Aaron Paul and his wife, Lauren Paul, have traded life in Los Angeles for a new start in Paris after the catastrophic wildfires that tore through parts of Southern California.
“When the fires happened in LA, we just knew that we were done with LA, so we sold our house in LA and moved to Paris,” the Breaking Bad star told the Daily Mail during an appearance at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday.
“Paris is awesome,” he added, sharing that at 46, he only knows a handful of French phrases — including “bonjour.”
Aaron explained that the relocation was primarily for their children, Story Annabelle, 7, and Ryden Caspian, 3. “We went out there for the kiddos,” he said, noting that he and Lauren, 38, had “always dreamt of doing a year abroad.”
“We just always wanted to be around a completely different culture,” he continued.
The actor revealed that the family is now contemplating staying in the City of Lights beyond their original one-year plan because they’ve been enjoying it more than expected. The move is also meaningful given the couple’s history with the city — they got engaged in Paris in 2012 and later had a Paris-inspired wedding in Malibu in 2013. They listed their Los Feliz home for sale in July.
People reported that the Spanish-style estate, priced at $10 million, previously belonged to notable stars such as Tim Curry, Robert Pattinson, and Jim Parsons. The property boasts a freeform pool, an amphitheater, a koi pond and an outdoor fireplace.
The Pauls are among many Hollywood figures affected when severe wildfires tore through Los Angeles in January, especially in the Palisades and Eaton areas.
Several celebrities lost homes, including Paris Hilton, whose Malibu beachfront house was destroyed. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Heidi Klum, Anna Faris, Miles and Keleigh Teller, Anthony Hopkins, and Eugene Levy also saw their Pacific Palisades residences burned down.
Others — among them Britney Spears — had to temporarily flee their upscale properties as the fires raged.