Oscar-nominated actor and first-time feature director Kristen Stewart has suggested she may not continue living in the United States, saying the current climate makes it difficult for her to “work freely.”
“I Can’t Work Freely There”: Stewart’s Times Interview Sparks Debate
In an interview with The Times (UK), Stewart said she will “probably not” stay in the U.S., adding that “reality is breaking completely under Trump.”
Tariff Anxiety and Creative Pressure in Hollywood
Stewart’s remarks were tied to concerns about proposed film-industry tariffs, which she described as “terrifying,” arguing that such policies could further choke global collaboration and the kind of filmmaking she wants to pursue.
Europe as a Creative Base: “Make Movies There…”
Stewart indicated Europe as a likely base for future work, saying she’d like to make films there and still bring them to American audiences—adding the provocative line about wanting to “shove them down the throat of the American people,” which has drawn wide attention.
Why Latvia Mattered: The Chronology of Water as Proof of Concept
Her directorial debut The Chronology of Water was shot in Latvia (and Malta)—a choice Stewart has linked to needing distance from Hollywood and to practical constraints she believes would have made an equivalent U.S. shoot far harder.
Not the First Trump Flashpoint for Stewart
Stewart’s public discomfort with Trump-linked discourse stretches back years; Trump repeatedly tweeted about her personal life in 2012, a saga Stewart later referenced on mainstream platforms.
A Wider Pattern: Other Stars Moving Abroad
Stewart’s comments arrive as several public figures have also relocated or shifted bases abroad in recent years, including Rosie O’Donnell (Ireland) and filmmaker James Cameron (New Zealand). Reports also note Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s U.K. move, though recent coverage suggests they now split time after purchasing property in California.
—By Sonali