With the beginning of May we passed the ignominious first 100 days of the Trump/Musk presidency/dictatorship. (Yes that’s all it’s been, sorry for the grim reminder.) So far it’s been three months of human rights violations, rampant disease, attacks on the free press and other free-thinking institutions, upending world order and alliances, and slapping penguins with tariffs. But hey, at least the White House got a gold makeover. [insert eyeroll here] I’m sure I’m forgetting a couple dozen catastrophes, but you get the idea. Well, the huge dumpster fire that is the state of America these days has gotten to veteran character actor Joe Pantoliano. Joe’s still working at 73, but he’s noticed it’s harder to concentrate on acting amid President Nero playing a gold fiddle as the country burns. He and his wife are even considering a move to Portugal to get away from the insanity:
“Sopranos” alum Joe Pantoliano is the latest celebrity contemplating a move abroad after President Trump’s election.
“I’m so uncomfortable with the nature of what’s happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills,” he exclusively told Page Six at the “Tucci in Italy” premiere earlier this week.
The 73-year-old, who has over 150 different acting credits, added that he’s finding it difficult to focus on his job while watching the news coming out of the current administration.
“It’s hard for me to think about people’s bulls–t like making a TV show,” he explained. “The world is on fire, it’s hard for me to concentrate.”
Pantoliano shared that he and his wife, Nancy Sheppard, had recently returned from Portugal and they are contemplating a move there.
“We just got back,” he said. “We really love it there,” though he expressed concern about the 18-hour power blackout that hit Spain and Portugal last month.
“They just got hit with a cyber attack,” he opined, “and I think that’s just a rehearsal for what will happen here.”
“The Matrix” star stressed that’s why “I keep a lot of cash at home, not a lot but enough to get me going for a couple of weeks,” cautioning any would-be robbers that “it’s buried and there’s no map!”
If Pantoliano does move to Europe, he’ll join a growing list of celebs who have also departed following the election.
Come on, Joey Pants! How can a star of The Sopranos speak into a microphone that he keeps “a lot of cash at home.”?? I don’t care if you have armed guards at your place, not a smart move! I’m sure there are several Tri-State Area mobsters businessmen hanging their heads in shame right now that a portrayer of their kind would make such a rookie mistake. Other than that snafu, I totally get where Joe is coming from. I certainly think, “why am I doing this?” every morning when I’m making my boss his pot of coffee. I mean, I was thinking that before November 2024, but it feels much more righteous and justified now. Also, I don’t begrudge anyone for hightailing it out of here if they have the means to do so (though moving at 73 might just be one of my worst nightmares). A word of caution for folks looking to get citizenship to facilitate their move: check in routinely with the country’s requirements. My best friend has been working on his Italian citizenship for years, and Italy just tightened things to limit how far back the principle of descent applies (now a parent or grandparent has to be born in Italy to qualify). And speaking of Italy, the aforementioned Tucci in Italy is available to stream on Hulu/Disney+ starting May 19. For those of us who can only relocate vicariously.
photos credit: IMAGO/mpi04/Avalon and Getty
(Obligatory reference)
“A.) She was a hoo-ah”
and B.) She hit me”
Thanks for teaching us how to make eggs Ralph (Joe)!
🤣
“It’s buried and there’s no map”. I had a grandmother who lived in a house with a dirt floor cellar. She lived through the depression and she kept her money buried in the cellar. I went to visit one day and knocked on the door and could see her dining table and it was full of cash. Stacks of it. She was counting it. She quickly threw a tablecloth over it and came to the door. She never let anyone in the cellar. I know he feels I don’t want to live here anymore either but am unable to move overseas. I keep a bit of cash hidden just incase.
I got a bed and mattress from my great grandmother. Part of the mattress was cut and when I asked why I was told she kept cash in the mattress. Unfortunately there was no longer any cash in the mattress
My evil, greedy, crazy aunt kept stacks of cash under the floorboards of a closet. The squirrels got in and made a nice comfy nest out of her nest egg.
Eurydice: 😂😂😂😂😂. Here’s the thing. When we moved back to Vermont my grandmother had died and the house was for sale. We could afford the house but it needed a lot of money to help make it livable and we couldn’t afford that part of it. But always in the back of my mind was did she forget a stack of cash buried in the floor lol.
Am feeling same way, worry and anxiety. I can’t just alight from U.S., have family member struggling w MS, i cannot yet collect my pension or SS, I don’t have transferable job skill (ex IT, a wfh job, etc). I am having hard time focusing. I’m stocking up on things I’ll need, incl personal generator, solar/USB lanterns, 1st aid kits, go bags..
Joe, even though “no maps”, it’s bad idea to announce you’ve cash at home. Your idea of what w cover you for a bit is probably considerably higher than average citizen. And, as per your many of your mafia characters, they don’t need to know where to dig- they just need to determine how many of your fingers they need to take before you lead them to the cash….stay safe