where she got her first taste of the limelight. This year, she’s visiting in order to raise money for a new sound system for the venue.
Julia Stiles
Stiles has taken a few leaps on the road to reconnecting to her roots. An article in The Windsor Star says that her most recent project is the one-act dark romantic comedy Phoenix at the 180-seat Cherry Lane Theatre.
It’s a role that you would expect an actress just starting out (or someone whose career has taken a significant nose-dive) to take. You wouldn’t expect it to be the first choice for someone that has a more than a few acting awards on her mantle and recent nominations for Emmys and Golden Globes. But Stiles said that she wanted to showcase new playwright (and Phoenix creator) Scott Organ.
It’s pretty easy to lose your optimism for the industry after decades in the business. It’s understandable why the project would attract Stiles, as it seems that smaller productions still hold onto the art of acting for entertainment, not solely for the purpose of generating money.
“For me, it makes sense because it’s getting back to my roots and also why I wanted to be an actress in the first place,” Stiles said. “At its core, it’s very simply what I find delightful.” She also said that she was drawn to the role because “it was refreshing that it’s not cynical.”
She’s also chosen to return to her roots in her personal life. She recently downsized from her three-bedroom apartment on 15th Street to a one-bedroom space is New York’s East Village. The article quoted her saying, “I feel great about it. Downsizing. Simplifying. I gave away lots of stuff. It feels like shedding your skin.”
Nicki Minaj
For Minaj, the move is more of a creative decision, rather than a significant career change. While she hasn’t been in the spotlight for that long, Minaj is finding it just as beneficial to take a step back and revisit the genre that made her fall in love with music.
Eurweb says that “the raptress is revisiting her roots for her forthcoming album while breaking barriers down outside the genre she started in.” For her third studio album, PinkPrint, Minaj cultivated a more natural hip-hop sound rather than rather her previous pop-heavy albums.
And this isn’t the first time Minaj has gone back to her roots. Early this year, she literally brought back her roots, ditching her usual array of crazy wigs for her natural hair.
On her decision for the changes, Minaj told MTV, “I went so far to the other side that there’s only one place to go from there.” She added, “You can either continue doing costumes or you can just say, ‘Hey guess what? This will shock them even more. Doing nothing will shock them even more.’”
Only time will tell, but so far the success for these ladies in the future looks bright. Perhaps it’s because they don’t subscribe to the idea that “you can’t go home again.” As long as you haven’t burnt bridges along the way, there are always those who have been there for you since the get-go who will welcome you back with open arms. Whether it’s a genre of music, a neighborhood, or your alma mater, there’s always an old place you can return to and feel new again.
