Hollywood is a dream place to live for thousands of aspiring actors who want to be the biggest star the world has ever seen. However, there's a slim chance these talented people will make it there, and those who have couldn't wait to leave.
Richard Boone, the star of the classic Western Have Gun - Will Travel, was one of those Hollywood actors that took his talents elsewhere — Hawaii, to be exact. He left for many reasons, and a major one was the environment and lack of productivity. In an interview with the Associated Press in 1970, journalist Gene Handsaker asked Boone if he had quit Hollywood, and he had a lot to say.
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"Yes, I have. I think there are so many places in the world that are more interesting to live... that gives you a chance to work more productively," he said. "I'm tired of working in an environment where people are doing you a favor to come to work. Jobs are locked in by union rules. They're sinecures."
Boone made it clear several times that he wanted to build a movie operation in Hawaii and even convinced some people in the industry to film productions there. He moved his family there as well.
Although many people thought the cancellation of his anthology series The Richard Boone Show made him better about Hollywood, the actor said that was not the case.
"I really didn't want to live in Southern California anymore. The cancellation of the anthology was a bitter disappointment, but it wasn't really what caused me to move. It was simply a case of [not] wanting to do any more [television series]. And in that case, since I'm only five hours away from L.A., why not live in Hawaii," he added.
The actor also stated that the lack of diversity in schools in Hollywood also influenced his decision. He wanted his son to go to school with "every kind of kid that was ever born any place," and in Hawaii, he got that.
No matter how others felt about Boone's decision to leave Hollywood, he was happy about it and believed he made the right decision, and that's all that matters.
