How the biggest stars of the decade have changed, 2010-2019

By Bryanne Salazar 7:52am PDT, Oct 30, 2019

Who would've guessed that the biggest names in Hollywood 10 years ago would still be dominating headlines today? Join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at 12 stars then and now to see how their lives have changed over the last decade… starting with the baddest in the business, Jennifer Lopez. In 2010, this Grammy-nominated singer, dancer and actress was busier than ever at 40. In addition to raising 2-year-old twins with one of Latin America's hottest singers (ahem, Marc Anthony), J.Lo was working on her seventh studio album, signing on as a L'Oreal brand ambassador, releasing her third women's fragrance, launching a clothing line with Kohl's and joining the judging panel on Season 10 of "American Idol." She also headlined one of the biggest romantic comedies of the year, "The Back-Up Plan," a film about a single mom who meets the man of her dreams immediately after getting pregnant through artificial insemination. Since then, so much has changed for this triple threat…

In 10 years, Jennifer Lopez has done a lot more than most of us will do in our entire lifetime. After dropping her album "Love?" in 2011, she and third husband Marc Anthony announced their separation. The same year, she began a long on-off romance with dancer Casper Smart — the tabloids loved it as he was 18 years her junior. J.Lo launched her first world tour, dubbed "Dance Again," and followed it up with the release of her compilation album "Dance Again… the Hits." Through it all, she continued to serve as a judge on "American Idol. By 2014, Marc and Jennifer's divorce had been finalized; the same year, she opened up about their failed romance as well as the pain of her breakup with Ben Affleck a decade earlier in her memoir "True Love." She also kept making music, releasing her eighth studio album, "A.K.A.," the same year. More film roles followed, including in "The Boy Next Door," "Home" and "Ice Age: Collision Course," but new music largely failed to make an impact on radio. In 2016, she began starring on and producing the TV drama "Shades of Blue" and kicked off a successful Las Vegas residency chock-full of her old hits, which lasted until 2018. She also announced her departure from "Idol" in 2016 — only to launch a competition series closer to her heart, "World of Dance." In 2017, Jennifer fell for retired MLB star Alex Rodriguez and he proposed in 2019, which was another busy year: She starred in "Second Act" and "Hustlers," got engaged to A-Rod, turned 50 and started filming the 2020 romantic comedy "Marry Me."

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After a troubled past involving drug addiction and multiple arrests, Robert Downey Jr. got clean and got his life together, which led to his landing one of the most pivotal roles of his career — the titular superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster "Iron Man" — in 2008. 2010 saw more forward momentum with the release of "Iron Man 2" and the adventure-comedy flick "Due Date" co-starring Zach Galifianakis. He also took home a Golden Globe that year for his starring performance in 2009's "Sherlock Holmes."

Ten years might as well have been a blink of an eye for Robert Downey Jr. In addition to starring in 11 new films — including 2019's multi-billion-dollar blockbuster hit "Avengers: Endgame" — RDJ became one of the highest paid actors in the world, earning an estimated $66 million in 2015 alone thanks to his back-end profit participation deal with Marvel. On the personal side, he welcomed two children with his wife, film producer Susan Downey — Exton in 2012 and Avri in 2014. Through it all, Robert has maintained his sobriety and his focus on being a healthy role model for his children, including his oldest son, Indio Downey, who struggled with drug addiction in 2014 but has since found sobriety with his father's support. Robert kicks off the next decade with another big adventure movie — January 2020's "Dr. Dolittle" — and is rumored to have a role in the May 2020 Marvel origin story film "Black Widow." We'll also get to see him reprise the titular role in 2021's "Sherlock Holmes 3."

In 2010, everyone knew Scarlett Johansson's name. The stunning actress's movie credits included "Girl With the Pearl Earring," "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which showcased Scarlett's incredible allure. 2010 also marked her transformation from a screen siren to total bad a– thanks to her work in "Iron Man 2," in which she played Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. ScarJo also made her Broadway debut as Catherine in the revival of "A View From the Bridge" — and won a Tony Award for her efforts. But by year's end, Scarlett's personal life had suffered a blow as she and husband Ryan Reynolds announced their separation shortly before Christmas.

