I was the star of one of the most popular movie musicals of all time – now I’ve got a normal job
AN actress who starred in one of the most popular movie musicals of all time now works a very normal job.
Nikki Blonksy, 34, shot to fame after singing her heart out as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 movie version of Hairspray.
She starred alongside an A-list ensemble – including John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, James Marsden, and Amanda Bynes.
And producers were insistent on casting an unknown actress for the lead role of Tracy Turnblad.
Nikki was 18 at the time and working in an ice cream shop in New York when she auditioned – and landed the mega role.
She won the Critics Choice award for Best Young Performer and a prestigious Golden Globe nomination.
Hairspray became the tenth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history – behind Grease, Chicago, and Mamma Mia.
But Nikki appeared to have a hard time securing other roles after her success in Hairspray.
In the four years after the film’s release in 2007, she only had two film credits to her name.
She also starred in a popular ABC TV series called Huge, which only ran for one season.
And in 2011, Nikki got her cosmetology license, and started working as a hairstylist and make-up artist in her hometown of Great Neck, New York.
Taking to Twitter, she confirmed “it’s true” she was working as a make-up artist to help pay her bills – but she said would never “lose sight of her dreams”.
In an interview with Out magazine in 2017, Nikki said it wasn’t her choice to step away from Hollywood.
“I did not take a conscious step out of Hollywood and so long as I’m alive, I never will,” she said.
“Singing and acting has been my dream since I was three.
“It kind of feels like the industry left me.”
In 2020, Nikki came out as gay as she celebrated pride month.
The actress shared a video on TikTok of her dancing and lip-syncing to the Diana Ross song I’m Coming Out, and also posted a confetti-filled typography post on Instagram which read: “I’m gay!”
Other actors have also chosen to step away from the limelight after huge successes in showbiz.
Peter Ostrum, 65, starred as sweet Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at 12 years old alongside Gene Walker and Jack Albertson.
Directors selected young Peter for the lead role after seeing his acting skills in theatre productions in Ohio.
In the summer of 1970, the Texas-born actor started filming in Munich right before starting seventh grade (year eight) in 1970.
The adaptation of Road Dahl’s classic was released in June 1971 and captivated viewers and critics alike with its fantastic escape to chocolate land.
The film’s music score was nominated for an Academy Award, and star Gene Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe, but lost to Israeli actor Chaim Topol.
Despite his rise to fame, Peter opted to leave Hollywood soon after and pursue a completely different career as a veterinarian.
“The film industry just wasn’t for me,” he shared during a November 2016 speech at the University of Missouri.