James Cameron has announced that he has permanently left the United States, citing New Zealand's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic as a key factor. Speaking to Stuff and in a recent interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, the Avatar director said the move was "for his sanity" and that his New Zealand citizenship is "imminent."
Cameron, who filmed much of his latest Avatar installment in New Zealand, praised the country's pandemic response. "New Zealand had eliminated the virus completely, twice," he said. "Even when it returned in a mutated form, their high vaccination rate of 98% kept it under control." He contrasted this with the United States, where vaccination rates were far lower and political division hampered the response.
Describing life in the US under Donald Trump's presidency as "like watching a car crash over and over," Cameron criticized the extreme polarization and disregard for science. "Where would you rather live?" he asked. "A place that actually believes in science and is sane, or a place where everybody's at each other's throats?"
Cameron and his wife had owned a farm in New Zealand since 2011, but only decided to make the move permanent after the pandemic. His departure reflects a wider trend of Hollywood celebrities relocating abroad, with figures like George Clooney, Jim Jarmusch, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rosie O'Donnell citing political and social concerns as motivations.