'Sopranos' Star Joe Pantoliano Hints At Plan To Flee The U.S. As He's 'So Uncomfortable' In The Country

Joe Pantoliano, known for his role as Ralph Cifaretto in "The Sopranos," is considering relocating from the U.S. due to his unease with the current political climate.

In a new interview, the actor hinted that he might move to Portugal as he now finds the U.S. quite "uncomfortable" to live in.

Pantoliano has joined the list of celebrities seriously contemplating relocating overseas in response to growing discomfort with the political climate in the United States of America.

Speaking at the premiere of "Tucci in Italy," the 73-year-old actor didn't hold back about his discontent.

"I'm so uncomfortable with the nature of what's happening in our country, and I just want to run for the hills," he told Page Six.

With more than 150 acting credits under his belt, Pantoliano admitted that staying focused on his work has become increasingly difficult as troubling headlines dominate the news.

"It's hard for me to think about people's bullsh-t like making a TV show," he said. "The world is on fire, it's hard for me to concentrate."

Pantoliano also shared that he and his wife, Nancy Sheppard, recently returned from Portugal, a country he says they've both grown fond of.

"We really love it there," he shared. But their admiration is tempered by concern, particularly after a widespread blackout recently hit parts of Portugal and Spain.

"They just got hit with a cyber attack," he speculated, "and I think that's just a rehearsal for what will happen here."

In light of his growing concerns, Pantoliano shared that he keeps emergency cash at home, not a large sum, but enough to sustain him for a couple of weeks if needed.

"I keep a lot of cash at home, not a lot but enough to get me going for a couple of weeks," he said.

Pantoliano added, half-jokingly, that any thieves looking for it wouldn't have much luck as it's "buried and there's no map!"

The actor also addressed the topic of relocating on Instagram, telling followers he's exploring the possibility of relocating.

"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," Pantoliano revealed. "It's just, it suits me. I love to walk … I take amazing walks there. They had a blackout, I mean, all of Spain … half of Europe, France, Spain, Portugal."

He added: "I dunno, maybe it's a dress rehearsal for what's going to happen here. You gotta think about that. You've got to think about our future, why is all of this happening? I'm very confused … and I wish I could understand why this is happening."

A longtime character actor, Pantoliano has been candid about his lifelong battles with depression and various addictions, including prescription drugs and alcohol.

He's often spoken about the ways people try to numb emotional pain or fill an internal void.

"You find something that fills the void — masturbation, meditation — it doesn't matter," he told Page Six at a 2020 event for the film "Drift."

"You have a drink and you go, 'Ah, this is the feeling I've been looking for.' You're trying to fill it."

Despite a successful Hollywood career and a loving family, Pantoliano said he couldn't escape the weight of his depression, adding that the struggle eventually inspired him to launch No Kidding, Me Too!, a nonprofit aimed at raising mental health awareness and ending stigma around mental illness.

It's also why he deeply respects public figures like Prince Harry, who have opened up about their own mental health battles.

"If you think about William and Harry and what they went through," Pantoliano said at the time, referencing the trauma of losing their mother at a young age, "in a culture that's saying 'stiff upper lip' — it doesn't work that way."

In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, Pantoliano reflected on his hardscrabble upbringing in the New Jersey projects.

"I grew up in the projects, where the state helps you with affordable housing and food stamps," he said. "My parents were terrible gamblers on the numbers [Italian lottery] and the horses, so they were always broke. We went through a lot of evictions. I remember them turning off the heat and shutting off the phone. So I've always been very frugal and frightened about going broke."

Pantoliano also admitted that he had a knack for creative storytelling since he was young, often bending the truth to get out of trouble.

"As a young man, I lied my way out of all kinds of situations: my dog ate the homework, I was very good at that. So acting seemed a natural segue into a future where you could make a living out of lying," he said. "There's an old saying: the most important thing about acting is sincerity. Once you learn to fake that, you got it made."