2011 brought the end of Scarlett Johansson's marriage to Ryan Reynolds and the release of a new film, "We Bought a Zoo." The following year, ScarJo returned to Broadway with "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and starred in the first "Avengers" film as well as the biopic "Hitchcock." The Golden Globe nominee also started a new relationship in 2012 with French journalist-turned-art curator Romain Dauriac. More buzzy films followed including "Her," "Don Jon," "Chef," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Lucy." In 2014, Scarlett and Romain welcomed a daughter, Rose, and married. Scarlett's film credits continued to grow with movies like "Hail, Caesar!," "The Jungle Book," "Captain America: Civil War," "Ghost in the Shell" and "Rough Night" — the latter two of which tanked at the box office. Her marriage to Romain seemed to be going well, with the two opening a gourmet popcorn shop in Paris in 2016. However, by that summer, it was over, and she filed for divorce in early 2017. After guest starring on "Saturday Night Live," she fell for her next great love, "Weekend Update" anchor and "SNL" writer Colin Jost, to whom she became engaged in May 2019. Scarlett's film credits at the end of the decade include several Marvel blockbuster hits like "Avengers: Infinity War," "Captain Marvel" and "Avengers: Endgame." She closes out the decade in November 2019's "Jojo Rabbit" and December 2019's "Marriage Story." And in 2020, she'll headline her own Marvel movie, "Black Widow."

Taylor Swift had just turned 20 when 2010 rolled around but she was already a worldwide phenomenon. The four-time Grammy-winning country music star had just released her chart-topping third studio album, "Speak Now," which included hit singles like "The Story of Us," "Dear John," "Back to December" and "Mean" and kicked off the second leg of her "Fearless" tour, which kept her busy — but not too busy for love. In addition to appearing in her first on-screen role in the 2010 romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," the singer was linked to three famous men that year following her late-2009 split from Taylor Lautner: John Mayer, Cory Monteith and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Over the last decade, Taylor Swift has continued to remind us that success has no limit. From releasing four new albums to embarking on five world tours to taking home six additional Grammy Awards — including her second album of the year prize, for "1989" — Taylor's shown a work ethic unmatched by most her age. She also released two popular singles that were on movie soundtracks (from "The Hunger Games" and "Fifty Shades Darker" — the former earned a Grammy and the latter scored a Golden Globe nomination). Taylor returned to the big screen with a voice role in 2012's "The Lorax" and an acting role in 2014's "The Giver." The decade was good for her bank account too: She topped the Forbes Celebrity 100 list of top-earning entertainers in both 2016 and 2019. On Dec. 20, 2019 — just a few days after her 30th birthday — we'll get to see Taylor in theaters again, this time as the feline Bombalurina in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Cats." Taylor became a tabloid darling over the decade thanks to some high-profile romances with guys including political family scion Conor Kennedy, music stars Harry Styles and Calvin Harris and actor Tom Hiddleston. But since late 2016, only one man has owned her heart: British actor Joe Alwyn, who was the inspiration for her 2019 album, "Lover."

Even if we didn't see Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith on the big screen in 2010, the rapper, producer, actor, writer and director was still making his presence known. That year, Big Willie worked behind the scenes as a producer on the reboot of "The Karate Kid," which starred his son, Jaden Smith. Will and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, kept their focus on their family that year, also helping daughter Willow Smith release her first single, "Whip My Hair," which dominated the charts.

For Will Smith, the last decade has been all about balance. His first film following the 2008 emotional drama "Seven Pounds" didn't come until 2012, when he starred in the three-quel "Men in Black 3." Behind the scenes, he kept the momentum going as a producer on numerous films, documentaries and series including "This Means War," "Sprinter," "Annie" and "Cobra Kai." Will's film roles that followed included the massive 2013 box-office flop "After Earth" as well as "Focus," "Concussion" (which earned him a Golden Globe nod), "Suicide Squad" and "Collateral Beauty." 2017 took Will to Netflix in the sci-fi crime-fantasy project "Bright," which divided critics. In 2018, Will added TV host to his resume with the documentary series "One Strange Rock." 2019 has so far been exceptionally busy. First, Will appeared as Genie in the successful Disney live-action remake of "Aladdin," which he followed with the major flop "Gemini Man." Will — who at the end of the decade curated one of the best celebrity Instagram accounts in the game — also appeared in the TV special "Reel Life." He has a few fun projects in the pipeline: the adventure documentary "Will Smith's Bucket List," the animated comedy "Spies in Disguise" and roles in the 2020 films "Bad Boys For Life" and "King Richard." The cherry on top? Will and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are still going strong after more than two decades of marriage.

By 2010, Lady Gaga had established herself as one of the hottest and wildest musical performers on the planet. Following the release of her 2008 debut, "The Fame," Gaga was deep in performance mode at the turn of the decade, selling out venues for her worldwide "The Monster Ball" tour while steadily working on new music for what would become her sophomore album. 2010 also brought her first two Grammy wins. She was also in a serious though on-and-off relationship with bartender Luc Carl, who inspired many of her early hits.

