Bo Derek Says She Felt Like an 'Impostor' Before Ditching Hollywood: 'Always Uncomfortable With My Image'

Bo Derek is opening up about why she chose to leave Hollywood behind nearly three decades after stepping away from the spotlight.

During a new episode of Bill Maher's “Club Random” podcast, the 69-year-old actress revealed that fame never felt as glamorous to her as it appeared from the outside. Instead, she admitted she often felt uneasy with the attention that came with being one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

"I was just always uncomfortable with my image, being all over magazines when I walked down the street. And I always felt kind of fake and an impostor at the same time 'cuz I didn't work as an actress," she continued. "Or drive a limo or whatever everybody else did to be in movies."

Maher responded, "You made the right choice there. By the way, you are not missing anything."

"I'm not missing anything. I don't miss it," Derek replied.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Maher noted that Derek was widely considered one of the most beautiful women in the world for years and wondered whether that level of admiration felt rewarding or overwhelming.

"It was none of those things," Derek replied. "Like I say, it was just it was just a whirlwind because I had no aspirations to be in films. I had when I did '10,' it was just a fluke that I got the part and I had no agent, no manager, no nothing, no fantasies about being in the movies."

Maher also thanked Derek for making a rare public appearance, noting that she generally stays out of the spotlight.

"I'm not promoting anything. I'm loving my life. I don't need to go back to work," Derek said.

Derek admitted many people struggle to understand why she willingly left a successful acting career behind.

"It's very strange. People don't understand it," Derek began, referring to her decision to walk away from fame. "You know that expression, they would kill to do it, to be famous, to be in movies and not for some of us."

She added, "I love retirement. I am so happy in retirement."

The actress also shared that she has lived just north of Santa Barbara since 1981 and enjoys the quieter pace of life.

During the conversation, Maher asked Derek whether she had children.

“Nope,” she said.

When asked if she ever wanted to become a mother, Derek admitted she once believed it was simply what people were expected to do.

“Everyone says you’re going to have kids. When I hit about 32, I thought, 'Uh-oh; I better start working on this and scheduling it,'” she said.

At the time, Derek was married to her first husband, John Derek, who was nearly 30 years older than she was and already had children from a previous marriage.

“I kept waiting for my life to slow down. It never slowed down,” she said. “He didn’t want kids. He’d had two kids from a previous marriage. He was older, so he’d done it.”

As she gave the idea more thought, Bo realized motherhood wasn't the right path for her.

“When I thought I wanted it, then I really started sitting down to scheduling and I thought, I’m not mother material,” she said. “My husband certainly isn’t father material. He was the most judgmental oddball.”

She added that she approached the decision carefully and thoughtfully, even comparing it to how seriously she considers bringing a new pet into her life.

“I think I spend more time when I decide to have a dog, a new dog, than most people do when they have a kid,” she said.

Bo is currently married to actor John Corbett after they quietly tied the knot in December 2020.