The A-list stars Dennis Quaid and Matthew McConaughey have joined forces to try and make Texas the new Hollywood.

If you’ve been following The Mix lately, you know that stars are leaving Hollywood like… well, like it’s going out of style!

Quaid And McConaughey Team Up

Quaid, 70, and McConaughey, 55, each took part in a new ad for the True to Texas initiative. Joining their effort Woody Harrelson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Renee Zellwegger.

“Hollywood is flat circle, Woody,” McConaughey said in the ad. “This industry is like somebody’s memory of an industry. I’m talking about a whole new hub for film and television. A renaissance. A rebirth.” (For those who don’t get the reference, it’s from the first season of the excellent series True Detective on HBO.

“A small fraction of Texas budget surplus to turn this state into the new Hollywood,” added the actor Woody Harrelson.

Quaid chimed in to reveal some of the benefits of filming in Texas. He also shared the ad to his Instagram page.

“Why should Texas movies be made anywhere but Texas?” Quaid wrote in the caption. “Filming in Texas isn’t just about showcasing our stunning landscapes—it’s about creating jobs, boosting local economies, and building a thriving industry right here at home.”

Related: Dennis Quaid Thanked His ‘Lord And Savior Jesus Christ’ After Winning Major Award

Texas Senate Makes Huge Move

This comes one week after the Texas senate announced that it had filed a budget that includes $498 million to revamp the state’s film incentives. The goal of this is to make “Texas the movie capital of the world,” according to the office of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. This budget consists of “$48 million in grants for small films and TV commercials, and up to $450 million in new tax credits, including Texas residency requirements for workers.”

Meanwhile, Hollywood itself has been struggling. Last year, filming in Los Angeles dropped to a historic low. Indeed, it was down 5.6 percent from the previous year, making it the least productive year on their record. A report from FilmLA cited “combined effects of runaway production, industry contraction and slower-than-hoped-for post-strike recovery” as the reason for the low numbers.

Related: Matthew McConaughey Reveals Real Reason He Ditched Hollywood For Texas At His Acting Career’s Peak

Los Angeles Wildfires

The devastating wildfires that have spread throughout Los Angeles over the past few weeks have done nothing to help the situation.

“We were already deeply worried about the livelihoods of Los Angeles area cast and crew, not to mention the countless small businesses suffering from production moving out of state and overseas. The fires have made a desperate situation worse. We are terrified that the city we love so much may lose its most vital resource: its people. We need a flood of new work to help our beloved city rebuild itself and ensure LA’s future viability as a place where craftspeople, film workers, and businesses thrive,” the organization, started by Alexandra Pechman and Sarah Adina Smith, states on their page. 

We can certainly see why Quaid and McConaughey are so eager to make Texas the new Hollywood. In the end, it seems that life is simply better in Texas!

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