What hasn't Lady Gaga done in the last decade?! The chart-dominating singer released a total of seven albums including the platinum-selling "Born This Way," which hit No. 1 in 10 countries, hit the road for four world tours and debuted two Las Vegas residency shows. She also launched an impressive acting career, appearing in films like "Machete Kills" and "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" as well as two seasons of TV's "American Horror Story" — which earned Gaga her first Golden Globe Award. Of course, all of this is just a footnote to her more recent success from her starring role in the 2018 remake of "A Star is Born" alongside actor-director Bradley Cooper. While their on-screen chemistry fueled endless speculation that the two had fallen in love, the film actually produced something more tangible: Gaga's first Oscar, for best original song for the epic single "Shallow," plus another Golden Globe and two Grammys. Gaga closed out the decade as a single woman after ending engagements to actor Taylor Kinney and talent agent Christian Carino.

We might not have seen Brad Pitt on the big screen in 2010, but that didn't mean he wasn't one of the hottest men in Hollywood at the time. The Oscar-nominated actor, who was just coming off the massive success of Quentin Tarantino's 2009 war flick "Inglourious Basterds," was working behind the scenes that year as a producer to bring us "Eat Pray Love" and "Kick-A–" while also lending his voice to Metro Man in the animated comedy "Megamind." On the home front, things had never been better for Brad and his love, Angelina Jolie. Rumors that year even falsely claimed that the parents of six had secretly tied the knot despite promising not to wed until marriage was legal for everyone in America.

Although his love of flat caps has remained, Brad Pitt's undergone some huge changes over the last decade. He starred in or produced a slew of films including "Moneyball" (earning a best actor Oscar nod), "World War Z," "12 Years a Slave" (winning a best picture Oscar for producing the acclaimed film), "The Big Short" (another Oscar nod), "Allied," "War Machine" and "Deadpool 2" — just to name a few. Of the 16 films in which Brad appeared over the decade, he produced eight of them, as well as several other critically lauded films like "Selma," "Beautiful Boy" and "If Beale Street Could Talk." His career and personal life were at an all-time high in 2014 when he and Angelina married at their chateau in France. Sadly, in 2016, their 11-year romance came to an end when Angie filed for divorce following an altercation on an airplane reportedly between Brad and their oldest son, Maddox. Following their split, Brad revealed in a heartfelt interview with GQ magazine that his alcoholism had played a role in the demise of his marriage; he also said he'd sobered up and started therapy. In 2019, a healthier and happier Brad returned to the big screen with two blockbuster hits, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and "Ad Astra" — the latter of which he also produced. Up next for Brad in the next decade? The drama "Babylon" and the sequel "World War Z 2."

Unlike then-partner Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie had two films come out in 2010. One was the beautiful but chemistry-free "The Tourist" opposite Johnny Depp, and the other was the exciting mystery-thriller "Salt." As if making movies and raising six kids wasn't impressive enough, the Oscar winner also continued her work as a global humanitarian, with the UNHCR promoting her from Goodwill Ambassador to Diplomat for the UN Refugee Agency at the turn of the decade.

Angelina Jolie launched a new career early in the decade — director. She made her directorial debut with "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in 2011 and followed that up with "Unbroken" in 2014. She also focused on her health: After genetic tests showed she carried a mutated BRCA1 gene, which predisposes her to developing breast and ovarian cancers — her mother died from the diseases at 56 — she publicly revealed she'd undergone an elective double mastectomy in 2013 and a year later had her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed as a preventative measure. In 2014 — the year she married Brad Pitt and earned an honorary Oscar for her humanitarian work — Angelina returned to the big screen in Disney's "Maleficent." Only a few more movies followed, including 2015's poorly received "By the Sea" opposite Brad (she also wrote, directed and produced it), and 2016's "Kung Fu Panda 3." After Angie left Brad in 2016, kicking off a bitter custody and divorce battle, we saw little of the actress on screen (aside from in the 2017 video short "Mon Guerlain: Notes of a Woman") as she focused on her family. However, Angie still kept one foot in Hollywood, producing "The Breadwinner" and directing "First They Killed My Father" while continuing her humanitarian work. In 2019, Angelina returned to the big screen in "Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil." Up next are the films "Come Away," "Those Who Wish Me Dead" and, perhaps most exciting of all, the 2020 Marvel action-adventure flick "Eternals."

While Bradley Cooper had been in Hollywood for more than a decade, it wasn't until he starred in 2009's "The Hangover" that he became a household name. In 2010, he rode the wave of his newfound fame, appearing in "The A-Team" and "Valentine's Day" and dating A-list star Renee Zellweger.

In the last 10 years, Bradley Cooper went from being a hot guy in a comedy to one of Hollywood's most visible stars. Morphing from co-star to leading man, Bradley's first headlining film was 2011's "Limitless," which he also produced. More movies followed including "Silver Linings Playbook," "American Hustle" and "American Sniper" — all of which earned him Oscar nominations. He also lent his voice to Rocket Raccoon in "Guardians of the Galaxy" Volumes 1 and 2 as well as the final two "Avengers" films. In 2018, Bradley's acclaim reached an all-time high when he starred in, wrote, directed and produced the remake of "A Star is Born," scoring three Oscar nominations in the process and sparking endless speculation about his relationship with co-star Lady Gaga. Up next for Bradley — who split from model Irina Shayk in 2019 after a four-year romance that produced a daughter, Lea — is 2020's "Bernstein," 2021's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" and two films still in pre-production: "Nightmare Alley" and "Atlantic Wall."

