Joe Pantoliano, the Emmy award-winning actor who starred as Ralph “Ralphie” Cifaretto on seasons three and four of the HBO classic “The Sopranos,” recently announced that he is considering a permanent move away from the United States because of the Trump Administration.
Pantoliano, 73, said in a social media post that he is taking initial steps to leave the United States and secure visas in Portugal for himself and his family.
He elaborated on his plans and issued his thoughts on the nation’s political climate while speaking with Page Six at the “Tucci in Italy” premiere in New York earlier this week. “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 are in the midst of deciding whether to make a permanent relocation to the Western European nation.
“We just got back. We really love it there,” he said before expressing concerns over a recent 18-hour blackout that affected large swaths of Spain and Portugal last month. “They just got hit with a cyberattack, and I think that’s just a rehearsal for what will happen here,” he said.
“The Matrix” actor further detailed his plans in an Instagram video statement earlier this week.
“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.”
If Pantoliano does indeed opt to make his move to Europe permanent, he will join a growing number of stars who have finally made good on decade-long pledges to flee the country over the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term.
Rosie O’Donnell confirmed that she relocated to Ireland just a few days after President Trump’s inauguration after threatening to do so if he won in 2016, though she never followed through then.
Ellen DeGeneres also confirmed her move to the United Kingdom a few weeks after Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris back in November.
