Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron recently shared that his decision to relocate to New Zealand was largely influenced by the country’s adept handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” the 71-year-old director, originally from Ontario, Canada, expressed that New Zealand’s effective response to the pandemic made it appear far more stable than the United States.
The Oscar-winning director posed a rhetorical question, asking, “Where would you prefer to live? In a place that values science, operates with sanity, and where people unite towards a common goal, or in a nation where there’s intense polarization, disregard for science, and potential chaos if another pandemic were to emerge?”
Cameron, known for directing iconic films like “Titanic,” “The Terminator,” “Avatar,” and “Aliens,” praised New Zealand for its success in eradicating the virus twice before a mutated strain eventually breached their defenses.
During the discussion, Cameron highlighted that when New Zealand faced the new, more dangerous strain of the virus, the country had already achieved a vaccination rate of 98%, significantly outperforming the United States by over 36%.
In the interview, Cameron said that by the time dangerous strain of coronavirus had spread across New Zealand, the population ‘already had a 98 percent vaccination rate’ – more than 36 percent higher than in the states.
James Cameron, 71, says his move to New Zealand was tied to the country’s competence in conquering COVID-19
‘This is why I love New Zealand,’ Cameron said. ‘People there are, for the most part, sane as opposed to the United States where you had a 62 percent vaccination rate, and that’s going down – going the wrong direction.’
At one point in the exchange, Bensinger called the U.S. ‘a fantastic place to live’ to which Cameron asked, ‘Is it?’
When Bensinger referenced the stunning nature in New Zealand, Cameron responded, ‘I’m not there for scenery; I’m there for the sanity.’
Cameron said that he initially flirted with the idea of moving to New Zealand in 1994 after a visit left him enchanted with the nation and its populace, who he ‘just really fell in love with.’
Said Cameron: ‘I made myself a promise – “I’m going to come live here someday.”‘
Cameron said that he and his spouse Suzy, 64, had past explored the topic and she had always been amenable to the idea of moving.
‘When Suzy and I were first getting serious, she said, “Fine, no problem” – she was game,’ Cameron said.
Cameron said that while he and his spouse owned properties in Southern California, they always kept an eye on New Zealand, and finally went ahead with the plan after Avatar’s release.
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Has America lost its sense of unity and science, or is James Cameron just out of touch?
The Oscar-winner described the current US as ‘a place where everybody’s at each other’s throats, extremely polarized, turning its back on science’
President Donald Trump pictured at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Said the filmmaker: ‘Now, later, we have children, we have a family, we’ve got roots in Malibu and Santa Barbara, that conversation had to be amended slightly, but we did say after Avatar, “Let’s make this happen.”‘
An admittedly ‘frustrated’ Cameron last month slammed Trump and his administration for its environmental policies.
Cameron called the president ‘most narcissistic a**hole in history since f***ing Nero,’ adding, ‘Yeah, you can quote that.’
Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter, ‘I’m frustrated because the human race seems to be delusional about what they think is going to happen next.
‘We are going backwards.’
Cameron last year said he found Trump’s re-election in 2024 to be ‘a turn away from everything decent’ while appearing on he F#$%ing News with Paddy Gower podcast.
