Ana de Armas Opens Up About Why She Left L.A. to Live ‘Off the Grid’ in Rural Vermont: ‘My Little Cocoon’

Mar. 15, 2025

Ana de Armas in May 2024.Photo:Aitor Rosas Sune/WWD via Getty

Aitor Rosas Sune/WWD via Getty

Ana de Armasis enjoying life far from the bright lights of Hollywood.

After years of being a Los Angeles resident, theGhostedactress, 36, revealed she’s moved into a new home that allows her to live a more peaceful lifestyle while speaking toE! Newson Saturday, Sept. 7.

“I feel like nowadays, we all want to go away from the craziness of the world,” De Armas told the outlet. “We all want to have the chance to build your own safe space. I’ve made that decision myself.”

She continued, “I found a home where I really feel off the grid. I can collect myself and only bring there who I want to be with. I have my little cocoon there.”

TheKnives Outstar, who is originally from Cuba, then dove deeper into exactly why she decided to leave L.A. behind.

“You just feel it when it’s time to change,” she said. “Look out for yourself. There’s a time when you learn what’s good for you and what’s not. What serves you the most? Pay attention to that and take action.”

De Armas previously lived in Venice, Calif., but sheput her home on the market in 2020while she was in a relationship withBen Affleck, PEOPLE previously reported. A source confirmed to PEOPLE at the time that the pair had officially moved in together during a time when their relationship was “strong."

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

After they split in January 2021 following a year of dating, De Armas opened up toELLEin 2022 about how theirhighly publicized relationship contributed to her decision to leave Los Angelesafter living there for seven years.

“That’s one of the reasons why I left L.A. Going through it [myself] confirmed my thoughts about, ‘This is not the place for me to be,'” she explained. “It became a little bit too much. There’s no escape. There’s no way out. … It’s always the feeling of something that you don’t have, something missing. It’s a city that keeps you anxious.”

She then relocated to New York City with her current boyfriend, Tinder executivePaul Boukadakis, per the outlet.

De Armas, who stars in the new thrillerEdenalongsideSydney Sweeney,made historywhen she became the first Cuban actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in a lead role following her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’sBlonde.

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In April 2023, she opened up to PEOPLE about the “surreal” Oscar nomination she received for Best Actress.

“It felt amazing. It was so special,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “Not only the Oscars, it was all those awards, that they just gave the performance that recognition. I feel like I’ve, for so long, waited for the movie to come out. It was such a beautiful, full-circle… I will always remember. It was pretty surreal.”

source: people.com