NEED TO KNOW
- Josh Duhamel says life in the remote Midwestern wilderness feels like he’s “reliving my youth”
- Nearly 20 years ago, the actor purchased a plot of land in Minnesota, which he now enjoys with his wife and kids
- “I had this calling to go and really do things with my hands again,” the Safe Haven star told PEOPLE earlier this year
For Josh Duhamel, sharing a life with his family in a small Midwestern town is like a nostalgic reminder of his past.
Nearly 20 years ago, the Safe Haven star, 52, purchased a plot of land in rural Minnesota as an escape from Hollywood. In the years since, he’s built a house from the ground up for the perfect “off-the-grid” lifestyle. Today, he enjoys the property with his sons Shepherd, 1, Axl, 12, and wife Audra Mari, 31.
“Sixteen, seventeen years ago when I built this place, it was weirdly me almost reliving my youth in a way because I grew up out in the woods in North Dakota” the actor told E! News at the red carpet premiere for his new movie London Calling on Sept. 15. “For me to now be able to pass that on to my kids out there is great.”
He added, “L.A.’s fantastic, but it’s also nice to get them out in the woods and get dirty and learn a few things that I learned growing up.”
In August, the actor opened up in a conversation with PEOPLE about the “calling” he received to get “back to the basics.”
“I make movies and TV shows, and I love it, I truly do love it, but I had this calling to go and really do things with my hands again — fix things, make things and just do the basic things that we take for granted,” Duhamel explained.
He added: “We get so accustomed to all these luxuries and these amenities that we have … and I think that’s what this is for me — it’s an opportunity to get back to the basics and really enjoy the simple things in life, and that’s family, that’s friends, that’s making memories.”
In April, the Transformers star opened up about his remote property during an interview with Parade.
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“Part of the reason I built my place out in Minnesota, deep in the woods, is it’s removed from everything,” he said. “The closest store is 40 miles away. Once we get there, it’s really about everybody taking care of each other — making memories, spending time with family and friends.”
The property has not only made a big impact on him, but on his kids as well.
“My son is going to have memories of this place forever. He’s not on his iPad when he’s out there,” he told the outlet about Axl. “He’s out there in the boat with me, or he’s playing soccer on the beach, or he’s out there in the woods doing whatever I’m doing.”
He added, “And then I have a little baby who’s going to experience the same thing. Someday, I hope to pass this on to them [so] they’re able to share it with their kids. It’s really important to me that they have this. It’s not just about having all the amenities and all the luxuries that we become so used to. It’s really about family. It’s about legacy.”
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