Why Actor Simon Rex Lives Off Grid in a Shipping Container Tiny Home

Life is good for former MTV VJ Simon Rex. Not only has the actor he put his skills in front of the camera to good use — he won an Independent Spirit Award in 2021 for his role in the film Red Rocket — but he's made enough money over the years to travel between the home he rents in Los Angeles and the property he owns out in Joshua Tree.

But Rex's Joshua Tree abode isn't exactly what you'd expect for an award-winning actor. Instead of an expansive mansion, the Scary Movie and What I Like About You star lives in 450-square-foot shipping container home in the desert.

He talked all about it while appearing on the Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers podcast — keep reading to learn all the details.

While chatting with Josh and Seth Meyers, Rex revealed that he's living quite differently than most Hollywood celebs these days.

"I live in a shipping container out in Joshua Tree," he told the brothers during the Aug. 6, 2024 episode of their podcast. "It’s a basically 450-square-foot room. You learn that you don't need much, and there's something sort of Zen about that and simplifying everything and not having a lot of clutter because you don't need all this stuff, you know?"

But the home's small size doesn't mean Rex was working with a small budget. Instead. he opted to have the "tiny" house built special for himself by an architect who worked to make the most out of two small shipping containers, which Rex had placed on part of the 5 acres he owns on the outskirts of California's famed national park.

"It's off grid, you know, meaning that there is no infrastructure," he revealed, adding that he gets his water from a well and that he relies on solar power for his electric needs. "It feels like you're on, like, 50 acres with no one around as far as you could see. I mean, you couldn't be more, as a city guy, out of your comfort zone and in nature. And so, yeah, it's a tiny box, all glass on one side."

Well honestly, that sounds like a dream!

The actor found his inspiration while cruising through Joshua Tree, falling in love with another home that had been designed by the same architect. After spending so much of his life in places like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, Rex told the podcasts hosts he was desperate for a quieter and more peaceful way of life, something he says he's definitely found in his new neighborhood.

"It's kind of like Jesus goes to the desert for 40 days," he quipped. "You have this experience that's very intense. And, so after a few days alone out there, a lot of stuff comes up. It's like therapy. It's like self-induced therapy."

But that doesn't mean that he's cut off from the rest of the world while he stays there. Instead, he says that he still spends plenty of time on his cell phone where he watches TV much like the rest of us.

Not all shipping container homes go off-grid like Rex's, but those that do definitely have a positive impact on the environment, since they normally need to rely on practices like collecting rainwater and living a minimalistic lifestyle in order to work. Not only that, but when these homes are made from upcycled containers, like those that would've otherwise ended up in a landfill somewhere, the environmental benefits only increase.

Another upside of these tiny homes? They likely won't cost you as much as you'd pay for a traditional home, something most people can't afford in today's market, making tiny homes the only option for some people. Still, based on Rex's description, this sounds like an absolutely wonderful way to live.