For all the glitz, gold and glamour, living a life in Hollywood is not for everyone. Los Angeles, and its neighbourhoods like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Calabasas, might have the highest concentration of famous residents in the world – for some, that’s exactly why they want to live there, for others, it’s exactly why they don’t.

Actress Rachel McAdams seems to be part of the latter camp. Two years ago, The Notebook star and her partner-of-nine years, screenwriter Jamie Linden, relocated to a new, quieter home in the South along with their two children and their dogs. Given how seriously they take their privacy as a family, and rightly so, the location of their new home is not known. Until recently, however, they kept their home in Los Feliz in LA too, but it’s come onto the market for just under $4 million (£2.98m).

McAdams reportedly first bought the property in 2011 for $1.67 million (£1.24m) and has added a lot of value in the years since. The secluded four-bedroom home is set on 0.43 acres and comes with its own cinema, a custom bar, two kitchens and an outdoor area equipped with a hot tub, swimming pool and second floor patio. It is also part of a fully gated compound set ‘way above’ the closest street, ensuring complete privacy, and the home itself has been fitted with eight external security cameras.

Apparently, she and her family first moved to escape the chaos of city life, but now that their LA house is on the market, fans are wondering whether McAdams is thinking about stepping away from Hollywood altogether. She might have just wrapped production on Sam Raimi’s upcoming horror film, Send Help, but McAdams has also been vocal about how much she enjoys the quieter pace of her family life, joking with Bustle in 2023 that she’s felt like a ‘milking machine’ in recent years and has baby seats on all her bicycles.

The Mean Girls actress also admitted that her new home affords her the ability to take breaks away from the film industry, something she struggled with in the early years of fame. After experiencing what felt like overnight stardom in the early noughties following her breakout roles in The Notebook and Mean Girls, which both came out in 2004, McAdams took a two-year career break. ‘I felt guilty for not capitalising on the opportunity that I was being given because I knew I was in such a lucky spot,’ she reflected. ‘But I also knew it wasn’t quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane. You don’t go to theatre school to learn about how to deal with that. There’s no book on how to navigate that.’

During that window, McAdams passed up roles in films like The Devil Wears Prada, Casino Royale, Mission: Impossible III, Iron Man and Get Smart. She has herself wondered if she made a mistake, admitting there were ‘anxious moments’ where she wondered whether passing on a big role meant she was throwing her success away.

However, the opposite turned out to be true. In many ways, having a break from the industry allowed her to feel ‘empowered’. She added, ‘It helped me feel like I was taking back some control. And I think it sort of allowed me to come in from a different doorway.’

While McAdams has, of course, been active in recent years – making her debut on Broadway last year in Mary Jane and starring in the hit adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Maragaret in 2023 – she has never emulated those feverish early years of fame, which feels like a conscious decision.

For the best part of a decade, McAdams was a romcom mainstay, featuring in hit films like The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Vow and About Time. These roles cemented her status as both a Hollywood star and a cultural icon – someone people lusted over, aspired to be like and wanted to know more about. However, even after her first career break, it’s clear that McAdams has struggled with that side of fame. Despite a career as a Hollywood actress, she has no detectable desire to be ‘famous’ or the centre of attention, and does not seem like someone who has ever wanted to commercialise their success any more than is necessary.

As for her personal life, McAdams has always done an impressive job of keeping details private. She has never shared pictures or indeed the names of her two children, now four and six years old, and little is known about her relationship with Linden, which began in 2016. In fact, pictures of their home on the market offer a rare glimpse into what family life once looked life for them in LA.

With that in mind, it makes sense that she and Linden would want to create some distance between their family and the Hollywood lifestyle. Evidently, they are happy enough in their new location to make it a permanent one – perhaps putting their LA property on the market is a sign that they are ready to move on.

The house sale might not prove that she’s retiring from acting, but it certainly suggests she’s comfortable living away from the spotlight. McAdams, then, is one of those rare and reluctant stars who has learned first-hand how difficult it is to have a thriving career in Hollywood and a private life at the same time. As far as balancing acts go, she’s done a pretty masterful job of it so far.