MacGraw opened up about her life and now lives in a “tiny” cottage in the mountains.
Beloved Hollywood actress Ali MacGraw is mainly known for her epic portrayals in the 70s classics “Love Story” and “The Getaway.” On Thursday evening, the 84-year-old stepped out to dinner with a few companions, at a Mexican restaurant, which was more than thrilled to host her and posted a picture of the group of friends on their Facebook account.
A fully silver-haired MacGraw was seen cheesing as she posed for the picture amongst her friends. The “Just Tell Me What You Want” actress rocked a comfy-looking navy long-sleeved shirt with beige pants and eccentric metallic earrings that framed her beautiful make-up-free face.
Though the ageless beauty has taken to embracing her looks as they naturally progress with age, she did not always have an affinity for the carefree spirit that some women garner when it comes to aging. A few years ago, MacGraw expressed her fears about turning 80:
“In November, I started to wake up in the middle of the night thinking, ‘Oh my God, the rest of the trip is so short compared to the one behind me. I’m going to be 80.’ I’d never felt like that before.”
MacGraw felt as though she reached an age where she started to take more notice of the timeline of her mortality. She described being more consciously aware of how her past, dating back to her childhood, set the grounds for who she is today.
She goes on to say that there comes a point in one’s life where one must confront past mistakes and regrets head-on and walk through the fire (so to speak) to get to the other side. She no longer wanted to sit in anger and pretend that she had not been affected by negative experiences.
While speaking about how different her journey of self-discovery looks in her elder years vs. where she was in her youth, MacGraw credits the amount of work and concentration she put in to gain clarity. By putting a concentrated amount of focus into changing her perspective, she reports being happier in her senior years:
“I don’t want to sit in anger anymore, pretending everything’s wonderful because I want people to like me, but seething underneath. But that takes work and concentration to change, [and] I couldn’t have done it [alone]. So the years go by, [and] I’m lucky, I am blessed and happy, and doing the best I can.”
The “Goodbye, Columbus” talent now resides in a quaint village north of Santa Fe in New Mexico. The charming spot is called Tesuque, and the reason why MacGraw moved there was primarily based on global warming environmental concerns.
She revealed how her decision came after her house in Malibu had tragically burned down as a result of the annual forest fires in California. Having been afraid of the frequency of natural disasters, including the massive drought in the region, she packed up and moved on.
Though she eventually found her home in Tesuque, MacGraw did attempt to first look at acquiring a smaller property near Malibu that would be fit and safe for herself and her animals in terms of air pollution. After she failed to find a suitable home in California while helping a friend design her home in New Mexico, MacGraw rented out a tiny cottage where she still lives currently:
“I live in a little village north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, called Tesuque. I had helped a friend design her house [there]. I bought a tiny cottage there which is where I still live in the mountains… I love my life.”
During her Zoom interview with Rappler, in which she was speaking about everything, she had even adorned beautifully designed Native American-inspired jewelry, of which she reports being an avid collector. Currently, she has halted her acting career to enjoy her privacy and spend time working as a designer with an organization called Ibu, which she also enjoys immensely.
Despite her marriages not working out, MacGraw was blessed to become a mother to her son, Josh.
At one point during the interview, MacGraw briefly touched on her past. She disclosed how, as mentioned earlier, by doing the groundwork of uncovering the experiences she may not have enjoyed, she discovered new avenues to self-awareness and fostering the kind of life she wants to lead.
MacGraw spoke about how recognizing her contributions to why her past three marriages may not have worked out helped her journey of self-discovery during her 40s. Now blessed with a wonderful life, she wakes up grateful every day:
“I start my day in gratitude, [and]…I guess it’s many decades of work, but I’m grateful for it because I’m happy, and I feel very grounded. I don’t feel frightened. I am certainly one of the luckiest people I’ve ever heard of.”
MacGraw has married a total of three times but is currently single. Being such a hot commodity and influencer back in her heyday, which Calvin Klein called an exemplification of the great American style, the beauty was hugely sought-after. After her first marriage to Robin Hoen, which lasted for two years, she married then-Paramount Pictures CEO, Robert Evans.
The ex-couple was married for three years and welcomed their son, Josh Evans, in 1971. However, once MacGraw started filming “The Getaway,” she engaged in an affair with her co-star, Steve McQueen.
Their affair started on the first day of filming, and eventually, MacGraw decided to divorce Evans and pursue a relationship with McQueen instead. However, after marrying, their relationship took a turn for the worst.
Apparently, McQueen was a jealous man who forced MacGraw to give up her career. They eventually divorced after five years of marriage, and MacGraw was left with nothing due to the prenuptial agreement she had signed.
In her sit-down interview with Rappler, MacGraw candidly addressed her relationship with McQueen. She explained what a complicated man McQueen had been, stemming from what she described as a harrowing childhood. Bearing no ill will toward her ex, she went on to say:
“We had a very strong relationship in our hearts – I think forever… When he was good, he was very, very good, and when he was bad, he was horrid…but it didn’t diminish for me how much I loved him.”
Despite her marriages not working out, MacGraw was blessed to become a mother to her son, Josh. The proud mama bear never misses an opportunity to boast about and gush over her son, who has followed in his mother’s footsteps, pursuing a career in acting, even though he divulged that he had not always had an affinity for the entertainment industry:
“I think the first job I ever wanted to do was not in the film business. I was not one of these kids who wanted to be an actor; it just came about.”
However, having found a greater passion for being behind the camera instead of in front of it, he turned to directing instead of acting. After his first marriage, he welcomed his son Jackson Evans with his current wife, Roxy Saint, making MacGraw a delighted, doting grandmother.
MacGraw has found sanctuary and peace in her quaint little village of Tesuque. With no plans to return to acting any time soon, the Hollywood icon is happily focused on embracing her life to the fullest with her cultural and designer pursuits.
