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’80s star Kelly LeBrock is reflecting on why she abruptly left Hollywood at the height of her fame.
The 65-year-old actress launched her modeling career when she was 16 and later rose to stardom with leading roles in 1984’s “The Woman in Red” and 1985’s “Weird Science.” In 1987, LeBrock married action star Steven Seagal, with whom she later co-starred in the 1990 hit “Hard to Kill.” The former couple welcomed three children before their highly publicized divorce in 1996.
Following their split, LeBrock quit the entertainment industry and moved to a ranch near Santa Barbara, California, where she raised her children. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, LeBrock recalled her decision to flee the spotlight for a simpler life.
“I ran away. I didn’t step away,” LeBrock clarified. “I ran away.”
Kelly Lebrock recalled how she “ran away” from Hollywood. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images; John Kisch Archive/Getty Images)
She continued, “I was never impressed with myself or Hollywood. I never really cared about it. And I did the right thing.”
‘80S STAR KELLY LEBROCK TALKS NEW FILM ’TOMORROW’S TODAY,’ WHY SHE LEFT HOLLYWOOD FOR ‘THE WILDERNESS’
“You know, I could always go back to a career, but I couldn’t go back to my children,” Lebrock added. “And that was the most important thing to me was raising my children, because I grew up in boarding school. At five [years old], I was sent away. And I didn’t want to have that story for my children.”
The New York native, who was also raised in London, and Seagal are parents to daughter Annaliza, 38, son Dominic, 35, and daughter Arissa, 32. While speaking with Fox News Digital, LeBrock shared an update on her children’s lives now. She noted that Annaliza works as a deputy sheriff in Siskiyou County, which is located in the northwestern part of California. Lebrock said that Dominic is currently in Russia, where he is “just starting a film production.”
LeBrock and her ex-husband Steven Seagal are pictured with their baby daughter Annaliza in 1989. (Paul Harris/Getty Images )
“And I have my lovely youngest daughter who can do whatever she likes,” LeBrock said of Arissa, with whom she co-starred in the 2017 Lifetime reality show “Growing Up Supermodel.”
In addition to modeling and acting, Arissa has pursued a career in professional wrestling.
“She’s brilliant at everything,” Lebrock added. So I’m proud of them. I have three wonderful grandchildren.”
The actress is pictured with her daughter Arissa in 2021. (Photo by Ryan Miller/WireImage)
Meanwhile, LeBrock said she has continued to enjoy her quiet life on her ranch in rural Southern California.
“I have a bevy of animals, which is what I was doing,” she said. “I was taking care of the chickens and the sheep and the goats and the horses and the dogs and the cats.”
“So, I really ran away,” LeBrock said. “I mean, the hardest thing for me is not putting on makeup or trying to look nice. It’s trying to get those chin hairs out of my chin. And it’s a whole new world. What can I say? But I’m excited about my future. I’m developing a Kelly Care product, which is going to help people with their wounds for their pets and grooming. And I’m excited about that, but not interested in Hollywood.”
While LeBrock noted that it was her divorce from Seagal that prompted her exit from Hollywood, she explained that she really never felt comfortable in the industry.
“The crowd is very ugly, and I didn’t want any part of that,” she said. “I’m really quite shy, and I’m a homebody. I spent the two years of COVID completely by myself, pretty much in the wilderness. And you learn a lot about yourself when you’re not in the noise.”
“And yeah, life’s good now,” LeBrock added.
LeBrock was a top model in the ‘70s and ’80s. (Photo by Andrea Blanch/Getty Images)
LeBrock was one of the industry’s top models in the 1970s before embarking on her acting career. Shortly after her star-making turn in “Weird Science,” LeBrock became the face of a beauty campaign for the Pantene haircare line and famously appeared in a shampoo commercial in which she delivered the now-iconic line “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”
In a 2012 interview with Allure magazine, LeBrock recalled that she was initially uncomfortable with saying the line and almost left the audition.