By the time 2010 rolled around, Beyonce had left the girl group Destiny's Child in her rearview and scored three No. 1 solo albums, four solo world tours, a short-and-sweet Las Vegas residency, 14 Grammys (taking home six that very year), two Golden Globe nominations and roles in three major motion pictures: the Oscar-winning musical "Dreamgirls," the biopic "Cadillac Records" and the thriller "Obsessed." It didn't hurt that while sitting on top of the world, she was also married to one of the most successful rappers of all time, JAY-Z.

Beyonce spent the next decade reigning as Queen Bey. She dropped three more studio albums, a live album, a soundtrack album, three EPs, more singles than we can count, four more world tours, two more residencies and a whole bunch of headline-making performances (like a 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show set and a 2018 Coachella headlining slot). The savage songbird also earned seven more Grammys and welcomed three children into the world: Blue Ivy Carter in 2012 and twins Rumi and Sir in 2017. Of course, she also taught us a thing or two about forgiveness, when — through the music of her album "Lemonade" — she revealed her heartbreak over JAY-Z's infidelity (which he confirmed in interviews and on his own "4:44" album) and her empowering decision to forgive him and move forward. Beyonce continued to walk the walk with the release of her and JAY-Z's duet album "The Carters: Everything is Love," which won them both a Grammy for best urban contemporary album. In 2019, Beyonce made a soundtrack album for Disney's "The Lion King" remake and lent her voice to the character Nala. She also released her first Netflix documentary, "Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce," which showcased her powerhouse Coachella performances.

At the start of the decade, Rihanna was living proof that nothing can keep a (good) bad girl down. After emerging from the nightmare of a violent 2009 assault at the hands of her then-boyfriend, Chris Brown, the "Umbrella" singer dropped her fifth studio album, "Loud," and launched her "Last Girl On Earth" world tour in 2010. She took home two new Grammys — for her song "Run This Town" — and had six hit singles including "Rude Boy" dominating the airwaves.

Rihanna's overwhelming success over the past decade has surprised absolutely no one. The talented Bajan beauty kept the music bumping with three new albums including 2011's "Talk That Talk" and four world tours, including her powerful concert series with Eminem, 2014's "The Monster Tour." She even managed to sweep up six new Grammys along the way. In 2012, RiRi appeared on the big screen in the action flick "Battleship" and the comedy "This is The End." Other films she did include "Annie," "Home," "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," "Ocean's Eight" and Netflix's "Guava Island." Venturing outside of music and movies, Rihanna partnered with LVMH to launch the wildly successful Fenty Beauty brand in 2017, the Savage X Fenty lingerie line in 2018 and a fashion line in 2019, becoming the first black woman in charge of a major luxury fashion house. In 2019, Forbes branded her the wealthiest female musician in the world thanks to her $600 million fortune. On a more personal note, RiRi found a lasting love: She's been in a serious relationship with billionaire Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel since 2017.

In 2010, Ryan Reynolds was getting a lot of attention for his looks and sex appeal. In fact, the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "The Proposal" star was so hot at the start of the decade, People magazine went ahead and named him that year's Sexiest Man Alive. But he also proved he was more than just a pretty face with the release of the gritty 2010 thriller "Buried," which was filmed entirely inside a coffin. The year ended with sad news: Ryan and first wife Scarlett Johansson announced that their marriage was over.

Ryan Reynolds' talent, humor and undeniable sexiness have kept us lining up at the box office for the last 10 years as he starred in "Deadpool" (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination) and its sequel, "Life," "The Hitman's Bodyguard" and more. He's so charismatic, we've almost forgotten that he was in the massive 2011 flop "Green Lantern." In 2012, Ryan married Blake Lively, with whom he's since welcomed three daughters. He also launched a spirits brand, Aviation Gin. But Ryan hasn't stopped making movies, delivering a starring turn in 2019's "Pokemon Detective Pikachu" and a fun cameo in "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." In late 2019, fans can catch Ryan in the action-thriller flick "6 Underground." He's also got eight more films in the works including 2020's "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard," "Free Guy," "Red Notice" and "The Croods 2." If you aren't already following Ryan on Twitter, you should, because between roasting his wife with hilarious birthday pictures and doling out terrible parenting wisdom, Ryan's quite possibly one of the funniest people in Hollywood.

Joe Kohen / WireImage