13 Reasons Why Star Dylan Minnette Reveals Why He Quit Acting Career

Dylan Minnette, one of the stars of 13 Reasons Why and Goosebumps, says he quit acting because he felt like he was losing his passion for it. Minnette, who pivoted to music around the time he appeared in 2022’s Scream, said that acting was “starting to feel like just a job” when he stepped away. He also admitted, while speaking with The Zach Sang show about his work, that he has considered a return to acting — but that around the time he considered looking for work, the writers and actors went on strike last year.

The actor admits he has “the itch” to get back into the business, and obviously he has not been out of it for too long, but given his approach and the current market, we’ll see how long it takes to get him back to business.

“I was fortunate to find success in [acting],” Minnette said. “I was on 13 Reasons Why and it was really popular and definitely reached a peak. But it also started to feel like a bit of a job. I was in a very fortunate position. It was always fun for me, always really inspiring, but then it was just starting to feel like just a job.”

You can see the full context of his comments below.

“I do feel like I have something to give, and that’s probably acting,” Minnette said. “I feel like I’m starting to feel inspiration for that again. At some point, when we’ve fulfilled our Wallows duties and we’re all ready to take a break as a band, that’s when I’ll have the perfect inspiration to do something.”

In the meantime, he acknowledges that it’s important to treat the band seriously, lest the audience assume it’s just a distraction from his “real” work.

“I feel like I’m in a position now where I can just kind of like do that for a while and get this the farthest it can be,” Minnette added. “The only way that’s gonna happen is if I put my 100 percent time and energy into it and take it very seriously and show the world that we all take this very seriously. This is a real band. We’re going to do real band things.”

Minnette started his career with small roles on shows like Drake and Josh and Two and a Half Men when he was 8. He worked pretty consistently until 2022, when he appeared in both Scream and the Elizabeth Holmes series The Dropout.