“I used to be so insecure and self-conscious that if anybody even looked at me, I’d go red,” LeBrock told the outlet. “So even though it was obviously tongue-in-cheek, it was really difficult to say, ‘Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.'”
During her interview with Fox News Digital, LeBrock explained that she has gained more confidence as she has aged.
“I never thought I was beautiful,” she shared. “I feel more beautiful now than I did then. And that’s sad. Youth is wasted on the young, that’s for sure.”
LeBrock launched her modeling career when she was 16. (John Kisch Archive/Getty Images)
Looking back, LeBrock said that adjusting to her life in “the wilderness” wasn’t that difficult.
“I grew up in a very isolated area, the five, six years of my life, playing in fields and unattended by parents,” she recalled. “And that saved my soul. I think when you can be in nature and be without people, then you get to know yourself, and you’re comfortable.”
However, LeBrock explained that ranch life was not without its perils.
“There’s mountain lions and big rattlesnakes and tarantulas and bears, but the lions are big,” she said. “And the last time I saw one, I ran home on my horse, and I haven’t been down to that area since, because they’re pretty big.”
LeBrock admitted that she never felt beautiful until later in life. (Photo by Micheline Pelletier/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
LeBrock told Fox News Digital that she was disheartened by today’s culture, which she noted was more disconnected from nature. She pointed out how technology’s increasingly dominant role in daily life has limited human interaction.
“I’m really sad for our society,” she said. “You go into an airport, you go into a restaurant, nobody’s talking. They’re all on their phones. It’s like a sickness. It’s like a drug. And I don’t want any part of that. It’s just confusing to me.”
LeBrock starred alongside Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith in “Weird Science.” (Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock )
Despite permanently moving away from Hollywood, LeBrock has made occasional forays back into her former profession.
Over the years, she has made appearances in movies, most recently taking on the role of Donna, a grieving mother and former gangster’s ex-wife, in the 2021 comedy “Tomorrow’s Today.” She has also competed on reality shows, including “Celebrity Fit Club” and “Hell’s Kitchen.”
This year, LeBrock and her “Weird Science” co-stars are celebrating the movie’s 40th anniversary.
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Directed by John Hughes, the Frankenstein-inspired science fiction comedy followed nerdy teenage best friends Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) and Gary (Anthony Michael Hall), who create their dream girl with the help of a computer.
LeBrock played their dream girl named Lisa, who possesses the looks of a model, the intelligence of Albert Einstein, the fashion sense of David Lee Roth, along with superpowers including teleportation and time manipulation.
Actors Ilan Mitchell-Smith and Anthony Michael Hall in the Universal Studio movie “Weird Science.” (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The actress remembered feeling some trepidation after she arrived on set for the first time.
“It was only my second film, and it had been filming for six weeks,” she said. “So to be sort of unknown to go into a film that’s been filming that long with a tribe of people who were all very interwoven, they already were good actors and everything — that was a bit frightening. It was like the first day at boarding school.”
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“And John Hughes was such a child and just an amazing human being,” she added. “And yeah, the cast of characters speak for themselves.”
LeBrock told Fox News Digital that she never imagined “Weird Science” would become so iconic.
“You never think about when you’re doing something, what’s gonna happen,” she said. “You just wanna do a good job and go home. No, you never know. And then sometimes you think something’s gonna be great, and it falls flat on its butt. So yeah, chance is a fine thing.”
LeBrock and Gene Wilder are pictured in “The Woman in Red.” (Photo by Orion/Getty Images)
Robert Downey Jr. also played a minor role in the movie. LeBrock recalled that the “Iron Man” star was a “complete character” on set.
“We never knew how big he was going to be and to have such a small role in an iconic film was interesting to watch how he grew and how he saved his life basically by getting straight,” she said. “That’s a cool story.”
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While speaking with Fox News Digital, LeBrock reflected on why the film continues to resonate with audiences today.
“Because we had fun in those days,” she explained. “There weren’t all these complications that are here today. People actually looked like how they looked. It was just a fun, easygoing period in life.”
“Where if we had cameras and smartphones in those days, we’d all be arrested,” LeBrock added.