Populars Sara Rue Talks Living in Cape Cod These Days, and Her New Project That Has Her Playing the Hero (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Sara Rue and her husband purchased a house in Cape Cod that they initially intended to rent out
• She and her family moved into the home after things in Hollywood slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the 2023 writers' strike
• Now, Rue and her family have been DIY-ing their home renovations, sharing the progress online

Sara Rue had been working in Hollywood consistently since the age of 9 — starring in a range of highly popular series, including Ryan Murphy's first project, Popular, as well as The Big Bang Theory — when life turned upside down.

First, the COVID-19 pandemic began, disrupting life across the globe and putting television and film projects on hold. Then, in 2023 came the Writers Guild of America strike, which halted production for nearly five months.

"When COVID happened, and then the writers' strike happened, we were like, 'Should we maybe get out of Dodge for a little while?' and it just kind of snowballed from there," Rue, 46, tells PEOPLE.

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Rue was born and raised in Manhattan and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting as a teenager, eventually landing roles in a slew of coming-of-age comedies, sitcoms and dramas, like the 1998 film Can't Hardly Wait, or a 1996 episode of ER. Rue even played a teenage version of Roseanne Conner in a 1992 episode of Roseanne.

Sara Rue in her laundry room.

Courtesy Sara Rue

By the 2000s, Rue was appearing in starring roles, like that of Claude Casey in the ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect and Penny Higgins in another ABC series, Eastwick.

In 2011, she married her husband Kevin, and the couple have since had two children — Talulah, born in 2013, and Adelaide, whom they welcomed by adoption in 2016.

By 2018, the family had purchased a home nestled on a lake in Cape Cod, surrounded by old hunting and fishing cabins. Initially meant as something of a summer retreat from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, the home was an investment property — one they planned to rent out when they weren't there.

But amid COVID and the writers' strike, the family found themselves spending more and more time in Cape Cod.

Sara Rue after a trip to the hardware store.

Courtesy Sara Rue

"The business was really changing, everything was virtual, and we thought, 'Maybe we'll just go for a year and see what it's like to live in like a small town,' " Rue says. "And it turns out, it's really nice."

These days, her eldest daughter bikes to the bus stop just one block away — a striking contrast to "sitting in 30 minutes of freeway traffic," Rue says with a laugh.

But there have been other shifts, too — namely the sense of relief that accompanied taking a break.

"You know, it was interesting when we first came here, there was really nothing going on [in Hollywood] for a very long time," Rue says. "I love working. I love acting. And for the longest time, I felt like, 'Oh, work makes me happy.' But when that wasn't an option, during the strike, I had to ask myself, 'What else makes me happy?' "

Rue found a new sense of fulfillment in another type of work: renovating her home, which she shares on Instagram.

a DIY renovation by Sara Rue.

Courtesy Sara Rue

"I started the DIY stuff and beautifying spaces because it makes me really happy to do it, and also I like the feeling of not needing someone else," she says. "I could have some dude to come in and charge me a bunch of money and tell me things I need to do in my house, but I was like, 'I'm gonna be my own hero.' "

Being her own hero meant watching a lot of YouTube videos, learning how to do things like swap out light fixtures or wallpaper a room.

"It was simple at first, but it still felt so empowering to take the power back," Rue says.

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As her projects grew in scope, so did her skill set — some of which she learned from her handy neighbor.

"I was really lucky that we moved in next door to our neighbors — one of whom is a firefighter who also built his own home by himself," she says. "I always joke on Instagram, 'I'm calling my best friend Gus.' It's nice that when I get really stuck, I do have somebody to call, and I do end up borrowing a lot of tools."

Still, Rue admits "there are no rules" when it comes to the projects she takes on. "There's no handbook really — unless you're doing electrical or plumbing. Most of building is just like, 'If I nail these things together and put a screw in here and do this thing, it's gonna look good.' Half the time it works, and then the other half of the time you're like, 'Okay, back to the drawing board on this.' "

Sara Rue.

Courtesy Sara Rue

Beyond simply broadening her skill set, Rue admits the DIY home projects have been a creative outlet — particularly as she's taken to social media to share them.

"Filming my wins along with some of my losses has been great for me because even when something has gone horribly awry, at least it's created comedy for the internet to enjoy," she laughs.

Her biggest project to date has been renovating her laundry room, which stemmed from her initially trying to hire a contractor, only to get ghosted one too many times.

Sara Rue's laundry room transformation.

Courtesy Sara Rue

"We would have people come, look around, and then just never hear from them again," she says.
"I had waited a long time, and my laundry room was so depressing. I was like, screw it, I am doing this myself."

So she installed new flooring, a board and batten wall, reinstalled a ceiling, swapped out the light fixtures and even taught herself how to do drywall.

"The only thing I farmed out in there was moving the washing machine unit — I had to have a plumber come in and do that because I was like, 'If I do this and flood my entire house, my husband's gonna be really pissed.' "

There are some DIY projects she has yet to take on, however. Plumbing and electrical projects, she says, are "the two things I'm really scared of."

"But I also feel like you gotta do the things that scare you the most, otherwise you don't grow," she adds.

Sara Rue, mid-DIY.

Courtesy Sara Rue

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She continues: "There is the thing of like, once when you're a mom to two girls and you start a project, you can't not finish it. I can't show my girls, 'Oh, Mommy couldn't do it, had to bring in some handyman to finish the job' ... that is just not an option. I'm getting it done one way or another."

Rue is quick to note that she hasn't left Hollywood in the rearview, and she's continued to take on roles, shuttling back and forth between Cape Cod and Los Angeles.

"I was 9 when I acted in my first movie," Rue muses. "And it was just consistent since then. And I love the actual work, I love being on set, I love the collaboration. And I do miss that. Hopefully, the right thing will come along, and I will do it again in the not-too-distant future."

As for whether she'd be interested in marrying her love of entertainment with her love of home renovation, Rue says never say never.

Sara Rue in her laundry room.

Courtesy Sara Rue

"Maybe that's the dream. I don't know," she says, her eyes lighting up as she shifts focus. "Right now, I have to say I really am enjoying just like making my silly little videos. Part of me is like, 'I gotta finish this house.' I have so many projects — I want to redo the garage next, which will involve stuff that I haven't done before, like built-ins and different types of carpentry that I haven't done. And then the ultimate dream is that I could redo the kitchen myself."

She continues: "I have always loved making people laugh and entertaining people ... and I also feel very grateful for this time. I get to live a totally different existence — quiet and calmer — while also being able to keep our place in L.A. and pop into town when needed. I feel very lucky to still get to do my first love, which is acting, while having space and time to spend with my girls and also to find this whole new world of DIY that I love as well."