It’s long been known as the City of Dreams, where performers flock in their bid to land a big break.
Yet in recent years it seems that Hollywood is losing its appeal, with a host of celebrities ditching the US and travelling overseas to France – in such an influx that the European country is now being dubbed ‘Frollywood’.
The likes of Angelina Jolie, Pamela Anderson and George Clooney have happily swapped the City of Dreams for the City of Light, with the self-confessed Francophiles enjoying a calmer pace of life.
George and his wife Amal went as far as applying for French citizenship last year, explaining that their eight-year-old twins Ella and Alexander have had a much better quality of life since moving.
The Jay Kelly star shared: ‘They have a much better life. I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood.
‘I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France – they kind of don’t give a s**t about fame.’
Yet it’s not just family life that has lured Americans to France, as tax breaks in the country make working in Paris increasingly attractive, while the terrifying LA fires last year also caused several stars to reassess where they call home.
Angelina Jolie (pictured) leads the stars who have fled the US for France as Paris is dubbed ‘Frollywood’
French director Rebecca Zlotowski also noted that politics plays a factor in the growing trend, as she said: ‘Of course, the Trump era has encouraged a kind of cultural exodus.’
She told Le Monde: ‘This love of France perhaps also reflects Hollywood’s loss of power, a decline for which the major Los Angeles fire in the summer of 2025 serves as a metaphorical image.’
Also referencing the writers’ strike – which shut Hollywood down for a time – and Covid, Rebecca concluded: ‘I feel it is a moment of destruction and rebuilding for Hollywood. In the meantime, European auteur cinema is a space of creativity that makes them want to invest in this territory.’
French director Olivier Assayas suggested that actors are drawn to France to tackle more creative film roles, instead of being bogged down in ‘prequels, sequels and other “universes” of lucrative franchises’.
He mused: ‘Here, they discover a world that isn’t locked down by agents. There’s less at stake, less risk, less of the law of the market, unlike in Hollywood, where people are quick to publicly shame you.
‘Before Sils Maria [Clouds of Sils Maria, 2014], Kristen Stewart had never acted in such films. Working with Juliette Binoche changed her.
‘Juliette showed her that you could be extremely free on set, that you weren’t constrained, because French auteurs want nothing more than that. She realized that what she had experienced up to then was only a very narrow part of her profession.’
Another attraction to moving to France is its generous tax breaks.
As of February 2026, the TRIP scheme has expanded to include ‘above-the-line’ costs. This allows the salaries of non-European actors to qualify for a 30% tax rebate.
It can increase to 40% if the production spends more than €2million on French visual effects (VFX).
The per-project rebate is capped at €30million (£26million) on qualifying spending.
Over the past decade, the arrival of Netflix and other streamers has reshaped the French film and TV landscape.
It has triggered a surge in large-scale productions and doubled annual production spending from €1.5billion to €3billion.
‘The collaboration has paid off,’ Gaëtan Bruel, president of the National Film Board (CNC) said, pointing to high-profile series such as Emily in Paris, Franklin and The New Look.
So who has decided to make the move to France?
George Clooney
One of the most famous names to wave au revoir to Hollywood is George Clooney and his wife Amal, who have bought property in both the south of France and near Cannes
The couple quietly snapped up a mansion near Brignoles (Stock Image)
One of the most famous names to wave au revoir to Hollywood is George Clooney and his wife Amal.
He and Amal have a long attachment to Europe and in 2021 they purchased the wine estate, Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles, in the South of France before splashing out on a £6.7million property near Cannes in 2024.
The wine estate comes with 425 acres, including an olive grove, vineyard, tennis court and boules pitch. And it seems the peace and privacy that comes with all that space has made it their favourite place in the world.
His children’s birth was announced by George on French TV and in December it was announced that he and Amal had joined their twins in receiving French passports and becoming citizens.
He previously told French radio: ‘I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses.’
George is friendly with the local mayor, Didier Bremond, and in 2024 he recorded a New Year message for the people of Brignoles which began: ‘Bonjour, Didier!’
It continued: ‘First of all, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season.
‘We want to thank all of you, because we love spending time in the Var and in Brignoles. And we are very grateful for your hospitality and for the friendship that Didier shows us.’
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has long wished to leave the States for greener pastures in Europe and Cambodia, and it seems her dreams are close to becoming a reality (pictured in Paris 2019)
Angelina and ex Brad Pitt have been embroiled in a battle over the French winery they own for more than three years
Angelina Jolie has long wished to leave States for the greener pastures of Europe and Cambodia, and it seems her dreams are close to becoming a reality.
The actress is keen for a life of more privacy with a source close to her recently telling Page Six: ‘She can’t get far enough away from the drama … the only way to take a break is to get out’
Speaking to Le Monde last week, Angelina gushed over her love of France.
‘I find it very enriching as an artist and as a woman to be in France. I feel that more of myself comes out here. The conversations seem deeper and more enriching to me.’
Angelina has lived in France on-and-off for years as she owned a wine estate in southern France with her ex husband Brad Pitt.
The pair are still engaged in a legal dispute over their Chateau Miraval estate in Provence.
‘Being through what she’s been through with Brad, having their whole life being in the limelight and all the years of it … the only way to take a break is to get out,’ Benjamin relayed to Page Six.
‘It’s hard to be in a town where you can’t even turn your head and see someone you don’t know,’ he reasoned.
Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul quit Los Angeles in November as he exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail that he, his wife Lauren and their two young children have relocated to Paris (pictured during 2026 Paris Fashion Week)
The Pauls put their Los Angeles home for sale over the summer
Aaron Paul quit Los Angeles in November as he exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail that he, his wife Lauren and their two young children have relocated to Paris.
