Geena Davis offers a rare glimpse into childhood upbringing and wild antics

Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis has opened up about the hilarious childhood pastime that so alarmed residents of her quiet Massachusetts hometown that they regularly called her mother to report her wild antics.

The “Thelma & Louise” star reflected on her humble upbringing in Wareham in a new interview with The Wall Street Journalrecalling how she often entertained herself by acting out elaborate scenarios while riding her bicycle around her neighborhood.

According to Davis, her imagination often became so intense that local residents became genuinely concerned – largely because the “roles” she played required her to scream and shout.

“On the bike, away from social restrictions, I would often pretend I was in combat, shouting at my troops, or singing at the top of my lungs,” she explained. ‘I assumed no one would hear me, but of course they did – and they called my mother.’

The actress – who now lives in a beautiful Spanish-style home in Los Angeles – then described her very modest childhood home and how it served as the backdrop to the early days of her acting dreams.

“My family lived in a two-story, brown-shingled house in Wareham,” she remembers. “A wood stove heated our house, and we had kerosene lanterns ready in case the power went out.”

Davis admitted that from a young age she dreamed of one day becoming a Hollywood actress, often immersing herself in television and imagining a life much bigger than the one she knew in the Massachusetts suburbs.

“The TV was often on at home,” she says. “My parents said I was three when I first told them I was going to be an actor. I think I saw acting as a way to be someone who didn’t have to blend in.”

She added: “Sometimes I would wear sunglasses while watching TV because actors would wear them.”

The future Hollywood star also recalled spending much of her childhood with her best friend, Lucyannwho lived conveniently across the street.

“My best friend, Lucyann, lived across the street and was a year younger,” Davis said. “During sleepovers her mother would say, Lucialet’s watch “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Lucia said, “Geena, if you’re ever on that show, you’ll know you made it.”

It turns out Davis would do just that: show up Johnny Carson‘s beloved late-night talk show for the first time in 1987, just a few months before she starred in “Beetlejuice.”

But during her childhood, the idea of ​​reaching such dizzying heights was limited to Davis’s imagination, which she gave free rein to by performing homemade productions with Lucyann, many of which were inspired by their favorite TV shows.

“Lucyann and I have done a lot of crazy plays, most of which are based on TV shows,” Davis said.

Even when she was home sick as a child, Davis found herself studying actors and practicing techniques that would later shape her career.

“When I was 10, I was home with the flu for a week and noticed that TV soap actors would often raise one eyebrow at the end of a scene,” she revealed. “I taught myself how to do it.”

Although Davis enjoyed many aspects of her suburban upbringing, she admitted that she often felt different from her peers and longed for a fresh start.

That opportunity came during her freshman year of high school, when her school introduced a foreign exchange program.

“My hand shot up,” she recalled. “I went to a house in Sandviken, a small Swedish town, for my senior year. I was excited to go where no one thought I was a weirdo.”

While living abroad, Davis attended high school in Sweden and even became involved in a teenage romance.

“I had the cutest boyfriend,” she said. “His family basically adopted me.”

However, spending her senior year abroad caused her to miss the audition for Boston University’s acting program.

Instead, Davis initially attended New England College before later transferring to Boston University after her freshman year.

Just two years later, she filmed her very first audition tape – a move that would ultimately launch her Hollywood career.

“Shortly after I arrived, my agency called,” Davis recalled. “I got the part. The movie was ‘Tootsie.'”
The actress also revealed that producers became interested in her after seeing modeling photos from a Victoria’s Secret catalogue.

“They liked my audition tape, but asked about my swimsuit photo,” she explained. “I was still in Paris, so my agency sent pictures of me from a Victoria’s Secret catalog and I was cast.”

Today, Davis’ life looks dramatically different from the quiet suburban childhood she once knew.

“Today I live in a Spanish-style house near Los Angeles with a beautiful garden,” she said. “Home is elusive because my work keeps me busy traveling.”

Still, despite the glamorous lifestyle and decades-long Hollywood career, Davis says her favorite spot in the house remains surprisingly cozy and personal.

“My giant L-shaped pink velvet couch that once belonged to Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne,” she said when asked about her favorite spot at home. “I bought it in a vintage store in LA”