Relocating to the other side of the world appears to have been a positive turning point for former child star Lindsay Lohan, who has spoken openly about the change in a frank interview with Vogue Arabia.
Her choice in 2014 to step away from the noise of Hollywood—its constant attention, busy pace, and relentless photographers—and instead build a quieter life in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, seems to have helped her become steadier and more self-assured. Even so, looking back at how her teenage fame played out still leaves her with lingering questions.
In the interview, the 39-year-old reflected on the period when her career was thriving after major hits like Freaky Friday and Mean Girls, but her personal life was repeatedly splashed across the media amid car crashes, legal trouble, and substance misuse.
With many now recognizing how intense—and often misogynistic—the celebrity coverage of the 2000s could be, Lohan said she still wonders: “Why didn’t anyone just go and take me out of there, protect me more?”
Lohan moved to Los Angeles at just 15, hoping to push her acting career further after starting in commercials at age three and landing her breakout role in 1998’s The Parent Trap.
Now, as she approaches a new decade and enjoys a stable home life with her husband, Kuwait financier Badder Shammas, and their two-year-old son Luai, she admits she has regrets about trying to navigate that environment so independently.
Reflecting on that period, Lohan said: “It was all so overwhelming and consuming,” she told Vogue Arabia in an interview for a stylish cover shoot. Lohan went on to say: It was all so overwhelming and consuming,” she shared: “I should have listened to my mom and dad and moved back to New York.
“But I was young and wanted to be in LA. And I didn’t know. So yeah, while a lot of it was fun, it was hard when I was young. It was a double-edged sword.”
During the feature, she was photographed high above the Dubai skyline at the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, and she discussed how the move has helped her carve out a healthier relationship with her work.
As she put it: ”With age comes a different kind of confidence,” she said. “When I was younger, I wasn’t so comfortable saying how I felt about a character and being involved with the process of it. And I love that part now.”
In recent years, she has returned to film with a run of Netflix romantic titles including Falling for Christmas (2022), Irish Wish (2024) and Our Little Secret (2024), heading toward 40 with renewed momentum.
And if her Saint Laurent heels at the Vogue shoot are any indication, that energy may be even stronger after the 2025 reboot Freakier Friday surpassed $150 million at the box office.
Lohan also credited her personal reset to spending time outside the US, noting that life in Saudi Arabia is a world away from Los Angeles.
For her, the reduced paparazzi presence and increased privacy—along with a “clean” skincare approach and “lots of Pilates”—has made a noticeable difference, both mentally and physically. She said: “Being in Dubai is very grounding.
“I get to just spend time with my family. The city gives me a sense of being with what’s most important.”