Actor Zachary Levi calls California a failed state after moving to Texas, where he is building a $100M Hollywood studio and creative community today!
Zachary Levi is opening up about his decision to leave California, describing his longtime home state as a “failed state” while pursuing a new vision for Hollywood from Texas.
The 45-year-old actor, known for Chuck and the Shazam! franchise, sold his Los Angeles home in 2017 and purchased a ranch outside Austin. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Levi explained why he ultimately chose to leave Southern California behind.
Zachary Levi calls California a ‘failed state’
Levi said he still loves California but has become deeply frustrated with what he sees as the state’s problems.
“I grew up in California, I love California, it is a failed state,” Levi said. He added that the state is “literally and figuratively on fire.”
His comments came as he discussed his plans to build a different kind of entertainment industry outside traditional Hollywood.
Actor wants to build a new Hollywood
Levi said he has long wanted to create an entertainment company modeled in part on United Artists, with artists playing a greater role in ownership and operations.
He envisioned a community where people could not only work in entertainment but also live, raise families and access amenities such as schools, wellness facilities and an organic farm.
That vision eventually led Levi to purchase 75 acres outside Austin nearly a decade ago.
Zachary Levi’s Texas Hollywood project
Levi is now developing Wyldwood Studios, a planned $100 million film and lifestyle campus in Bastrop County, Texas.
The project is designed to combine film production facilities with residential and wellness spaces. Its first two soundstages are expected to open in 2027.
Levi described the project as an effort to rethink how Hollywood operates and create what he believes could be a healthier creative environment.
Leaving California was not an easy decision
Despite his criticism of California, Levi acknowledged that leaving meant giving up important parts of his life.
He said he left behind family, community and Southern California’s famously pleasant weather. Ultimately, however, he said his desire to pursue his larger vision outweighed those considerations.
Levi said he has embraced life near Austin, even while acknowledging that Texas weather can bring its own challenges.
Levi takes on darker role in ‘The Fix’
Levi’s move to Texas comes as he takes on a different kind of Hollywood role.
In the upcoming action thriller The Fix, he stars opposite Liam Neeson as a former CIA operative caught in a dangerous mission involving Tehran. Levi said he wanted a darker, grittier character that would allow him to explore themes of redemption and moral ambiguity.
Director Guy Moshe praised Levi’s physicality and said the actor brought an intensity to the role that may surprise audiences familiar with his earlier family-oriented projects.
Neeson also praised Levi as a “wonderful” actor during the Fox News Digital interview.
Zachary Levi’s Hollywood future is in Texas
Levi’s decision to leave California represents more than a personal relocation. Through Wyldwood Studios, he is attempting to build an alternative entertainment hub outside the traditional Hollywood system.
With the Texas project moving toward its planned 2027 soundstage opening, Levi’s next chapter could offer a test of whether his vision for a more artist-driven Hollywood can become a reality.
For now, the actor appears determined to build that future in Texas rather than return to the California entertainment establishment he says has become increasingly broken.
