Julie Christie 'Wanted The Real Life Back' So She Ran Off To A Farm At Height Of Her Fame

Mar 03, 2023 by apost team

Julie Christie is a British actress who rose to fame in the 1960s and became a beloved icon of cinema. She was born on April 14, 1940, in Assam, India, to British parents who were working there at the time. Her father was a tea planter, and her mother was a painter.

Christie spent her childhood in India, then attended several boarding schools in England. She began her acting career in the early 1960s, starting with small roles on television shows and in British films. However, it was her performance in the 1963 film “Billy Liar” that put her on the map.

Christie’s breakthrough role came in 1965 when she starred in the film “Darling.” The film tells the story of a young woman named Diana Scott who rises to fame as a model and actress in London. Christie’s performance was widely acclaimed and earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She followed up this success with another Oscar-nominated role in “Doctor Zhivago” playing the love interest of the title character, played by Omar Sharif.

Throughout the 1960s, Julie Christie became one of the most sought-after actresses in the world, appearing in several iconic films such as “Far from the Madding Crowd” and “Petulia.” Her trademark blonde hair, striking beauty, and independent spirit made her a symbol of the era’s changing social attitudes.

With her tremendous popularity, many expected Christie to continue her trajectory as a bonafide movie star. However, the actress grew disenchanted with Hollywood and left America at what some would consider the height of her fame. Read on to find out why and what she’s been up to in the years since.

While most people know Christie as a successful actress, the well-rounded woman has dedicated her time to many other notable ventures as well. She has been active in a variety of important causes over the course of her career, including animal rights and environmental protection. She is also a vegetarian.

In an interview with Closely Observed Frames, Christie admitted that she always knew she wanted to be an actress, so it’s not surprising that she had a flourishing career. She told the outlet:

“Yes, I did always want to become an actress. Heaven knows why, as my first five years were spent in Assam, India. I went to drama school and had acquired a very good agent, Philip Pearman, who was married to the actress, Coral Browne. He probably put me up for early TV stuff including a series called A for Andromeda, my first leading role.”

Christie also talked about what inspired her. “I am constantly inspired by the fantastic acting I am seeing, particularly in TV series,” she revealed. Some famous names she mentioned as being particularly inspiring to her included Peter O’Toole, Richard Burton, Paul Scofield and Glenda Jackson. She realized that it was mostly men prior to seeing Jackson’s performance in “Marat/Sade.” Fortunately, now Christie is also someone that aspiring stars can turn to for inspiration.

Christie’s career hit many highs in the 1970s with plenty of hit films. The 1971 Joseph Losey romantic drama “The Go-Between” featured Christie alongside Alan Bates. The film won the main award at the Cannes Film Festival. 

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Another one of Christie’s films, “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” was also released in 1971 and also helped the actress make a mark in the award scene as she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as a brothel madam. The movie was the first out of a series of three collaborations that she did with Warren Beatty. The pair dated but broke up, but still reconnected professionally years later for 1975’s “Shampoo” and 1978’s “Heaven Can Wait.”

Other famous films of Christie’s during this time included “Don’t Look Back” with Donald Sutherland and “Demon Seed.” Both movies were adaptations from previous works of literature.

Speaking with Closely Observed Frames, Christie talked about what it was like to play such a demanding and challenging role. Surprisingly, she didn’t have that tough of a time, as the outlet asked if it was physically draining, and she replied:

“Not really. I had such a good time with Nick Roeg, the director, and Tony Richmond the DP, in Venice and loved working with Donald Sutherland. So, no hardship.”

As far as her choice to branch out in the horror genre with “Demon Seed,” Christie remarked, “I don’t think of films as ‘horror films.’ My choice of film to make is based on the director, not the genre.”

Although her career was arguably most accomplished during this time, the actress did return in the 2000s, once again leaving her stamp on the entertainment industry. She appeared in “Finding Neverland,” “Troy” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” all during the year 2004.

In 2002, Fresh Air re-released their interview that talked about Christie working on the 2001 film “No Such Thing.” Host Terry Gross talked about how Christie was always reported to show up to work and perform effortlessly before walking away from the “hype” of movie-making. Christie admitted that the type of film she signed up for was a “relief” for her. It’s a true testament to her character and work ethic to put herself first and to do something with her whole heart.

As someone who has been in the entertainment industry for so long, it’s common that Christie would have advice for hopeful stars wishing to pursue an acting career of their own. She shared:

“For me when I started it was ‘Don’t smile so much, Julie!’ I had a great big mouth and a great big smile and obviously thought it could get me through anything!”

As the films that made her famous garnered her an unrepentant amount of attention she had not sought, so too did the relationships with her co-stars. She was famously attached to notorious Hollywood womanizer Warren Beatty, and although they split, they have remained friendly to this day.

“He gave me a political perspective, which I am very grateful for. I loved the way, say, that he would go to baseball matches and stand up in the interval and talk about getting rid of guns. He would be this little tiny figure in this big baseball stadium, and I would be looking down at him, I thought he was wonderfully courageous for doing that,” she told The Guardian. 

