'Wednesday' star Luis Guzman found 'my escape' outside of Hollywood

Luis Guzman has been a working actor for decades, with over 170 credits to his name and counting, but he prefers a quieter life away from Hollywood.

He relocated to Vermont in the 1990s to the tiny town of Cabot, population less than 1,500.

“I’m lucky to be here,” Guzmán told WPTZ. “I’m lucky to have the neighbors that I have. I take a lot of pride in telling people that I live in Vermont.”

Luis fell in love with Vermont back in 1974 while visiting during a break from his job as a social worker on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

“That kind of became my connection to Vermont, and it was my escape from the city,” he said.

The “Wednesday” star told the VTDigger back in 2020 that the state gave him “a different perspective on life and humanity.”

“I discovered a new sense of freedom when I came up here,” he told the outlet. “The fresh air, the vibe, growing your own food, solar energy. These guys were doing all that type of stuff. I was going to the quarry and swimming, and everybody was butt naked. Oh, hell, yeah!”

And despite the nudity mention at the quarry, Luis actually enjoys the privacy the small town provides him.

“Being Luis Guzman and people knowing who you are, it’s a little different for me,” he said. “For the most part, I find people in Vermont to be pretty respectful.”

The “Boogie Nights” star does have a few notes for Vermont though. He admitted to the VTDigger that the “property taxes up here suck” and there have been a few instances of concern for his kids.

“There are some places here that really don’t know how to embrace, how to accept, how to understand people of color,” the father of five said. “I think my kids have had to deal with the most stuff like that here in Vermont, you know. It wasn’t, like, all the time, but it was enough times.”

But Luis has become an involved member of the community. In 2023, he donated his $30,000 prize from “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” to Neighbors in Action, a nonprofit that provides meals for the people of Cabot and nearby Lyndonville.