There are actors in show business that have one ultimately defining role that carries them through a great deal of their career even if they never quite reach that same level of popularity later on. Jennifer O’Neill is one of those that hit that one high point in her career and then kind of just drifted along despite varying degrees of success as her career continued for years to come. Summer of ’42 was her one highlight in a career that has otherwise been largely forgotten by a lot of people, save for those that have continued to follow her throughout the years. Some might think that there’s inherent insult laced within any words that are not entirely congratulatory to an actor of any caliber, but instead, there’s a great deal of respect, but the type that comes from knowing that the woman did what she set out to do when it came to becoming an actress and someone that could make her career work, but has for many years now been a middling talent, someone that gets by and does what she can, which isn’t horrible, but isn’t worth the notice of a massive audience obviously. There’s still respect for an actress that managed to make something that people thought was one of the best movies of the time, and the fact that she’s stuck around is another reason to be respectful.
When looking at Jennifer’s career it is apparent that she’s been a part of show business for a while and has managed to stake her claim to the cinematic experience in many ways. But the reality that someone can virtually disappear from sight while still pushing forward is something that a lot of people still don’t realize is possible. Taking on movies that don’t make as much money, aren’t considered as big of a project like many others, and are generally considered to be less of a big deal than anything else are a few of the ways that an actor can go without being noticed for a long time. Sometimes it’s a conscious decision that keeps people from trying to rise too high in their career, while at other times it’s something that they don’t possess or something that they showed but can’t replicate in a meaningful way. There are literally so many ways to explain why an actor might just fall off the map one day that trying to list them all would take a great deal of time and a lot of people would probably find themselves embroiled in one or more debates concerning how it happens and why.
As of now, it doesn’t appear that Jennifer has engaged in any projects since 2016, which could mean that she decided to take a prolonged break or that she’s thinking of retiring for good, though her bio still lists her as active. It’s hard to say really what she’s planning on doing with the rest of her career, but being that she’s currently in her 70s and living on a horse ranch it feels safe to state that she’s probably enjoying herself at this time and isn’t really giving a lot of thought to coming back in a big way, since taking time to simply enjoy family and good times might take precedence at this time, which would be completely understandable. Trying to predict what actors are going to do once they hit a certain age might appear simple to some folks, but while some actors might come back and make a go of it once again, some of them might figure that staying away is easier and definitely preferable since it’s far less personal maintenance to worry over and if they’ve invested wisely over the years it’s easy to think that they can stay away for a long, long time and never have to worry about another payday, which to many of them might be kind of a clincher. In Jennifer’s case, it does feel as though she might be considering this, and that her retirement status might need to be updated, though there’s still a chance that she might come back at some point, so perhaps the business isn’t quite done with her yet.
If it does happen then perhaps it will be time to place her in a project where people can remember who she is and why she’s worth the effort since otherwise, it does feel as though her talent might be wasted if she were brought back and only allowed to be an extra or given a role that’s kind of less than effective. But again, it’s her decision if such a thing happens, and if it does happen then hopefully people would welcome her back with open arms. Until that time though, one can only hope that she has a good time and is enjoying her life.
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