Politics'I Can't Work Freely There': 'Twilight' Star Kristen Stewart Goes Off on Donald Trump as She Mulls Over Leaving the U.S.
'Twilight' actress Kristen Stewart blasted President Donald Trump, claiming she 'can't work freely' in the United States.
Jan. 26 2026, Published 2:05 p.m. ET
Kristen Stewart did not mince her words about why Donald Trump is driving her out of the U.S.
“Reality is breaking completely under Trump,” Stewart, 35, said in an interview with The Times published on Monday, January 26. “But we should take a page out of his book and create the reality we want to live in.”
Kristen Stewart Blasted Donald Trump's Proposed Tariffs
Kristen Stewart made her directorial debut in the 2025 film, 'The Chronology of Water.'
Stewart made her directorial debut via the 2025 film The Chronology of Water, which was shot in Latvia because it would've been "impossible to do in the States."
The Twilight actress pointed out Trump's proposal to impose a 100 percent tariff on films made outside the United States, which she called "terrifying" for the industry.
Kristen Stewart Will 'Probably Not' Remain in the U.S.
Kristen Stewart will 'probably not' remain in the United States due to not being able to 'work freely' there.
The film star, who splits her time between the coasts, said she will "probably not" remain in the States.
"I can’t work freely there. 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," she declared.
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Donald Trump Threatened to Tax Foreign Made Films
Donald Trump claimed America's 'movie-making business' had been stolen by other countries.
Trump, 79, first threatened to impose a 100 percent tax on movies made outside the United States in May 2025.
Months later, the president revisited the issue, claiming America's "movie-making business" had been "stolen" by other countries in a lengthy Truth Social rant.
"Just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’ California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit!" Trump wrote in September 2025, referring to Gavin Newsom. "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."
Kristen Stewart Needed 'Radical Detachment'
Kristen Stewart needed a 'radical detachment' from the U.S. when making the 'The Chronology of Water.'
Although no progress has been made on Trump's proposal, Stewart — who first announced plans for her first directorial debut in 2018 — later revealed her intentions to shoot the film in Latvia.
"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," she told Porter Magazine in 2024. "I am not a director yet. I need to make a student film. I can’t do that here."
