Happily married to actor and fellow Aussie Sam Worthington and mother to sons Rocket, three, and Racer, just two, the model and beauty entrepreneur has relocated her family from busy New York City to the more relaxed Los Angeles while her husband films back-to-back sequels of the James Cameron juggernaut Avatar.
“The weather is a big factor, and the space,” she explains of the decision to make the move with a young family. “Kids need to run around and have room to exhaust themselves. New York can be limiting in that sense with apartment living. The cold months are long, and the snow used to wear me out.” Having grown up in Cronulla, in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, Worthington says LA feels much more like home. Plus, it’s great for little ones. “Being outdoors more in the sunshine, weekends by the water…[the] life of a kid is excellent! They love it here,” she adds with a smile.
On set with InStyle, she speaks fondly of her most recent holiday—a remote beachside escape with nothing but a backpack, a few bikinis and her favourite people: Sam and their little boys. Selecting looks for this shoot, she shuns glamorous gowns in favour of cotton tees, cool swimsuits and barely there Tiffany & Co. jewellery, wearing everything with the easy confidence of a woman happy in her own skin. And she’s firmly focused on the future she wants to create for her family, rather than dwelling on the past. In these pages, Worthington shares a letter addressed to “Future Lara”—a time capsule of sorts. And when envisioning the years ahead, her wishes, too, reflect that new, relaxed philosophy: “Whatever I’m doing, I hope I’m doing it enthusiastically and passionately.”
"Hopefully you are sitting comfortably, still sipping on green tea or enjoying a beautiful sunset somewhere, and the world hasn’t been taken over by robots! As you know, the uncertainty of the future can be scary, but writing this letter to you has given me some wishes that have come as a surprise—maybe some of them have come true.
It has also given me pause to reflect on the present, not just the future. I wonder what colour your hair is now? I hope you’ve travelled: did you manage to go to all those onsens in Japan? I’m jealous but inspired, too. I know that you always wanted to learn another language, so hopefully vous parlez couramment these days. And I hope you didn’t get Botox and you’ve decided to age gracefully. On a deeper note, I wonder if my brother found “the one”, and if Mum is still pounding the boardwalks of Cronulla Beach. One of my greatest wishes is that they are healthy and content—they mean so much to me. And I’m 100 per cent certain that you are still happily in love with Sam."
To read Lara's letter in full pick-up the November issue of InStyle Australia available from October 18th.
