'Sopranos' star eyes move abroad after feeling 'uncomfortable' in the US under Trump administration

Fox News

03-05-2025

Joe Pantoliano is looking for a change of scenery.
The Emmy award-winning actor, who starred as Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto in 21 episodes of the HBO drama "The Sopranos," admitted that he's not happy with the current administration and President Donald Trump.
Pantoliano, 73, told his social media followers that he's even taken the steps to get out of the country and secure visas in Portugal.
While attending the "Tucci in Italy" premiere in New York earlier this week, the "Memento" star gave insight toward the current political climate.
"I'm so uncomfortable with the nature of what's happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills," Pantoliano told Page Six.
"It's hard for me to think about people's bulls--t like making a TV show. The world is on fire, it's hard for me to concentrate."
Pantoliano and his wife, Nancy Sheppard, recently returned from a trip to Portugal, and they're thinking of planting new roots abroad.
"We just got back. We really love it there," he said before expressing concerns about the power grid following last month's 18-hour blackout, which affected both Spain and Portugal.
"They just got hit with a cyberattack, and I think that's just a rehearsal for what will happen here," he said.
Pantoliano admitted that that reason alone was enough for him to "keep a lot of cash at home, not a lot but enough to get me going for a couple [of] weeks."
He insisted the amount wasn't easy to find, though, and that it's "buried and there's no map."
The "Matrix" actor caught up with his Instagram followers on Friday and revealed that he's very serious about fleeing the states.
"We actually looked into getting visas so that we could live there part of the time, or most of the time. its a great place to retire," he said. "It's just, it suits me. I love to walk … I take amazing walks there. They had a blackout, I mean, all of Spain … half of Europe, France, Spain, Portugal."
Spain's Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency after a massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, knocking out traffic lights and forcing the evacuation of subway systems in both countries, among other disruptions.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later said a problem in the European grid that he described as a "strong oscillation" was behind the outage, but that the cause was still being determined. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to the country and neighboring Portugal could take six to 10 hours.
"I dunno, maybe it's a dress rehearsal for what's going to happen here," Pantoliano said. "You gotta think about that. You've got to think about our future, why is all of this happening? I'm very confused … and I wish I could understand why this is happening."
"The Fugitive" star may join a growing list of celebrities fleeing the United States.
Rosie O'Donnell confirmed her move to Ireland in March, saying she left the U.S. days before Trump's inauguration, and explained that the new location would be a good fit for her 12-year-old son, Clay.
During a recent appearance on Ireland's "Late Late Show," she discussed her recent decision to move and her longstanding feud with Trump.
When asked about her decision to move to Ireland, she also said, "The President of the United States has it out for me and has for 20 years," later adding that "he sort of uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need."
Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi sold their Montecito estate in August and purchased a farmhouse in the U.K. after Trump's successful bid to return to the White House during the 2024 presidential election.