Actress Kristen Stewart is facing sharp online criticism after delivering a rambling critique of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles during a recent interview.
While speaking with Architectural Digest, Stewart lamented what she described as the “dismantling” of the city’s culture amid federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“I can’t stand the idea that – the dismantling of the culture that did have a hand in, like, making me who I am, which is so meaningless in the face of people’s lives being, like, completely unearthed, uprooted, destroyed,” Stewart said.
“This is, like, not who we are,” she continued.
“So, like, where I’m from, I don’t identify with that right now.
“And so, like, I – I definitely am dying every day thinking, ‘So do we make movies about this? Do we throw all of our money at it? Do we stop buying burgers in the daytime? What do we do about this?’
‘Like, I can’t fathom that it’s happening until it doesn’t happen.
“It’s like Los Angeles doesn’t exist without all of us.”
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Online Backlash
Architectural Digest posted the clip to Instagram, where reactions quickly poured in.
“There’s still time to delete this and post something relevant to architecture instead,” one user wrote.
“Elite-level word salad right there,” another commenter added.
“Nobody cares what actresses think,” one person posted.
Others defended Stewart’s comments and criticized the backlash.
“All the soulless people in the comments , my god help us,” one supporter wrote.
“I commend you @archdigest for contributing to the conversation.”
“How are people struggling so much to understand what she’s saying?” another added.
“To me this is a very clear and passionate response to the question.
“And I commend her for taking that moment to speak on it, and think her reasoning is spot on.”
“LA loves her hard,” another commenter wrote.
“Y’all negative Nancy’s can stay pressed.”
Considering Life Outside the U.S.
Stewart has also indicated she may not remain in the United States long term.
In a recent interview with The Times, the “Twilight” star said she is structuring her directorial career around filming in Europe because she “can’t work freely” in America.
Her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, was shot in Latvia, which she said was necessary because “it would have been impossible to do in the States.”
The bi-coastal actress, who splits her time between Los Angeles and New York, suggested her long-term future may lie elsewhere.
“I can’t work freely there,” Stewart said.
“But I don’t want to give up completely.
“I’d like to make movies in Europe and then shove them down the throat of the American people.”
The remarks come as immigration enforcement continues to be a flashpoint issue nationwide, particularly in California, where federal and state policies have often clashed.
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