Here's Why Amanda Bynes Left Hollywood and Acting

It was the year 2000 and "The Amanda Show" was on television daily. This American comedy show was hugely successful on the Nickelodeon network and made big stars of its cast.

However, it was fresh-faced Amanda Bynes that was propelled to the highest levels of fame, given her role as the main lead. She also went on to play notable roles in other shows like "Hairspray" and "What I Like About You."

Despite her talent and impeccable acting resume, Bynes called it quits in 2011. This made "Easy A" her final debut in Hollywood. Till now, Bynes is still out of the game. She's now giving more attention to her health, happiness and sobriety.

Though Bynes began her foray in acting by playing roles in "Big Fat Liar" and performing skits on "The Drew Carey Show," it was her Nickelodeon series that brought her to the limelight.

She was known as the playful host of "The Amanda Show." This show was a spin-off of "All That."

Her most notable skits included “Judge Trudy,” which played off the Judge Judy programs. There was also “Blockbuster,” which spoofed the biggest movie rental company of its time called Blockbuster.

Then there was another skit that parodied the popular game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" with “So You Want to Win Five Dollars?”

In an interview with Paper, the former "Amanda Show" star opened up about her recent struggles. She delved into what led her to retire from acting.

Bynes explained that she began to abuse Adderall around the time she starred in "Hairspray."

This was because she heard it would help her stay thin. This drug abuse led her to feel "scatterbrained," as she was unable to remember her lines in movies.

The last straw, she pointed out, was when she attended a screening of what would end up being her last movie. "I literally couldn't stand my appearance in Easy A and I didn't like my performance," Bynes said. "I was absolutely convinced I needed to stop acting after seeing it."

Bynes, who said she previously went into a "deep depression" after not liking the way she looked in "She's the Man," mentioned she was high on marijuana during the screening.

While she's unsure if this reaction was just a "drug-induced psychosis," she said it "absolutely changed my perception of things."

After that, Bynes' life consisted of little more than "getting high, watching TV and tweeting." When asked about her substance addiction, she mentioned that It really made her a completely different person.

"She’s the Man" was one of the biggest movies in 2006. Bynes played the lead character, Viola, who pretended she was her brother Sebastian in order to play soccer at his school.

The film was inspired by Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night" with a focus on teenagers at private schools and modern-day drama. Aside from Bynes, the film starred Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, and James Snyder.

While she was filming the movie, Bynes spent much of her time dressed as a male. She later admitted that it took a toll on her body image and mental health.

According to Insider, Bynes admitted saying;

“When the movie came out and I saw it, I went into a deep depression for four to six months because I didn’t like how I looked when I was a boy.” When Bynes saw herself dressed as a man on screen, she described the feeling as, “a super strange out-of-body experience.”

Per The Things, fans compared the actor’s experience while filming the movie to “a form of gender dysphoria." "Not to downplay or take away from her experiences but imagine how trans people feel having to be forced into a role,” they explained.

After the star dropped off the rails, she accrued seven car incidents in 2012. Then she emerged again in April 2012, when she was arrested for a DUI in West Hollywood.

Later that month, she was arrested for hitting a car and leaving the scene. Before the year ran out, she was arrested again for two hit-and-run driving incidents.

In a separate cry for help, Bynes was charged with reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with evidence for allegedly throwing a bong out of her apartment window.

She appeared in court to face the charges in New York in 2013 and sported a bizarre long blue wig.

In July that year, she reportedly started a fire in the driveway of a stranger's house in California and was hospitalized under a 72-hour mental health evaluation hold.

While fans wonder if the ex-Hollywood star plans to make a return to the industry, the chances of that are slim to none.

It's very important she puts her mental health before any major career decisions. Thankfully, she's been sober for years and has been reported to be doing very well.

According to Page Six, Bynes' attorney made fans know that the star "is not residing in a sober living facility, instead, she's sheltering in a safe location and is doing very well.” He also asked that all "speculations" stop so she can "focus on getting better."

With all that being said, the star is still a work in progress and still on her journey to recovery, with no return date in sight.

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