Jonah Hill says a major life shift—not Hollywood success—finally brought him a sense of real happiness.

Speaking during a live taping of SmartLess at the Avalon in Hollywood, the Oscar-nominated actor opened up about stepping away from the spotlight, starting a family, and why he’s now ready to return to comedy with a completely different mindset.

“I’ve been gone for a while,” Hill said, per The Hollywood Reporter , explaining that he spent recent years focusing inward. “I got all serious for a while and I wasn’t as happy.”

That changed after marrying Olivia Millar and becoming a father of two. The couple relocated from Los Angeles to a small town in San Diego roughly three years ago, a move Hill described as intentional.

“I wanted to leave L.A.…