Hollywood premieres have been cancelled and actors have displayed real-life heroics as a massive fire rages in California.
Reality TV stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have reportedly lost their home in the Palisades fire, which has taken over the celebrity enclave of Pacific Palisades, where a lot of celebrities live.
The couple, who became big names in the early noughties on reality TV series The Hills, shared videos on social media as the fire approached the home.
Watch video above.
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Pratt showed the view of the smoke and fire from the backyard of the house he shares with wife Montag and their two sons, while Montag shared a clip telling fans they were preparing to evacuate.
While neither have confirmed their house has been lost in the fires as reported by multiple US media outlets, Pratt captioned one clip of the blaze as “nightmare came true”.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a “state of emergency” on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) as wind gusts fanned the flames, intensifying the fire.
Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy who is the current honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, was evacuated early on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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“The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon,” he told the publication while stuck in traffic leaving the area.
“I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark.”
Along with Levy there are a raft of celebrities who call the area home, including Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler and Michael Keaton.
Actor leaps into action
Actor Steve Guttenberg, who lives in Pacific Palisades, was spotted helping move abandoned cars from the main thoroughfare to allow fire trucks to reach closer to the fire.
“It’s really important for everybody to band together and don’t worry about your personal property – get your loved ones and get out,” Guttenberg told KTLA of people stuck on Palisades Drive.
“I have friends up there that can’t get out right now … and they’ve been given evacuation orders.”
In a later interview with CNN, Guttenberg said: “This is the most unbelievable fire I’ve ever seen.”
According to Associated Press some 30,000 residents are currently under evacuation orders with about 13,000 structures under threat.
Actor James Woods was among those who posted video of flames burning, on a hill near his home.
“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short clip on the social platform X.
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill was among the celebrities evacuated from his Malibu home as the wildfires rage.
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Aussie actor’s Hollywood debut delayed
The Ryan Gosling-produced movie Wolf Man, created by Aussie filmmaker Leigh Whannell, had its Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT) premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood cancelled.
The highly anticipated horror thriller stars Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott along with young Aussie Zac Chandler, meaning the 12-year-old Sydney actor’s Hollywood debut is on hold a little longer.
“Tonight’s premiere of Wolf Man is cancelled due to sensitivities around the worsening weather situation in LA and related evacuations,” a Universal Pictures spokesperson told news agency Press Association.
Similarly, Tuesday night’s premiere of Unstoppable, the biopic about one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles, starring Jennifer Lopez was called off.
“In light of today’s safety concerns around heightened wind activity and fire outbreaks in Los Angeles, we regret to inform you that we are cancelling tonight’s premiere of Unstoppable,” Amazon MGM said in a statement.
“As much as we were looking forward to celebrating this wonderful and inspiring film with you, safety is our first priority.”
Fresh off a surprise Golden Globes win for Best Actress in a Drama Motion Picture, Fernanda Torres was meant to take part in a screening and Q&A for her film I’m Still Here, with acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro set to host.
Sony cancelled the event after Del Toro was evacuated from his home.
Netflix similarly pulled the pin on a Q&A screening of Oscar contender Emilia Peréz at Grandmaster Recorders “out of an abundance of caution due to the severe winds and fires currently affecting the LA area.”
Wednesday’s planned premiere of the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man was also canned on Tuesday evening “due to the dangerous conditions affecting Los Angeles”.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by the devastating fires resulting from these conditions, and we encourage everyone to stay safe and follow guidance and orders from local officials and government agencies,” Paramount said in a statement.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards were set to host a live nominations announcement on Wednesday morning (Thursday AEDT) in LA, hosted by actors Joey King and Cooper Koch, but this too has been called off.
The in-person nominations announcement for awards honouring the best performances in movies and television will instead be announced by press release.
“In an abundance of caution for the safety of our presenters, guests, and staff, the live in-person 31st Annual SAG Awards nominations announcement has been cancelled due to the wildfires and adverse wind conditions in Los Angeles,” a statement from organisers said.
It’s placed doubt whether this Sunday’s Critic’s Choice Awards will be able to go ahead as planned from the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport, which is just south-east of the inferno.
The seaside enclave of Pacific Palisades is bookended by Malibu to the west and Santa Monica to the south-east.
It’s long been a celebrity hideaway, featuring a stunning coastline and mountains but located not too far from the skyline of downtown Los Angeles.
The neighbourhood of 23,000 within sprawling Los Angeles might not be as well known as its neighbours, but it has a rich, celebrity-studded history that followed its founding in the early 1920s.
It’s been celebrated in song – its famous waves were celebrated by The Beach Boys in Surfin’ USA – and provided a backdrop for a long list of films and TV shows.
The comedian Jerry Lewis lived there and was once honorary mayor, and the eponymously named TV series Pacific Palisades was produced by Aaron Spelling.
The raging coastal wildfire on Tuesday put the community in the headlines, as firefighters sought to hold off the spreading flames amid a strengthening windstorm and thousands of residents fled for safety.
Smoke from the fire was visible for miles along the coastline.
– Reported with Associated Press.