Actor and filmmaker Danny McBride says one of the best decisions he ever made for both his career and his family was leaving Los Angeles behind.

Speaking on a recent episode of Rich Roll’s podcast, the “Righteous Gemstones” creator explained why he and his wife, Gia Ruiz, relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2017. While the move gave him greater creative freedom, McBride said it also helped create the kind of environment where his children could grow up with fewer distractions and stronger family connections.

McBride joked that one unexpected benefit of filming projects away from Hollywood was that studio executives were less likely to show up on set.

“When we were shooting ‘Eastbound,’ we were shooting in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the idea that there was not a direct flight, at that time, from L.A. to North Carolina, we noticed that the executives never came to set,” he recalled. “We’re like, ‘Oh, we just gotta choose cities that it’s not easy to get to from L.A., and then we’ll have more freedom.'”

But the bigger reason for staying in the South has nothing to do with television production.

McBride said he and Ruiz want to be intentional about raising their son, Declan, 14, and daughter, Ava, 10, in a culture that values relationships and the outdoors more than constant screen time.

“In my house, I try to limit my kids having access to all this stuff,” he said. “I just try to be present in their lives. So, if they’re listening to anybody’s take on the world, hopefully it’s mine and my wife’s, and not a stranger online.”

He believes Charleston has made that goal easier to achieve.

“I think maybe that’s part of the benefit of being in Charleston is like, we live on a creek and the kids in our neighborhood are into fishing, and they’re into, you know, getting out in the water,” he said. “I don’t know … it’s not as pervasive there, I guess.”

McBride also reflected on how becoming a father completely changed his priorities. Before having children, he admitted he devoted nearly all of his time to work. Today, he strives for a healthier balance.

“It was really easy to do this job when I didn’t have kids,” he said. “And then once kids came around, it started to be like, ‘I don’t want to give that much time to this. I want to get the result, but I have other jobs now too. I want to be there for these kids. I want to be a good partner for my wife.”

To make that balance possible, McBride starts working before the rest of his family wakes up. By the time his children are ready for school, he has already made progress on his creative work and can give them his full attention before returning to work later in the day.

His comments echo a growing desire among many parents to protect family time in an increasingly connected world. While every family finds its own rhythm, McBride’s approach reflects a timeless biblical principle: success means little if it comes at the expense of the relationships God has entrusted to us. For him, moving away from Hollywood wasn’t about escaping the spotlight—it was about creating space for what matters most.