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‘Sopranos’ star says he could flee country because Trump makes him uncomfortable

May 5, 2025 | | Print Article

An Emmy Award-winning actor who is “uncomfortable” under the Trump administration expressed his intent to follow Rosie O’Donnell’s lead, prompting social media agreement that “Ignorance is bliss.”

Claimed by many and rarely followed through with, Hollywood leftists have often spouted off about fleeing the country when elections don’t go their way. Last week, Joe Pantoliano of HBO’s “The Sopranos” and “The Matrix” fame set himself up for mockery when he lamented that America under President Donald Trump made him “want to run for the hills.”

Speaking with Page Six while attending the New York premiere of “Tucci in Italy,” the 73-year-old actor remarked, “I’m so uncomfortable with the nature of what’s happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills.”

“It’s hard for me to think about people’s bullsh*t like making a TV show,” he went on. “The world is on fire, it’s hard for me to concentrate.”

Having returned from a recent trip to Portugal with his wife, Nancy Sheppard, Pantoliano repeatedly expressed his interest in making the European nation more of a permanent getaway. In a video posted to Instagram, he confessed, “We actually looked into getting visas so that we could live there part of the time, or most of the time. It’s a great place to retire … It’s just, it suits me.”

 

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A post shared by Joe Pantoliano (@realjoeypants)

He’d also told Page Six, “We just got back. We really love it there,” before addressing concerns over the recent blackout. “They just got hit with a cyberattack, and I think that’s just a rehearsal for what will happen here.”

Of course, the actor did not appear to offer an explanation for how leaving the country would make it easier to concentrate. As demonstrated by O’Donnell, who fled the United States for Ireland over the president’s 2024 election victory, Trump Derangement Syndrome is not border-restricted.

Appearing on  RTÉ’s “The Late Late Show” with Patrick Kielty, the comedian recounted how she’d penned a letter to Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin apologizing that she was brought up during his Oval Office meeting with Trump, “… I just wanted him to know the history and what happened and why he seems to be out to get me in ways that are startling to most.”

As for Pantoliano, reactions on social media couldn’t help but call out the characters that he’d portrayed in the past as they slammed him for his drama.

“Huge crybaby just like Ralphie. Bye Felicia!” wrote one user referencing his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on “The Sopranos” as another wrote, “You’re confused because you’ve lived in a bubble…welcome to real life. Strong survive, while weak falter.”

Still, others harkened back to Pantoliano’s role as Cypher in “The Matrix” as his character betrayed mankind’s rebellion to restore reality so he could live in a fantasy land while admitting, “Ignorance is bliss.”

“That’s the same guy who sold everyone out in the Matrix so he could eat fake steak!” commented Luke Rudkowski, “fitting!”

Kevin Haggerty
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