Uma Thurman (55) Explains Why She Never Lived in Los Angeles

Uma Thurman opened up about why she never made Los Angeles her home and how that choice affected her career. In a cover story for InStyle, the 55-year-old actress reflected on her decades-long career and admitted that staying away from Hollywood came with some professional trade-offs.

“I actually always wished I had moved to Los Angeles,” Thurman said, talking about her connection to the film industry. Despite being an iconic action star and a frequent collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, she has lived mainly in New York.

Thurman became famous worldwide with her Oscar-nominated role in Pulp Fiction and the physically demanding Kill Bill films. But she believes that not spending much time in Los Angeles kept her from forming deeper connections in Hollywood.

There was a time when Thurman almost moved to LA. “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,” she explained. This unexpected event shifted her focus to her family, and she never made the move permanent.

Living in New York meant that Thurman missed out on the Hollywood social scene. “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 said.

Instead, she found community closer to home, connecting with other mothers in her neighborhood. “I had more of a community with the other mothers at pickup on 16th Street and Rutherford Place, and that’s OK. But I wish I’d had that chapter. I think I really would have liked it,” she added.

Even though staying in New York may have cost her some Hollywood opportunities, Thurman said happiness was more important than career moves. “I think the choice to be happy is one that should be made, regardless of any conditions,” she noted.

Thurman has stayed busy with recent projects. She starred in the 2024 thriller The Kill Room alongside her daughter, Maya Hawke, and appeared in the romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue and the Netflix series Chambers.

She also acted in Old Guard 2 with Charlize Theron and in Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada with Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi. Her daughter Maya has also become a star thanks to her role in Stranger Things. Thurman and Hawke have talked about working together more, creating a new chapter in their family legacy.

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