Lindsay Lohan; why Hollywood’s biggest star moved to Dubai

Lindsay Lohan was once Hollywood’s most popular child star. The actress delivered memorable performances, one of her most appreciated role was of course when she played twin sisters in the movie Parent Trap.

The actress subsequently launched into an equally successful career as a young actress starring in iconic movies such as Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, and many more.

But then it all suddenly came to a screeching halt… what happened in her life that she took such a prolonged break from her career? Keep reading to learn more.

Lindsay Lohan is now 38 years old and a new mother to her son, Luai, who she gave birth to last year. Apart from her personal successes, the actress is also doing well professionally. Two years ago, she stepped back into her acting career with her holiday movie “Falling for Christmas.”

But the path between has not been easy. Her career was majorly impacted by legal problems and substance abuse issues, and it has taken a while for her to reclaim her life and legacy.

“For me, my whole life, acting is like riding a bicycle. It’s just in me,” said in an interview. 

“Doing films, playing a character, it brings me so much joy to be able to share a story with people. To take people on that journey with me is such a blessing,” the actress said.

The actress is now married to husband Bader Shammas, who she has been linked with since early 2020. The couple were engaged in 2021 and subsequently married in a secret ceremony. The two share their son together and are based in Dubai.

Since her marriage, she has been incredibly happy. She said in an interview, “It’s amazing. I’m really lucky. I found my partner, and he’s an amazing man and we’re a great team.”

She does not share much about her husband but merely said, “He’s the best. I love him so much.”

She moved to Dubai in 2014 and since then has kept a low-key profile, leaving behind the days when she made headlines all the time.

Her first role was when she was 12 years old, she played the role of twin sisters Hallie Parker and Annie James in the 1998 Disney movie “The Parent Trap.” The movie also starred Dennis Quaid and the late Natasha Richardson. She beat over 4000 other young actresses for the role!

Lohan was a huge success immediately following the film as it had gained her both commercial and critical success. The Parent Trap was only the beginning of Lohan’s career as a successful actor. She soon followed it with two major movies which included 2003’s “Freaky Friday,” starring opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, and 2004’s massive hit Mean Girls.

Film critic and pop culture expert Tatyana Arrington shared her thoughts on Lohan’s early life with us, she said, “Lindsay Lohan, much like Amanda Bynes, faced challenges due to her upbringing, but she was an impressive child actor who made her mark early on with roles like Hallie Parker and Annie James in The Parent Trap. From Freaky Friday to Mean Girls, Lohan consistently demonstrated her talent and potential.”

The movie cemented her place as Hollywood’s biggest rising star.

Later in the same year, Lohan released her debut album ‘Speak’ with Casablanca Records and launched her singing career.

Lohan was also a regular feature in most tabloids and teen magazines. In the early 2000s, she made headlines for being in a years-long feud with fellow actress Hilary Duff for their alleged love triange with the late Aaron Carter.

When she turned 18, she revealed she was dating actor Wilmer Valderrama, but the couple broke up just after four months of dating.

The New York native moved to Los Angeles full-time in 2004 and it was then her party girl reputation really began to make headlines. By 2005, the actress was a staple in tabloids and paparazzi relentlessly followed the actress as she went club to club and stayed out late.

Her private life began to bleed into her professional life as the actress was not as present on set as she used to be. Production for her 2005 Disney film “Herbie: Fully Loaded” was famously paused for three days because the actress had been hospitalized because of ‘exhaustion.’

In 2006 the actress was in “Just My Luck,” starring alongside Chris Pine. The movie not only bombed at the box-office but also earned the actress a Golden Raspberry nomination for worst actress.

In the same year she appeared in the movie ‘Georgia Rule’ starring alongside Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman. During filming, she was hospitalized again for being “overheated and exhausted.”

However later on, a leaked letter from the head of the company producing “Georgia Rule” lambasted against Lohan over her work ethic. The letter stated she had “various late arrivals and absences from the set.” Morgan Creek CEO James G. Robinson wrote, “We are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called ‘exhaustion.’”

Her party persona is what the tabloids became fixated on. In a now-famous moment, she was pictured with party girls Britney Spears and Paris Hilton during a night out. The to were reportedly feeding at the time the picture was taken. In another infamous image, Lohan was seen passed out in a car.

In January 2007, Lohan entered a rehabilitation facility to help with her drug problem. This happened during production for her 2007 movie, ‘I Know Who Killed Me.’ In May of the same year, she was arrested for a D.U.I misdemeanor. She went to rehab for the second time that year and was fitted with an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.

Two weeks after her second rehab stint, she crashed her car in Santa Monica, California. She was arrested again and charged with another D.U.I as well as for cocaine possession and driving on a suspended license.