‘Paris is awesome,’ the Breaking Bad star gushed before sharing that he has not yet mastered the French language and can only say a few phrases like ‘bonjour’.
‘We went out there for the kiddos,’ the actor further explained, adding that he and Lauren ‘always dreamt of doing a year abroad’.
‘We just always wanted to be around a completely different culture,’ he shared.
The Pauls were pushed to make their abroad aspirations sooner rather than later though, because of the harrowing wildfires that ravaged California last year.
Although Aaron and Lauren were fortunate to not be among that group, they decided to not take any chances for the future.
‘When the fires happened in LA, we just knew that we were done with LA, so we sold our house in LA and moved to Paris,’ Aaron said.
Aaron told the Daily Mail that he is enjoying his time in Europe so much that he, his wife and their kids may extend their stay abroad to more than a year.
Paris, in particular, holds special significance for the Pauls, as that is where Aaron proposed to Lauren on New Year’s Eve in 2012.
The couple then tied the knot a year later in Malibu, California, but hosted a Parisian carnival theme wedding.
Natalie Portman
The move to France is nothing new for Natalie Portman, who left the US for the City of Love in 2015 after marrying her now ex husband Benjamin Millepied (pictured at Cannes in May)
The move to France is nothing new for Natalie Portman, who left the US for the City of Love back in 2015 after marrying her now ex husband Benjamin Millepied.
The pair relocated to Paris when their son Aleph was just three. However despite splitting up in 2024, Natalie continues to live there with Aleph, now 13, and the couple’s daughter Amalia, eight.
Speaking about her life in the city in a cover story for Net-a-Porter, she said: ‘I find the people here are actually incredibly friendly – you just have to know how to interact, so that we’re not the ones being rude.
‘They’re very good at privacy here. I feel like the biggest compliment is ‘elle est très discrète’ [she is very discreet].’
‘There’s always some incredible exhibit or concert or dinner party or writers in town – something fascinating and stimulating happening. And the frequent vacations are so clutch!’
Natalie is now dating French music producer Tanguy Destable following her divorce, with the pair going public last March.
Christina Milian
In 2024, Christina Milian revealed that she now calls France her home after moving there the year before
Christina is pictured enjoying the sunset in the garden of her French home
In 2024, Christina Milian revealed that she now calls France her home after moving there the year before.
The Claws star, 44, explained her decision while promoting her latest project on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
‘My husband is French and we’ve been together for over seven or eight years and for like the last three or four years, we were commuting back and forth every six months,’ she told the Oscar winner.
‘And then we decided to commit to it last year because our kids were going to go to school.’
The Like Me artist shares sons Isaiah and Kenna with her husband, singer Matt Pokora, 40.
Wes Anderson
Director Wes Anderson has lived in Paris since for more than 20 years with his partner Juman Malouf and their daughter
Director Wes Anderson has lived in Paris since for more than 20 years with his partner Juman Malouf and their daughter.
When he isn’t making his next project, he keeps a low profile in a Parisian apartment with many of his films like The French Dispatch and Hotel Chevalier taking inspiration from French culture.
He previously said: ‘anytime I walk down a street I don’t know well, it’s like going to the movies. It’s just entertaining’.
Lenny Kravitz
Also no stranger to the French way of life, Lenny Kravitz has lived in his Paris townhouse for more than 20 years (pictured in Paris in 2009)
Located in the 16th arrondissement, the rocker owns the grand mansion of Countess Anne d’Ornano, which he has branded Hotel De Roxy as a tribute to his mother
Also no stranger to the French way of life, Lenny Kravitz has lived in his Paris townhouse for more than 20 years.
Located in the 16th arrondissement, the rocker owns the grand mansion of Countess Anne d’Ornano, which he has branded Hotel De Roxy as a tribute to his mother who wanted to live in Paris.
Giving fans a glimpse during a chat with Architectural Digest, Lenny revealed he fell in love when he walked through the front door.
The hallway features a grand piano and he calls the inspiration for the home design ‘soulful elegance’.
He explained: ‘It’s being elegant, sophisticated, but with soul, you know? With your heart [and] with your spirit.
‘Because design and elegance without that feeling is just designer names and you know stuff. But when you’re collecting and it really reflects who you are, what you are, where you’ve been, it’s beautiful.’
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson briefly lived in France in 2018 and during the pandemic while she was dating French soccer star Adil Rami who played for Marseille
Pamela Anderson briefly lived in France in 2018 and during the pandemic while she was dating French soccer star Adil Rami who played for Marseille.
While she has since returned to the States, Pamela revealed that she plans on returning to France in the future.
She previously told Net-a-Porter: ‘I fell in love with Saint-Tropez 20 years ago, when I did a photoshoot for Playboy.
‘It was always my plan to come and live here when the kids were grown up. Everyone is so beautiful here. Maybe it’s the light, very healthy and golden.’
While living there the actress said she felt ‘younger than ever’.
She revealed she would get up at 7:30am to have a coffee and then go for a walk or to the beach to swim in the sea.
Hugh Grant
Actor Hugh Grant purchased a property in the country ten years ago (pictured at the French Open tennis tournament in 2017)
Hugh Grant purchased his property in the village of Eygalieres in early 2016.
After falling in love with the Alpilles region, he chose a traditional Provençal house built on old stone.
He spends time there with his wife, Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, and their children.
The actor previously identified himself as part of a specific ‘breed of middle-class British person’ who is hopelessly enchanted by anything French.
