Kristen Stewart said she is considering leaving the U.S. and building her directing career in Europe, citing political and industry pressures she believes have made it difficult to work freely under President Donald Trump.
Speaking to The Times of London, Stewart said she plans to base more of her work in Europe rather than the U.S.
Stewart said her feature directorial debut, "The Chronology of Water," was filmed in Latvia because producing it in the U.S. was not practical.
The film marks Stewart's first full-length project as a director after years of development.
She first announced the adaptation in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival and struggled to secure financing and momentum in the years that followed.
The project was ultimately shot in Eastern Europe, which Stewart has described as offering both creative distance and practical flexibility.
Stewart said proposed trade policies under Trump, including tariffs targeting films produced outside the U.S., have intensified her concerns about the future of independent filmmaking.
Trump proposed a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in September, framing the move as an effort to protect the domestic movie industry.
"Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.' California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.
"Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Stewart said the proposal would complicate international filmmaking. She said it has also factored into her decision about whether to stay in the U.S.
"Reality is breaking completely under Trump," she said. "But we should take a page out of his book and create the reality we want to live in."
The actor, who divides her time between Los Angeles and New York, said she does not expect to remain in the U.S. indefinitely. Stewart said she plans to continue working in the U.S. while basing future projects abroad.
"I can't work freely there," Stewart said. "But I don't want to give up completely. I'd like to make movies in Europe and then shove them down the throat of the American people."
In a 2024 interview with Porter magazine, Stewart said she chose Latvia for its emerging film scene.
"It's a fledgling film culture there. Look, I'm all about the way we make movies here [in the U.S.], but I needed a sort of radical detachment. I am not a director yet. I need to make a student film. I can't do that here," she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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