She pleaded guilty to her charges and was sentenced to serve one day in jail, ten days of community service, and to be on probation for three years. She was also fined and ordered to enter an alcohol education program. Later that year, she went to rehab for a third time.

In November 2007, she served 87 minutes of her jail sentence because of overcrowding.

When her film finally released, ‘I Know Who Killed Me’ was met with negative reviews and also bombed at the box office. Some people deemed it as the worst film they had ever seen. She won two worst actresses Golden Raspberry awards for her dual roles in the movie.

After a that, Lohan’s movie offers began to dry up. She had a short-lived guest-starring role on ABC series ‘Ugly Betty.’ The role was cut from six episodes to just four because of her reported feud with the show’s star, America Ferrera.

Later she played the lead role in the comedy ‘Labor Pains’ which was to premiere in theaters but was later aired as a TV movie.

Even during the downfall of her professional life, in her personal life she was still a staple at the clubs. From 2008 to 2009, she was in a high-profile relationship with British DJ Samantha Ronson.

Their public romance turned ugly, also in the public eye, as the two engaged in dramatic fights and took swipes at one another on social media.

Her legal woes were also never ending, as she was found to have been violating probation four times.

She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in rehab. At her hearing, the actress cried and pleaded with the judge. Later when photos of her trial were paid attention to, people noticed her nail had the message ‘F— U’ painted on it.

In 2010, she was reported to have had a physical altercation at a rehab with an employee. She was found guilty of misdemeanor theft in 2011 for stealing a necklace worth $2,500. She was sentenced 120 days in jail, but she served it in house arrest due to overcrowding.

By 2012, she had appeared in court 20 times, and completed six stints in rehab as well as been incarcerated six times. In 2013, as she was filming a TV movie, she was involved in a car accident, which led to another misdemeanor charge.

Because of her legal issues and addiction problems, it made it hard for productions to insure her, and she continued not to find any work.

In 2013, she starred in a low-budget erotic thriller ‘The Canyons,’ which she also co-produced. Most of the money for the movie was raised through Kickstarter and Lohan only received $100 a day for filming, in addition to a share of the profits from ticket sales. 

‘The Canyons’ failed both critically and commercially. Her performance was not praised at all and again, things came out which alluded to Lohan being hard to work with since there was a rumor that she had clashed with director Paul Schrader.

This would be the last time the actress appeared on the big screen for several years. She was the main subject for a 2014 8-part documentary series which aired on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network.

The documentary series followed Lohan as she moved to New York after her her stay in rehab, it shows her trying to rebuild her life and career. Later she tried her hand at theater with a role in David Mamet’s play ‘Speed-the-Plow,’ at London’s West End.

She relocated to Dubai full-time in 2014. During that period, she focused on entrepreneurship, opening three beach clubs in Greece between the years 2016 to 2019. She also starred in MTV reality series, “Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club.”

In 2018, she gave an interview to Emirates Woman and said that moving to Dubai afforded her a ‘fresh start.’ She also spoke out against the ‘party girl’ label bestowed upon her. “What does that even mean?” she asked in the interview.

“I get so uncomfortable with that word, ‘party.’ People are still stuck in the past, of the stories I had in LA, and I hate it. It was all lies.”

Her move to the UAE was fuelled by the desire for anonymity. She said, “I moved here for that purpose. I don’t have to be publicly seen all the time or discuss what I’m doing.” She added, “I get more work done because I don’t have the scrutiny and fixation on what I’m doing every second. I work all the time; my mind never stops.”

She resumed her acting career with a recurring role in the second season for ‘Sick Note’ a British comedy series. She also appeared as a panelist in Australia’s ‘The Masked Singer’ in 2019. She re-signed with Casablanca Records and released her first single in 12 years in April 2020.

Her comeback has been nothing short of impressive. Tatyana Arrington had some thoughts about the starlet’s comeback. She said, “Now, with a wave of nostalgia bringing back the early 2000s, her comeback is gaining momentum. A Freaky Friday reboot is underway, and she’s appeared in the Mean Girls musical and starred in Netflix’s Irish Wish. Everyone, myself included, is excited for her return.”

As for why Arrington suspected her comeback happened, she shared, “Another reason Lindsay Lohan’s comeback has been so successful is due to the overwhelming support from her fans. They have been on this journey with her, rooting for her to succeed. This shared experience offers a sense of inspiration—reminding us that while the path may be rocky, if you’re meant to do something, you’ll find your way back.”

In May 2021, she announced she would star in ‘Falling for Christmas’ for Netflix. The collaboration proved successful with director Christina Rogers saying,”We’re so happy with our collaboration with Lindsay to date, and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with her.”

It seems that Lindsay Lohan is finally making her major comeback. She has made it through to the other side of her problems and is now thriving both in her personal life and her professional life. Share this with others who might want to know the latest news on Lohan!