Key Points
- Signed an LA lease but pregnancy led her to remain in New York, prioritizing family.
- Says not living in LA prevented full integration into Hollywood’s professional community.
- Has no regrets, valuing happiness and New York parenting community over industry connections.
Why They're In The News
UMA Thurman is opening up about a major career what-if.
In a new interview with InStyle, the Kill Bill star revealed she never fully moved to Los Angeles, even as her acting career was taking off, and says that decision may have kept her from feeling fully connected to the Hollywood community.
Thurman shared that she once came close to making the move and even signed a lease in LA while working there frequently.
But shortly after, she became pregnant with her daughter and chose to stay rooted in New York instead, prioritising family life over a permanent Hollywood base.
“I actually always wished I had moved to Los Angeles,” she says.
“I even got an apartment there at one point because I was working there really frequently, and as soon as I signed the lease, I got pregnant with my daughter within, like, six weeks.”
Looking back, Thurman said she sometimes wishes she had spent more time living in Los Angeles because she never really became part of the professional community in the industry.
“I never did time in Los Angeles, and because of that, I kind of never integrated into the community of my own profession, and I think that’s too bad,” she says.
“I had more of a community with the other mothers at pick-up on 16th Street and Rutherford Place, and that’s okay. But I wish I’d had that chapter. I think I really would have liked it.”
Instead, she found a different kind of support system in New York, bonding more with fellow parents in her neighbourhood than with Hollywood insiders.
Even so, the actress made it clear she has no regrets about choosing happiness and family. Thurman reflected positively on the life she built, saying that being happy is a choice that matters no matter the circumstances.
The article also revisits Thurman’s past relationship with Ethan Hawke. The two met while filming Gattaca in 1997, married in 1998, and later divorced.
They share two children, Maya and Levon. Thurman also later welcomed daughter Luna with Arpad Busson.
Why This Matters
Thurman’s decision to stay in New York rather than relocate to LA underscores how geography and parenting choices can shape career networks and opportunities, illustrating the trade-off between professional integration in Hollywood and prioritizing family and personal fulfillment.
