James Cameron Blasts America: Hollywood Billionaire Trashes the Nation That Made Him Rich

James Cameron, though born in Canada, is deeply indebted to the United States. He built his career within the American film industry, becoming a major Hollywood player and earning a fortune thanks to funding from U.S. studios, American actors and crew, and the enthusiastic U.S. audiences who made films like Titanic and Avatar worldwide successes.

And yet, Cameron now seems perfectly comfortable publicly torching America from afar.

I was reading an interview with James Cameron in Variety and he really laid out how much he’s fallen for New Zealand. He basically said that since moving there, he sees the US as a country heading in the wrong direction, while New Zealand feels like a breath of fresh air – a place that actually values common sense and science. It’s a pretty strong contrast he’s drawing!

The comments were blunt, sweeping, and—given Cameron’s personal history—deeply ironic.

Cameron Explains Why He Left the U.S.

Discussing his decision to move, Cameron contrasted America’s pandemic response with New Zealand’s.

He stated that New Zealand successfully eliminated the virus completely after the pandemic began, even managing to do so twice. While a mutated version eventually spread, the country was well-prepared with a high vaccination rate of 98%.

That comparison quickly turned into a broad condemnation of the United States.

Cameron expressed his fondness for New Zealand, contrasting it with the United States. He noted that New Zealand generally had more reasonable policies, pointing to the fact that the US vaccination rate was around 62% and decreasing, which he saw as a negative trend.

This wasn’t simply a matter of differing opinions on policy for Cameron; it stemmed from his view of America’s core values and identity.

‘A Place Where Everybody’s at Each Other’s Throats’

When Graham Bensinger commented that the U.S. is still a great country to live in, Cameron immediately disagreed.

“Is it?” he asked before offering a stark either-or scenario.

He said with disbelief, “Seriously? Would you prefer to live somewhere grounded in facts, where people cooperate and work towards shared goals, or a place filled with conflict, extreme division, and a rejection of science? A place like the latter would be a complete mess if another pandemic hit.”

The film offers a stark and unsettling depiction of America, portraying it as a nation teetering on the edge of chaos and driven by irrationality. However, it overlooks the fact that Cameron’s success was built on decades of support from the United States – the same country that financed, created, and popularized the movies that made him famous.

‘I’m There for the Sanity’

Bensinger noted that New Zealand’s natural beauty is a major draw, but Cameron brushed that aside.

“I’m not there for scenery,” he replied. “I’m there for the sanity.”

That statement might be popular among media insiders, but it feels different coming from someone who built his career with American investment, the willingness of Americans to take chances, and enthusiastic moviegoers.

Cameron Takes Aim at American Media and Trump

Cameron also said he was glad to no longer be part of American political news, especially stories about President Trump.

He expressed frustration with the constant media coverage of Donald Trump, saying he didn’t need to see Trump’s name on the front page daily and found it disturbing.

He went further, criticizing American news culture itself.

He commented that New Zealand media at least keeps certain stories on the inside pages. What bothers him is seeing the same person’s face constantly on the front page. He described it as relentlessly rewatching a terrible accident – you can’t look away, and it just keeps happening.

It’s striking how things turned out. Cameron’s career thrived because the media heavily supported his films, constantly promoted them, and ultimately made him a household name for creating huge box office hits.

The Hypocrisy at the Heart of It

It’s perfectly normal to favor one country over another, as people choose to move for all sorts of reasons – personal, career-related, or based on their beliefs. However, Cameron’s statements aren’t just about personal preference; he portrays America as deeply flawed, illogical, and undeserving of the benefits he gained while living here.

This is the same country that:

• Funded the studios that bankrolled his projects
• Provided the talent pool that brought his visions to life
• Delivered the box office receipts that made him unimaginably wealthy

It’s ironic that Cameron, now living overseas, is criticizing America’s rationality, scientific approach, and community spirit, considering he himself was formed by the same system he now condemns.

A Familiar Hollywood Pattern

James Cameron’s comments follow a common trend in Hollywood: individuals who earn significant wealth in the United States often criticize the country after achieving financial success. It’s a pattern of benefiting from the US while simultaneously expressing disapproval of its values or intelligence.

The result isn’t insightful commentary—it’s elitist posturing.

People in the United States didn’t just enjoy James Cameron’s films; they created the film industry that enabled his success. Therefore, his criticism of the country that supported him feels less like a principled stand and more like a shocking lack of appreciation.

Despite constantly talking about being reasonable, James Cameron’s decision to criticize the industry that made him famous reveals more about how out of touch Hollywood is than about the American public.