2 minute read
TEXAS RISING Texas Movie Stars Call Hollywood Westward
by JOHN BERNHARD
Texas is booming, and the world’s biggest stars are taking notice. Hollywood’s not what it used to be. Strikes shut it down in 2023. Theaters faded. Audiences stayed home. Now, creators on YouTube and TikTok steal the spotlight.
But in Texas, a new dawn rises. Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey—Texans to the core—lead the charge. The duo’s True Detective campaign lights the way. It’s not just nostalgia. It’s business.
Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, and Renée Zellweger have joined forces in the Youtube video crusade, True to Texas Let’s bring production home.
“We need a rebirth,” McConaughey declares in his smoky drawl. “Hollywood’s memory is fading. Let’s plant new roots in Texas.”
Harrelson follows up with a challenge. “We need a fraction of Texas’s surplus. Let’s make it the new Hollywood.”
Thornton nods in agreement. “Why give other states a head start when Texas can lead?”
Georgia, New Mexico and Nevada saw it coming. They built tax incentives and reaped the rewards. But Texas has the vistas—sprawling plains, bustling cities, and a deep well of talent. And now it has a $200 million grant to bring cameras rolling.
Taylor Sheridan is proof. The mastermind behind Yellowstone put his bet on Texas. His new series, Landman , is set and filmed here. He’s creating jobs and stories deep in the heart of Fort Worth.
“We need workers,” Sheridan told lawmakers. “I’d rather hire Texans than fly in out-of-state crews.”
Not everyone is thrilled. Critics like Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller say, “Hollywood’s values don’t belong here.”
But pragmatism speaks louder. With Quaid, McConaughey, and Zellweger leading the way, momentum builds.
Texas is ready for its close-up. The cameras are coming. The stars already have.
And soon, across the state, a director will shout, Action! And Texas will answer.
