It’s the start of a new era for Michelle Pfeiffer and her husband of 30 years, producer-writer David E. Kelley. With their children grown, the couple have downsized to a smaller home in Pacific Palisades, on the westside of L.A. “They are calling this their forever home,” says a friend of the couple.

For more than a decade, the pair called an estate in Northern California their primary residence. It’s where they raised their children, Claudia, 31, and John, 29. “Raising kids is just consuming,” says the star, who took several years off from acting when they were small. “It just became easier not to work most of the time.”

Things are different now. In the past few years, Michelle has rekindled her acting career, with independent features and even a recurring role in the Ant-Man superhero saga. “I must have been hankering to work again because I started thinking about it,” says Michelle. But although her husband David has written female-driven TV hits, including The Undoing and Big Little Lies, Michelle says they won’t be working together anytime soon. “I’ve seen a lot of couples where they seem to have a really great marriage, and then they work together and next year they’re filing for divorce,” she says.

Happy at Home

For Michelle and David, who married shortly after she adopted Claudia, it’s a whole new life to be empty nesters. “I chose really well with David. I got really lucky,” says Michelle.

The couple truly are best friends who enjoy each other’s company, now more than ever. “They really love this stage,” says the friend. “They’ve always had a good relationship, but they’ve grown even more comfortable in their marriage in their later years.”

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