Are Hollywood A-listers flocking to Australia to get out of lockdown?

With coronavirus cases soaring in the US and lockdown still in place in the UK, Australia has become a welcome escape for British and American celebrities wanting to flee restrictions for a life of relative freedom.

Thor: Love and Thunder co-stars Natalie Portman and Matt Damon are among the famous faces who have travelled Down Under for work, brought over by Hollywood filmmakers enticed by government grants, skilled crew and low Covid rates. 

Having been strict on travel in and out the country early in the pandemic, Australia, a country of 25million, has seen fewer than 29,000 cases of Covid-19, while the US has seen more than 25million cases. The UK has had 3.67million cases.  

Some stars have enjoyed their freedom so much they’ve decided to extend their stay, with The Pembrokeshire Murders actor Luke Evans choosing to remain in Australia rather than return home to the UK. 

Meanwhile Australian celebrities Nicole Kidman and Isla Fisher have decided to up sticks and move their entire families from the US to their sprawling second homes in New South Wales.

Their stay is made all the more comfortable by quarantine exemptions that have allowed stars to swap the two-week hotel stay required of all new arrivals for a fortnight in a luxury private residence.

MOVED WITH HER FAMILY: Natalie Portman is among the stars who seems to be stretching out her time in Australia to make the most of the lifestyle. The actress, 39, moved to Byron Bay, in New South Wales, with her husband and two children in October, three months before filming on Thor: Love and Thunder started. Pictured, Natalie and her husband out in Sydney

RELOCATED: Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher, who was raised in Perth from the age of six, have even gone so far as to enroll their children in school, suggesting the move from Los Angeles will be permanent. Pictured, Isla Fisher running errands in Sydney

RELOCATED: Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher, who was raised in Perth from the age of six, have even gone so far as to enroll their children in school, suggesting the move from Los Angeles will be permanent. Pictured, Isla Fisher running errands in Sydney

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were allowed to spend the two weeks isolation period at their $6.5million mansion in New South Wales, while Mark Wahlberg rented a Byron Bay property that’s listed for $2,500 a night. 

This, combined with the easing Covid restrictions, has no doubt made Australia more appealing to stars who might once have been put off by the inconvenience of filming so far away from family and the traditional celebrity hubs of New York, Los Angeles and London.

Natalie Portman is among the stars who seems to be stretching out her time in Australia to make the most of the lifestyle. 

The actress, 39, moved to Byron Bay, in New South Wales, with her husband and two children in October, three months before filming on Thor: Love and Thunder started this month.

The family are in no shortage of celebrity pals to spend the weekend with. Indeed the upmarket town is so popular with stars that it has been dubbed ‘Aussiewood’. 

Portman’s Thor co-star Chris Hemsworth and his brothers Liam and Luke all live in properties in the area and regularly invite their Hollywood pals to visit.

BACK HOME: Another returning Aussie with no apparent plans to return to the US is Nicole Kidman, who set up home at her sprawling New South Wales ranch last year while filming TV series Nine Perfect Strangers. Pictured, Nicole and husband Keith Urban in Australia

BACK HOME: Another returning Aussie with no apparent plans to return to the US is Nicole Kidman, who set up home at her sprawling New South Wales ranch last year while filming TV series Nine Perfect Strangers. Pictured, Nicole and husband Keith Urban in Australia

ISOLATING IN LUXURY: Nicole, 53, and Keith, 52, who flew from Tennessee to Sydney via private jet, were allowed to head straight to their $6.5m mansion in New South Wales , above

ISOLATING IN LUXURY: Nicole, 53, and Keith, 52, who flew from Tennessee to Sydney via private jet, were allowed to head straight to their $6.5m mansion in New South Wales , above

Local powers allow exemptions for stars 

While the majority of arrivals have to spend two weeks in state-monitored hotel quarantine, the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and Matt Damon have been given permission to isolate at luxury private residences.

Quarantine exemptions are a matter for states and territories, meaning local leaders can decide who is granted one. 

Certain professions are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine, such as pilots and diplomats. 

However, exemptions can also be made at the discretion of authorities — either the state government or police, depending on the jurisdiction.

