It has become a trend in Los Angeles for major stars to leave Hollywood for greener (and more affordable) pastures in states like Texas or countries like Australia. As 2022 continues to roll on, the list of former Tinseltown residents continues to grow as Modern Family’s Ariel Winter moved from California to Virginia. Another star who left Hollywood was No Time to Die’s Ana de Armas, who left the West Coast for East Coast mecca New York City. Months after moving to the East Coast, the The Gray Man actress explained why she left Hollywood, and of course, Ben Affleck is involved.
Moviegoers came to know the rising Hollywood star through roles in high-profile films like Knives Out and Blade Runner 2049. They also got acquainted with her as Affleck’s girlfriend from 2020 to January 2021 after meeting on the set of the erotic thriller Deep Water. One of the rumors surrounding their breakup was de Armas’ apprehension about living in LA full-time. While the actress tried making Hollywood her home, the media focus on their relationship played a part in their breakup as the paparazzi followed her and the The Way Back actor’s every move. The No Time to Die breakout star spilled to Elle what it was like having photographers follow her around Tinseltown.
Horrible. Yeah, which is good. That’s one of the reasons why I left L.A.
Her sentiment on the paparazzi echoed those of Winter, Matthew McConaughey’s wife Camila Alves, and MCU star Chris Hemsworth, among other ex-Los Angelenos. Even before hooking up with Affleck, the rising star had lived in Hollywood for several years as she pursued her acting career in the U.S. She never got used to seeing photogs tracking every Hollywood star’s moves. de Armas spoke on the unease she felt living in a constant fishbowl as she came to a profound realization early on.
Going through it [myself] confirmed my thoughts about, ’This is not the place for me to be. 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.
Having strangers with cameras following and shouting at you 24/7 would scare anyone from getting used to the Hollywood culture. Being in the paparazzi crush was overwhelming, especially at the height of Ana de Armas’ relationship with Affleck. They dealt with being followed regularly as fans wanted to know more about their relationship, especially after moving in together.
Things ramped up more after their breakup when cameras spotted Affleck throwing out a cardboard cutout of his ex after she made headlines with her blunt haircut. Of course, the exes have moved on as the The Tender Bar actor rekindled his romance with Jennifer Lopez. The couple even got engaged again more than two decades after calling off their first engagement. Ana de Armas has since found love with Tinder VP Paul Boukadakis, whom she currently shares a New York home with.
Of course, viewers can watch Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas play an adulterous couple in Deep Water by subscribing to Hulu. The former couple has other projects in the work with Affleck set to appear in Clerks 3 and The Flash. de Armas will appear in two Netflix films this year – Blonde and The Gray Man, which latter will premiere on July 15. If you want to see what else the exes have coming, you can look over CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie schedule.
