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I was living in Los Angeles in the middle of the pandemic when my husband and I started a group with two of our other really close friends – Jamie-Lynn Sigler and her husband Cutter Dykstra and Haylie Duff and her husband Matt Rosenberg. We chatted about how we could do all our work remotely and got tired of LA. I was really sick of the traffic and it’s hard to stumble upon people who don’t work in the entertainment industry and the mere thought of raising a family in LA seemed daunting – it’s so expensive. I was also just doing a TV series in Vancouver, which was the fourth thing I did outside of LA. So it wasn’t like shooting in LA as often as it used to be.
We talked about if we could do what we were doing, just not in LA, and ended up in Austin. I went there in my early twenties when I did an arena tour as a singer with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and I remember thinking it was very cool and I could imagine living there. We took a short weekend break in Austin in October and liked the atmosphere – the energy was infectious – and it’s quick to get to from LA (which was important as we all had to return regularly). We all bought the houses we loved in the same neighborhood, about 20 minutes out of town.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Haylie Duff, who moved to Austin with Tobin.
Sigler: Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images; Duff: Paul Archuleta / Getty Images
We quickly changed the tags on our vehicles because we heard rumors that people in Texas weren’t thrilled to see California license plates. We wanted to assimilate as smoothly as possible. We knew the weather wasn’t going to be California weather, and we’re now starting to get a taste of it with the hot summer and humidity (but I’m originally from Atlanta so I’m no stranger to this). I am also getting used to a lot of wildlife; we have to build a snake-proof fence for the dogs. But all of the food is fantastic, from casual – we get killer breakfast tacos at Tacodeli and delicious pizza on Via 313 – to fine dining, including Uchi for fantastic sushi and Matties for the best cocktails ever and a cool ambience . It was really affordable – we got used to costing a fortune in LA
Tacodelis breakfast tacos.
Courtesy of Tacodeli
I was scared to tell [industry contacts] in my life, but every single person has supported me so much. I don’t think it would have been if we hadn’t just experienced a year-long pandemic. People are now realizing that life is short and anyone can make the decisions that feel right for them and their family. I also went to friends who work in casting and said, “I want your honest opinion: will this harm my career?” Everyone said, “For the foreseeable future, the first round of auditions – even after the pandemic – will be self-recorded, and they will only fly you in for callbacks for chemistry readings or tests.
LA is a wonderful place. It will still be the Mecca for what we do for a living, and it probably will be for the rest of the time. I would never say never go back. I find it difficult to sit still. I don’t hang on to houses. I’m not attached to cities. So if I have to go back I won’t kick and scream.
This story first appeared in the August 4th issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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