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Rob Riggle said many people in the industry are leaving Los Angeles because the work has moved away.
The comedian, who stars in the upcoming holiday horror film “Christmas at the Kringles,” told Digital that getting a job in the city is more the exception than the rule now.
“I think a lot has changed, the way things are done,” he explained. “I used to be out here because I needed to be available to work here. A lot of the work isn’t here anymore. I mean, a lot of it, the work is not here anymore. It’s the exception now, if you get to work here. So that’s one reason.”
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Rob Riggle said that industry work is moving away from Los Angeles. (Variety via Getty Images)
Riggle said that actors don’t even need to be in L.A. to audition anymore.
“They don’t even do that anymore. Like you don’t get to go in anymore,” he said. “You have to put yourself on tape standing in front of a white, opaque wall in your garage, trying to make a selfie video, reading with your neighbor, you know, or whoever’s in the house, you know? It’s terrible. It’s just a terrible way to do business. And for whatever reason, that’s what we get after COVID. So that’s the new paradigm and it sucks.”
WATCH HERE: ROB RIGGLE SAYS INDUSTRY WORK IS RARELY WORK IN LA
“I used to be out here because I needed to be available to work here. A lot of the work isn’t here anymore.”
The “Stepbrothers” actor added that “obviously there’s economic reasons to move out.”
The 56-year-old told Digital he would love to move back to his native Kansas City.
Rob Riggle stars in the new comedy-horror holiday film “Christmas at the Kringles.” (Victoria Sirakova/Getty Images)
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“I would love to make that happen,” he admitted. “I don’t know when that’s going to happen. I’ve got some things here in California that need tending to, and maybe when I get to a place, once those things are tended to, I can make that move and, get back to, where — I’ve got a lot of family and friends back there. That was where I grew up and stuff. So it’d be nice if I could make it happen.”
WATCH HERE: ROB RIGGLE ON WHY HE DECIDED TO DO HORROR-COMEDY ‘CHRISTMAS AT THE KRINGLES’
Riggle is promoting his new holiday horror-comedy “Christmas at the Kringles,” which was actually shot in Los Angeles.
In the movie, Riggle plays a character named “Drunk Santa.”
Rob Riggle said he plays a character called Drunk Santa. (Disney via Getty Images)
“So, I knew there was going to be a lot of fun right then just seeing that,” he joked. “I was like, ‘Oh this is going to be fun. And then the story, the fact that we’re mixing so many genres, comedy, horror, holiday — all kind of thrown into one thing and that I think makes it wildly entertaining all the way through. And then the cast and the director, the producers, like the whole team, I just thought, ‘My gosh, if nothing else, I’m going to have the best time ever, and that matters to me.”
The cast also includes Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Beverly D’Angelo and Donald Faison.
Riggle said his family has their Christmas locked down.
Rob Riggle sits with Ron Livingston while dressed as Santa in “Christmas at the Kringles.” (19th Hole Productions)
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“We don’t do chaos,” he said after being asked about the holidays. “We are pretty good, I gotta say. We hunker down, you know, we get in early and we stay late and we do our shopping in advance. And I’m talking about food even. Like, we get that bunker thing going, so we don’t have to go out if we don’t want to.”
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The former Marine noted that he’s spent past Christmases in some “unusual” places like Afghanistan.
Rob Riggle spent one Christmas in Afghanistan in 2001. (Getty Images)
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“It was very early in that conflict,” he said. “It was Christmas of 2001, and it was still a very dangerous place. And I remember looking out at the stars. It was a beautiful night. It was very cold, but it was clear, and you could see all the stars and it was very nice.”
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“The Hangover” actor said he “happened to be with some British special forces people that they’re allowed to have a little rum ration. We are not. And so, they were gracious enough to give us a little holiday spirit, which was nice. And so we all celebrated together, and it was a unique moment.”
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The Marines, he said, taught him how to be a leader.
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“Perseverance, I think, is the key,” he said. “Discipline and consistency, discipline, perseverance, those simple things. Just those two things really, perseverance and discipline and you’ll win. If you just stay at it you’ll accomplish what you set out to accomplish, but it’s going to take those two things and those two things aren’t easy. That’s the trick. Those two things are not easy, but if you do them you’ll get the results.”
“Christmas at the Kringles” opens in theaters on Oct. 30.
