For much of the early 2000s, Elisha Cuthbert was the girl everyone thought they knew.
After breaking out on 24 and becoming a pop-culture sensation in The Girl Next Door, Cuthbert found herself on countless “most beautiful” and “sexiest women” lists. To the public, she was the quintessential bombshell. The reality, she says, felt very different.
“What some people think is me is just so the opposite,” Cuthbert tells Yahoo. “I was so nervous, so shy and didn’t feel sexy at all for so long. It’s interesting how that one project can make people think that’s who you are.”
Now in her 40s, Cuthbert is returning to television in Prime Video’s Every Year After, out now. She plays Sue Florek, a beloved matriarch whose death in the premiere sets the sprawling family drama in motion.
The role felt especially meaningful after Cuthbert stepped away from acting for several years to focus on raising her two children with her husband, former NHL star Dion Phaneuf.
“My kids are my everything,” she says.
These days, Cuthbert says she’s less concerned with the expectations that once came with being one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars and more focused on the life she’s built away from the spotlight.
“Everything in life is sort of settling in in my 40s,” she says. “I’m just feeling probably the most confident I have in a long time, even though I’m older.”
In Yahoo’s latest Unapologetically, Cuthbert opens up about returning from a career hiatus, why she never felt like the bombshell Hollywood saw, the freedom she’s found getting older — and why she’s thrilled the rest of the world is finally catching up to hockey.
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen you in front of the camera. What made Every Year After feel like the right project to return with?
I was coming off a three-, four-year hiatus from filming because I was solely focusing on being a mom. So, to come back to things and find this script, where I get to play this fun, joyful mom, just felt right in so many ways.
It was also interesting because my children are still quite young, and we’re not quite at this young adult stage yet. I got to have a little taste of what I have to look forward to.
You returned to set at a very different stage of life than when audiences first met you. How did motherhood shape the way you approached Sue?
It didn’t really feel like a stretch. Being a mom is my day-to-day. My kids are my everything, so bringing that love forward — even the chaotic moments and the constant search for patience — came very naturally. In a lot of ways, I understood Sue immediately because I understood that deep love she has for her family.
It also just felt really nice to be back on set again, getting to film and having my job back.
You spend a lot of time with the younger actors in this cast. Did watching them navigate this moment in their careers bring you back to your own early days in Hollywood?
Yeah, it is kind of trippy. They’re playing 12- and 13-year-olds, but they’re probably 15 or 16. I was once them. I remember being on set at that age and feeling so excited and fearless.
I see a lot of that in them. I even see myself in Sadie [Soverall], Matt [Cornett] and Michael [Bradway] because I’ve been there. It’s funny — I’m a little envious. When I was their age, I was doing 24 and being chased around every episode. Their experience is so different. They get to fall in love and tell these really emotional stories. I didn’t get that until later in my career.
We talk a lot now about the importance of mentorship and supportive work environments. Was that something you experienced early in your career, or did you mostly learn on the job?
I think it’s a little bit of both. There are mentors along the way if you can find them — and sometimes you don’t even realize that’s what they are until later.
Kiefer [Sutherland] was really helpful in that way. Just watching his behavior and the way he conducted himself as an actor and as the leading guy on our show. He really set the tone for 24, and everyone kind of followed suit. Looking back, I realize how much I took away from him and his demeanor and the way he carried himself.
But I also had to grow up very quickly. I had to be responsible and get to work on time and figure things out. So I think it’s a combination of both.
You’ve been part of so many memorable projects — 24, The Girl Next Door, Happy Endings. Is there one that immediately takes you back to a really good time in your life?
I think Happy Endings would probably be the one that brings a smile to my face the most. It was just a fun time for me. I was in my late 20s, early 30s — it was just a really good place to be.
And then to be able to do comedy with five other actors who were all around the same age, it was maybe too much fun. We really had a blast working together on that show.
If Hollywood came calling and wanted to reboot or revive one project you’ve done, what would you pick?
Honestly, I feel like finding out where all the Happy Endings characters are now, in their mid-to-late 40s, would be epic because they’re probably all doing the exact same things they were before. They haven’t grown up in the least.
The Girl Next Door is one of those movies that has really endured, and for a lot of people it cemented you as the quintessential early-2000s “bombshell.” I know that’s not a title you gave yourself — it’s one other people put on you. What was it like at the time to suddenly find yourself on all of these “most beautiful” and “sexiest” lists?
It’s crazy. I have a lot of takes on it and a lot of opinions about it. But honestly, I’m just thankful that Sadie doesn’t have to go through all of that. That whole thing kind of came and went, and it’s over with now, so I’m glad she gets to experience this age without being subjected to all those silly things.
Again, it was the time, and The Girl Next Door definitely spoke to that as well. But it’s so funny because when I think about that movie and that character, it feels so foreign to me. It was such a departure for me, and it actually took a lot of confidence to push myself to make that happen.
What some people think is me is just so the opposite. I was so nervous, so shy and didn’t feel sexy at all for so long.
But it’s still a lovely movie, and I’m proud of it. I’m glad people still enjoy it.
When did you start to feel the most confident in yourself?
I think as I’ve gotten older. Maybe after having children too, there was this pivotal shift where I stopped really concerning myself with all of that and just started accepting myself.
I became proud of what I was capable of doing: having my children and raising them. And being with my husband for 13 years, there’s a confidence that builds with time.
In your 20s, you’re trying to figure yourself out. Your 30s are a work in progress, and then your 40s arrive —
It’s like, “This is me! Take it or leave it.”
In your 30s you’re really focused on getting married and having children and building your life. I wasn’t really worried about all of that other stuff.
Everything in life is sort of settling in in my 40s, and I’m just feeling probably the most confident I have in a long time, even though I’m older.
There seems to be this impossible standard for women to “age naturally” while also somehow never looking like they’ve aged at all. I feel like that’s especially true in Hollywood. How has your relationship with beauty changed over the years?
I think my biggest battle is really just trying to stay healthy and fit. That’s honestly what I’m chasing now. I want to have the most energy I can because I’m chasing after my kids all day. I want to feel good. I want to be able to do all the things with them.
So I’m less concerned about the beauty side of things and more concerned about what I need to do to stay healthy at my age and moving forward.
As far as beauty goes, I’m always ready to try a new product. But most of the time, my hair is up, I have no makeup on and we’re just relaxing.
What does your health and wellness routine look like these days?
I play a lot of tennis. After my son was born, I started playing and really got into it. Over the last four years, that’s become my go-to fitness routine. I play as much tennis as I can.
You’ve built this amazing career, but you’ve also built a family and a life that feels largely outside of the Hollywood machine. Was creating that separation intentional?
It didn’t really feel intentional. It just felt organic because it’s what I was naturally drawn to.
I think maybe it has been intentional when it comes to not having my children on social media. Some people feel comfortable doing that and some people don’t. I just felt like I wanted them to decide when they’re ready to be there, and for that to be their choice instead of me putting them out there. That was my take on it, and my husband’s as well.
As far as family life and work life feeling separate, I think it just naturally happened that way. It’s sort of the way we like it. We go up to Canada in the summers and really enjoy being with family and having the kids there.
We like our life. We’re very lucky.
You’re married to a former NHL player, but I have to ask because the internet has basically decided hockey is the hottest thing right now. Between Off Campus, Heated Rivalry and the whole BookTok obsession, hockey players are having a major pop-culture moment. Is hockey really as hot as the internet thinks it is?
Of course! I haven’t watched any of them, but I love that all of a sudden hockey is the hot thing. I always thought it was the hot thing! When has hockey not been the hot thing? I’m just glad everyone else is catching up and understanding.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.