Gary Sinise says the cost of California forced him to leave Hollywood behind
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After decades in Hollywood, Gary Sinise chose to say goodbye.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the actor who won the Golden Globe Award – his Gary Sinise Foundation gave a veteran of the US army a damaged car in partnership with Wells Fargo during the America’s Ball for The Mall event earlier this month – spoke about his decision to leave California at an unexpected time in his life.
“When I stopped working in 2019 … I had made money. I was going to invest,” said Sinise, whose son, Mac, was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2018 and died in 2024. “Mac fought for the next four or five years, and I was his battle buddy and just fighting with him. And my wife had a lot of challenges in her 20s and my dad. My mom was getting old and falling apart, I mean, they needed me and that was important.
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Gary Sinise told Fox News Digital why he left Hollywood for Nashville. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
“I started thinking, ‘Well, what happens if I don’t go back to work? Do I want to spend all the money here in California paying these huge gas bills and property taxes and all the different things?’ The house we had was the most suitable house for our family because it was big enough… We were able to provide shelter to many family members who may have been struggling at that time, but we no longer needed that,” he continued.
Sinise – famous for his role as Lt. Dan on “Forrest Gump” – said he and his family weighed their options and finally decided to pack up and move to Nashville, Tenn., a place he’s grown accustomed to over the years.
“I started focusing more on the way of life here,” said the 71-year-old actor. “There’s a gas station where I was getting gas for $2.59 a gallon. And I went to California, you know, and they’re like $5.79 a gallon. So they’re $3 more a gallon of gas in California. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want to give it to all of California and property taxes. I’d rather give it to my kids later.”
“They have a lot of resources in California and I don’t know what they’re doing,” he continued. “I like the fuel prices [here]. I like the tax free status. I like to save more money. If I were in California and not working, that money would be going out the door a lot faster than it is now. So I wanted to save money and prepare for the future. I don’t want to give it all to California and property taxes. I’d rather give it to my kids later.”
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Although Sinise said she would be open to returning to acting if the right project came along, she has no regrets about stepping back.
“I retired from acting in 2019 to focus on family. And, you know, I’ll tell anyone. You’ll never regret doing that,” he said.
Sinise has dedicated a large part of his life to giving back to those who have served our country. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
“You can give up good opportunities along the way, but if you give up opportunities to help your family during a difficult time, something is missing,” he continued. “And I was lucky. I had good years in the film business and in the television business. And maybe in some ways, that was God giving me something because we were going to face very difficult things. I was prepared in more ways than one..”
Looking back on his career, Sinise said he “never imagined” what his legacy would be as much about the service as it is about the acting.
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“I poured everything I had [acting]. And then, you know, being involved with veterans, going back to the ’80s and ’90s and everything, when our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, I felt like that was a big call to action.”
The actor founded the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011. (Getty Images)
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Sinise started his foundation in 2011, and has never been more dedicated to this cause.
“When people join our program at the Gary Sinise Foundation, they become part of our family,” said Sinise. “And if they need ongoing support, we want to be there.“
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“When I started my foundation 15 years ago, I hoped that I could create something that would last and be around for a long time, to help a lot of people. So we don’t just bring someone on the show, do one thing for them, and then never see them again. They are part of the fabric of the Gary Sinise Foundation, and we want to be there in times of need.“
In addition to her primary work, Sinise – who is holding a National Memorial Day Concert in front of the Capitol on Sunday – is focused on continuing to spread her son’s legacy by sharing his music.
Gary Sinise previously told Fox News Digital that his late son, Mac, left behind a “chest” of undiscovered music. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Gary Sinise Instagram)
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“We took all these musical ideas that he was tracking and put down, then we worked on them and made this music come alive for him,” said Sinise about his son’s third album, “Resurrection and Renewal: Part 3.” “It’s sad because I miss him so much.”
“All profits, like the first two records, will go to the Gary Sinise Foundation, as Mac wanted to support the work of helping our military and first responders and their families,” Sinise said.
