“Breaking Bad” actor Aaron Paul recently unloaded his Hollywood Hills cottage for $2.2 million, and records reveal the multi-level home’s new owner is prolific industry multi-hyphenate Tom Shadyac. Tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac just steps off the bustling Sunset Strip, the relatively modest house — it spans less than 2,900 square feet on a .1-acre lot — was acquired by Paul in 2012 for about $1.4 million and was once occupied by Brad Pitt, back during his juvenescent showbiz days.
The renovated 1930s residence sits on a knoll high above the street-level garage; a zig-zagging flight of stairs climbs to the antique front door and into a traditional center hall foyer with a wood-beamed ceiling and stone staircase. There’s a kitchen with a groin-vaulted ceiling and full range of luxury stainless appliances, a fireplace-equipped living room and a dining room with picture-perfect views of the Downtown L.A. skyline.
Tucked discreetly into a coved space under the house lies an alfresco dining area; more adventurous guests can explore the terra-cotta tiled rooftop deck, with its stunning city vistas, and a separate outdoor lounge area with banquette, firepit and an oversized Buddha statue.
Paul and his wife Lauren Parsekian have substantially upgraded their living circumstances with the $6.95 million purchase of “Big Bang Theory” superstar Jim Parsons’ elegant and celeb-pedigreed Los Feliz home — that particular 1920s Spanish Colonial has also been owned by the likes of Noah Wylie, Tim Curry, Robert Pattinson and Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson.
While his most recent film release is the 2018 drama “Brian Banks,” Shadyac remains best-known as a blockbuster comedy writer/director, with an enviable string of mega-hit films in the ’90s and early 2000s (“The Nutty Professor,” “Bruce Almighty,” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”)
And though he’s reportedly spent most of the last decade living in a pricey Malibu trailer park, Shadyac formerly multiple mansions scattered across L.A.; at one time he held title a spectacular, multi-acre Paul Williams estate hidden away in a remote section of Pasadena, Calif., though that property was sold off in 2003 for $7.25 million to a Chinese businessman.
F. Ron Smith, David Berg and Trevor Edmond of Compass held the listing and also repped Shadyac.