There have been calls for greater clarity around this process after a string of stars were given exemptions.

Critics argue it’s ‘one rule for the rich and another for the poor’. 

Natalie and husband Benjamin Millepied were recently spotted on a yacht trip with Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen, who relocated from Los Angeles to the Sydney suburbs with their three children last year. 

Sacha and Isla, who was raised in Perth from the age of six, have even gone so far as to enroll their children in school, suggesting the move will be permanent. 

Another returning Aussie with no apparent plans to return to the US is Nicole Kidman, who set up home at her sprawling New South Wales ranch last year while filming TV series Nine Perfect Strangers. 

Kidman and husband Keith Urban have been spotted out and about with daughters Faith and Sunday, and have yet to return to Tennessee, where they usually live. 

British stars have also chosen stay behind in Australia rather than return to lockdown.

Luke Evans, who recently appeared in ITV’s The Pembrokeshire Murders, explained he was not ready to give up the good life he enjoyed while filming Nine Perfect Strangers and is now taking in the sights Down Under. 

‘When I had days off [from filming’ I was on the beach, Australia had very few cases of Covid,’ he said in a TV interview earlier this month. 

‘I feel very lucky to be here, that’s why I’m still here in January even though I wrapped in December.’ 

However there has been public criticism of the favourable treatment given to stars.

STAYING BEHIND: Luke Evans explained he was not ready to give up the good life he enjoyed while filming Nine Perfect Strangers and is now taking in the sights Down Under. Pictured, Evans soaks up the sun in Australia in a snap shared on Instagram

STAYING BEHIND: Luke Evans explained he was not ready to give up the good life he enjoyed while filming Nine Perfect Strangers and is now taking in the sights Down Under. Pictured, Evans soaks up the sun in Australia in a snap shared on Instagram

Quarantine exemptions are a matter for states and territories, meaning local leaders can decide who is granted one.

Stars Down Under! 

Some of the celebrities who’ve spent time in Australia over the last year: 

  • Matt Damon
  • Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher
  • Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied
  • Jamie Alexander
  • Paul Mescal
  • Chris Pratt
  • Zac Efron
  • Luke Evans
  • Kate Walsh
  • Melissa McCarthy
  • Idris Elba
  • Liam Neeson

Certain professions are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine, such as pilots and diplomats. 

Exemptions can also be made at the discretion of authorities — either the state government or police, depending on the jurisdiction.

There have been calls for greater clarity around this process after the preferable treatment given to stars, particularly as some Australians living overseas are facing a struggle to return home. 

In March last year there was a public outcry when it emerged Tom Hanks, one of the first high-profile people to be diagnosed with Covid-19 in Australia, was granted permission to cross closed state borders. 

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, epidemiologist and WHO adviser, told ABC news: ‘I can’t understand how the Australian general community, that’s highly egalitarian, will think that this is OK.

‘Particularly if they’ve had any family member that’s had to go through quarantine or they have gone through quarantine themselves. It’s just totally unacceptable from optics, but also from infection control and compliance.’ 

The trend of Hollywood talent being drawn to Australia looks set to continue. 

Once focused on domestic output, Australia’s film and TV industry has shifted towards international productions over the last 12 months. 

QUARANTINE EXEMPTION: Mark Wahlberg, pictured on a visit to Australia and New Zealand last year, was allowed to quarantine at a private residence instead of a controlled hotel

QUARANTINE EXEMPTION: Mark Wahlberg, pictured on a visit to Australia and New Zealand last year, was allowed to quarantine at a private residence instead of a controlled hotel

This is driven partly by the low Covid numbers but also by the new Location Incentive, a $400 million (£225 million) project unveiled last year which provides grants to big budget international productions filming in Australia.

The combination of factors has led to a surge in inquiries from UK and US production houses. 

‘It’s been phenomenal,’ Kate Marks, CEO of Ausfilm, told the Guardian. ‘Since April, when it became clear we were getting on top of the virus, and after the Location Incentive was announced, we’ve had $2.7billion in inquiries from international productions.’

It remains to be seen how many of these inquiries translate to productions filming in Australia but the figures give an indication of the growing interest.