Uma Thurman Reflects on Skipping Los Angeles, Finding Community Beyond Hollywood

Actress Uma Thurman says she built a decades-long career without ever fully living in Los Angeles, a decision she now views with both acceptance and lingering curiosity.

In a recent cover interview with InStyle, Thurman said she “never did time in Los Angeles,” explaining that her absence from the city meant she did not fully integrate into the professional community centered there. Instead, she found connection elsewhere, closer to home.

“I had more of a community with the other mothers at pickup on 16th Street and Rutherford Place,” Thurman said, describing her experience raising her children in New York. While she acknowledged that choice came with trade-offs, she added, “I wish I’d had that chapter. I think I really would have liked it.”

Thurman said she once came close to relocating, even signing a lease in California during a period of frequent work on the West Coast. However, those plans shifted when she became pregnant shortly afterward, prompting her to prioritize family life over proximity to Hollywood.

Despite not embedding herself in Los Angeles’s industry circles, Thurman established a prominent career spanning nearly four decades. She gained early recognition with her role in 1988’s “Dangerous Liaisons” before achieving widespread acclaim as Mia Wallace in 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.” Her performance earned an Academy Award nomination and helped solidify her status as a leading actress.

She later starred in films such as 1997’s “Gattaca” and rose to action stardom with 2003’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” and its sequel, directed by Quentin Tarantino. The franchise became a defining moment in her career, expanding her reputation beyond dramatic roles to include physically demanding performances.

More recently, Thurman has continued to take on varied projects, including upcoming releases such as the action-thriller “Pretty Lethal.”

Alongside her professional accomplishments, Thurman has emphasized her role as a mother. She shares two children, Maya and Levon, with actor Ethan Hawke, whom she met while filming “Gattaca.” The pair married in 1998 and divorced in 2005. She also has a daughter, Luna, with financier Arpad Busson.

Her children have increasingly entered the entertainment industry themselves, with Maya Hawke establishing a career as an actress and musician, and Levon Hawke pursuing acting roles.

Reflecting on her life choices, Thurman said she does not dwell on missed opportunities. “I think the choice to be happy is one that should be made, regardless of any conditions,” she said.