‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Star Julie Bowen Lays Bare Her Idyllic Childhood in Baltimore—and Real Estate Developer Dad’s ‘Golden Rule’ for Success

“Happy Gilmore 2” star Julie Bowen has lifted the lid on her idyllic childhood in a Baltimore suburb—while revealing how she overcame a brutal battle with anxiety that plagued her teenage years.

The 55-year-old actress opened up about the home she grew up in as she recalled how it shaped the dwelling she later chose to reside in with her three sons: Oliver McLanahan Phillips, 19, John Phillips, 17, and Gustav Phillips, 17.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Hollywood heavyweight admitted that she once used to gawk at her father, Jack, who is a commercial real estate developer, from their “two-story, white-brick house” in between the “Baltimore suburbs of Ruxton and Towson.”

She revealed that much of her early childhood days were spent roaming around the “big field” across their home where their neighbors kept horses and where she and her siblings, Annie Luetkemeyer and Molly Luetkemeyer, often played tennis and golf.

Bowen confessed that life was idyllic, before revealing that she always assumed she would grow up to be “just like” her dad.

She explained that she was raised with various rules, while noting her father’s “golden rule”: “He who has the gold makes the rules.”

“To me, that meant financial independence is key to being your own person. Independence quickly became a priority for me,” she shared.

Despite her great childhood, the actress revealed that she struggled with feelings of anxiety.

“I also wasn’t sure how to be around teenage girls and was unsure of myself socially. I often was happier by myself, reading books,” she went on.

“Starting at age 11, I became anxious but didn’t understand what was happening or why. My unease didn’t resolve itself until my late teens.”

The Hollywood star revealed that she believed some of her anxiety came from watching her older sister, Molly, live “freely,” which eventually caused “friction” in their family.

Bowen noted that things began changing when she got to the Calvert School, where she was able to perform on stage.

“At the Calvert School, everyone had to play sports and perform in the play beginning in the third grade. We also had to give speeches in front of an assembly,” she said.

“Being on stage felt natural. I saw kids up there mumble or make themselves small. I felt I was finally in a place where I could make myself as big as I wanted.”

Although acting “terrified” her when she went to college at Brown, she ultimately immersed herself into theater her senior year when she auditioned for an independent short film, which she ultimately landed the lead of.

“After graduation, I moved to New York, got an agent, and was cast in commercials. I also studied at a small actors’ studio.

“In 1995, I was cast as Adam Sandler’s love interest in ‘Happy Gilmore,’ which led to steady film and TV work,” she said of the moment she made it.

Now, Bowen resides in a home in the Toluca Lake area of Los Angeles, which she snapped up in 2022 following her divorce from Scott Phillips.

She lives in the updated farmhouse and barn with her three sons.

The actress revealed that their former home taught her what wouldn’t work with boys as she noted that her childhood helped her raise her sons.

“Previously, we lived in a beautiful midcentury glass box, but my boys were skateboarding into glass walls. We needed something more indestructible. 

“Growing up as one of three girls had its challenges. Now I marvel at the tranquility of my boys. Girls have a million things to say about everything. Boys say nothing. They grunt and eat food,” she said.

Bowen further revealed that she loves to spend her free time with her sons in their “family room.”

“When the boys are home, I sit in the family room, in the middle of everything. When they’re out, I’m in my office in what used to be the hayloft,” she said.