Highlights
- Lara Flynn Boyle decided to step away from the acting industry and live a more private life due to the constant scrutiny and mean comments she received from the press.
- Boyle does not use smartphones, social media, or even Google, preferring a more peaceful existence away from technology.
- While she starred in the 2020 movie Death in Texas, which received little acclaim, Boyle does not seem to have any upcoming acting roles and appears to be content prioritizing her own happiness and living a quiet life.
Being a famous actor may come with perks, but the constant scrutiny of someone's physical appearance can get old fast. Unfortunately, some stars have received more criticism than others, and the steady stream of mean comments can take their toll. The past few years, the press was tough on Lara Flynn Boyle. The actress realized that she didn't want to live so publicly anymore, and she quickly disappeared. This was a shock for fans who had been hoping to see Boyle act again. She even decided against coming back for the Twin Peaks revival.
It has been years since Lara Flynn Boyle was interviewed, and fans only see glimpses of her in paparazzi photos from time to time. Here's what the actress has been doing...
Lara Flynn Boyle Wanted To Live A Private Life Away From The Acting Industry
Lara Flynn Boyle is definitely part of the long list of celebrities who dislike the paparazzi. After the mean things that strangers have been saying for years, no one could blame the actress for feeling that way.
For a long time, Boyle was on top of the world. After playing Donna Hayward on Twin Peaks in 1990 and 1991, she played Helen Gamble on the legal drama The Practice. Both roles were critically acclaimed and the actress received award nominations for The Practice. She was a familiar face in '90s and 2000s movies as well, most notably for Cafe Society.
In June 2021, Boyle talked to The Hollywood Reporter about what she had been doing since she stopped taking on acting roles. She explained that she doesn't use smartphones, social media, or even Google. It sounds like she wanted to live a much more peaceful existence than what she had previously been experiencing.
Boyle said, “I still have an old phone, not the ones that can look up where you are or where you’re going." She also told The Hollywood Reporter, “Could not tell you how to Google. Couldn’t tell you how to do any of it — nothing!”
What is Lara Flynn Boyle doing these days? She is likely enjoying the quiet and spending time with her husband. The actress was married to John Patrick Dee III from 1996 to 1998. In 2006, she married Donald Ray Thomas. In fact, Boyle's second marriage is proof of the life that she wants to live. TMZ reported that when they got married, the couple only spent $36 and that was because they had to get a marriage license. Boyle wants to do what makes her happy and doesn't appear to focus on what the outside world wants her to do.
The actress is still living in Los Angeles. In March 2023, The NY Post published photos of Boyle near her house. Since she doesn't want to use social media, fans don't have a way of keeping up with her regularly. Of course, since people have been so cruel, that makes sense.
Lara Flynn Boyle Starred In The 2020 Movie Death In Texas
Even though Lara Flynn Boyle stopped acting for many years, she wanted to explore her craft again. She starred in the 2020 movie Death in Texas along with Ronnie Gene Blevins and Bruce Dern.
It's fair to say that the movie was released to little acclaim and fanfare. Critics didn't like it, and it's possible that Boyle's longtime fans didn't even know that she had come back to the industry.
It's possible that Boyle chose this movie because she wanted to star in a quiet movie instead of a mainstream flick that would bring her a lot of attention.
In her interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, Boyle said that she has always been a fan of indie movies. She explained that while people in the industry referred to them as "B movies" and said that they weren't good, she always thought that they were high quality. She also said that instead of auditioning for Death in Texas, she heard about the movie from her team, and she knew that she wanted to be in it.
Boyle said of indie movies, "Now they’re classy and cool and everyone loves them. It’s guerrilla filmmaking, and we all want to make good movies and tell good stories when you don’t care about the size of the trailer or anything."
She continued to The Hollywood Reporter, "It’s like acting camp and to this day, I’m always like, 'Sign me up for acting camp.'"
While Boyle said in the same interview that she had something else coming up, she didn't star in another movie after Death in Texas. As of the summer of 2023, she doesn't have any TV or movie roles coming up. This must be a deliberate choice on her part.
Fans want to know if Lara Flynn Boyle has completely shut the door on acting. It doesn't seem like she began living a quieter life because she hates acting now. Whenever she has spoken to the press, she has never given any indication that she dislikes her career.
In 2013, Boyle talked about Hansel & Gretel Get Baked, the comedic horror retelling of the classic fairy tale that she starred in. She shared why she has always enjoyed her job in an interview with Dread Central.
Boyle said, “Mostly I love being an actor because there is no fear of consequences, and you can do whatever you want, and you don’t get in trouble. So playing ‘Agnes,’ I can’t get in trouble, and all of the things that you want to do and say in real life, I can, and I can get away with it. It’s ideal.”
Maybe if a really cool role comes along, Lara Flynn Boyle will say yes to it and fans will see her again. Until then, she seems to be prioritizing her own happiness and she seems to be at peace with her life.