Julia Roberts leads A-list mass exodus as the coronavirus crisis hits Hollywood
EXCLUSIVE: Pretty Woman star prepares to move to San Francisco while Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron are also spending extended periods away from the area
Superstar Julia Roberts is leading a mass exodus of big names leaving Hollywood.
Julia is moving to San Francisco, where she has finished renovating a £6.3million house.
Other A-listers including Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron are spending extended periods away from the area.
And millionaire DJ Calvin Harris has put his £4.2million LA property on the market.
Tesla electric car boss Elon Musk has sold his compound of four homes in Bel Air, while Lou Ferrigno, famous for playing The Hulk, is reported to have become fed up with LA and sold his £3million home in Santa Monica.
Prince Harry and Meghan originally house-hunted in Hollywood earlier this year but decided to settle in Montecito, 90 miles to the west near Santa Barbara.
Meanwhile Cat Deeley has quit Tinseltown after 14 years and moved back to London to raise her family in the UK.
Actor Andy Newton Lee, who ran visa and relocation firm Next Stop LAX in the city for 15 years, is also back in the UK – in his home town of Hull.
He helped many British actors and soap stars settle into Hollywood as they tried to make the big time.
But he told the Sunday Mirror: “I worked for years helping celebs settle in but it’s not what it was. People aren’t as obsessed with living here as they used to be.
“Hollywood has lost some of its sparkle. The pandemic has changed everything. Celebs don’t love living in the smog any more.”
Andy, who starred in Hollyoaks and is also a yoga instructor, is setting up a new business, Next Stop Media Group.
Stars he helped over the years include Rachel Shenton – also from Hollyoaks, who went on win an Oscar for her short film The Silent Child – plus Ricky Whittle, Mark Wright, Charlie Brooks and Danny Mac.
Andy said: “It is certainly going to get a lot harder to be able to relocate and make a success in a world where we are now all fighting for jobs and opportunities.
“It was tough enough before Covid but now many agents have gone out of business and many artists have left LA.
“A lot of actors get paid from job to job so when there are no jobs there is no money.
“I think it could lead to a lot of mental health issues within the industry.
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