Another famous onscreen pairing that made its way into real-life was her relationship with her “Don’t Look Back” co-star Donald Sutherland. Their scenes in the film still inspire debate today about their realism. “I wanted always to get to that place as an actress where there are no borders or boundaries,” she said.

However, Christie grew weary of public life. While most would think Christie has high self-esteem, she doesn’t always. “Films have caused me an enormous amount of anxiety because I don’t have a lot of confidence,” she told Express. “Making them is very social. You have to be with people and you socialize all the time. Actors like that on the whole but I was not born with that quality.”

She added:

“I’m very quiet and do not like to talk to more than two people at the same time. Filming and being with film actors is like being in one long cocktail party without the drinks. Acting took me away from real life to a pretend life. I wanted the real life back.”

At the end of the 1970s, Christie hightailed it back over the pond to settle on a little farm in Wales.

As for why, she told Express, “Hollywood was against everything I had been brought up to appreciate,” and added, “I cherish all those days but I couldn’t hack L.A. Hollywood was a throwaway society run by publicity machines.” 

In Wales, Christie was able to get away from the glaring spotlight that had for so long plagued her life and begin a process she described as “de-celebritization.”

Speaking with Express UK, Christie said:

“I hated being looked at, hated doing anything in public and hated making speeches. That’s why I am so impressed by some of the young actors who take it in their stride.”

The actress talked about how she strongly disliked being interviewed and noticed how “people are cross somehow, underneath, that I am not the person that I was.” Christie continued, “They feel like I am letting them down in some way. I sometimes feel they dislike me for appearing with all my lines and wrinkles. As a culture we seem unable to embrace change in people without being harsh about it…”

Despite this, many people still questioned Christie about how she was able to always look so glamorous and stunning every time she stepped out. She told People, “I do yoga.” However, the actress was quick to emphasize that she didn’t try to do anything too outrageous or uncomfortable, including having to wake up at the crack of dawn. “I am not that disciplined,” Christie said.

According to the Guardian, Christie once admitted to having some cosmetic work done as she had minor work done on her famous jawline. When she arrived for her interview with the outlet, she was adamant that she didn’t want to be asked particular questions about any potential cosmetic work or plastic surgery. “I hope this isn’t going to be another interview in which under instruction from your editor you interrogate me for an hour about whether I have had a facelift,” Christie said.

While people would probably think that Christie lived a life of luxury as a celebrity, the actress surely never forgot her roots. In fact, she chose to return to a simpler way of life as Hollywood proved to be much too stressful and chaotic.

Christie cited her frugal upbringing as instilling a sense of simplicity in her. "My late mother Rosemary was wise and frugal, quite austere,” she said. “She was conscious about the environment, even in those days." Christie added, “I always hang up my washing outside or even on a pulley. It’s a complete waste of energy to use dryers. My mother’s hate of waste has filtered down to me probably because I was a war baby.”

Christie talked about how wasteful people have become, especially those in La La Land as well as places around the globe. "I can't even talk about waste without being indignant,” she explained. “My introduction to Hollywood was a society which used it, sniffed it and threw it away. We have become a bit like that ourselves in Britain. There is an attitude among successful people of spend and spend, flaunt and flaunt and don't think of anyone else.”

Observing that attitude helped Christie realize what type of person she didn’t want to become. Her late mother was also incredibly unphased by the concept of celebrity, which ultimately helped Christie stay more humbled and grounded in reality. "The world of celebrity didn't mean a single thing to my mum,” she said. “Her attitude filtered down to me, which is why I take all the celeb stuff with a pinch of salt.”

The notable star has left Hollywood for the most part. However, while Christie still continued to take on acting projects here and there, she lived much of her private life as it should be – private. Because of this, it wasn’t until years after the fact that it was revealed she had married her partner, journalist Duncan Campbell. Christie confirmed to People in 2008 she had “been married for a few years. Don’t believe what you read in the papers.” 

The outlet reported that she had snuck off for a “secret wedding” in India. She added that wedded life has been blissful and that “I am much more content now than I have been probably since I was born.”

Christie has done well with keeping her personal life to herself. It also appears that she is not working much in the entertainment world anymore. According to her IMDb page, Christie’s last acting credit is from 2017 for the film “The Bookshop.” Not only that, but Christie didn’t even appear in the movie or receive proper credit, as all she did was the narrator's work. Prior to this, fans were able to see her onscreen in 2012 in “The Company You Keep.”

Now at the age of 82, Christie deserves to live as quiet a life as she wants. We are happy to see that she is doing what’s best for her. However, there’s no denying that she will always remain one of the most influential actresses of her time due to her timeless beauty and talent.

Were you surprised to hear about Christie’s abandoning the glitz and glamor of Hollywood for a farm by the countryside? What are your favorite memories of her onscreen? Let us know, and don’t forget to pass this along to friends and family, too.