Veteran actor Nick Searcy has relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, citing California's high taxes, bureaucracy, and perceived political overreach, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as primary drivers for his departure. Searcy, known for his roles in "Justified," "The Fugitive," and "Cast Away," moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s but observed a decline in the city's appeal over the years.
Searcy stated that Los Angeles was once a vibrant place for actors, offering numerous auditions weekly during pilot season. However, he believes the increasing concentration of Democratic political influence systematically degraded the city. As a result, he found himself increasingly working outside of Los Angeles in locations such as Oklahoma, Toronto, Atlanta, the Dominican Republic, and London.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for Searcy's decision to leave. He expressed dismay at what he described as the overzealous responses of neighbors and officials regarding mask mandates and vaccination policies, which prompted him and his wife to decide to move. They relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2021, a state with a lower tax burden and a political climate he favors.
Nashville has become a popular destination for numerous celebrities seeking to escape California's environment. Actors like Mark Wahlberg, Joe Rogan, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, and Sylvester Stallone have also established residences elsewhere. Dennis Quaid, for instance, moved to Nashville in 2020 and recently sold his Los Angeles home after decades in the city.
Searcy believes that the film industry has become untenable in California due to these factors. He suggests that studios are increasingly seeking more economically viable locations for production. The actor also commented on potential moves of major studios, such as Paramount, to other states, suggesting it could be beneficial for the industry's future.
"The city’s been destroyed, and I think it’s deliberate," Searcy said. "I think they’re deliberately making it impossible to live there so that all the sensible people move away. That way, the political class stays in power because the only people that are left there believe their nonsense."
He added, "I don’t see how anybody stays there. So many people have left. It makes sense for the industry to move because the people that kept it afloat, the sort of people — the talents that they were basing a business on — they’ve all moved out. So it makes perfect sense for the studios to start taking advantage of the fact that there are better, more economically viable places to run your business."