Tax exile is a subject that is difficult to avoid when you are a star living abroad. We remember in particular the remarks suffered by Eric Cantona when he moved with Rachida Brakni and their children. “.”I have the right to say what I want, where I want and when I want. And if they’re not happy, it’s the same!“, he responded to his detractors, while telling them that he continues to pay taxes in France since he owns companies there. Omar Sy, who moved to Los Angeles more than two years ago following the success of Intouchables, also defended himself, in his book Come on, let’s talka work published last spring in which he discusses multiple subjects with journalist Elsa Vigoureux.
“I wanted to talk about ‘tax exile’, since that’s what some people call you…“, says the journalist in the book, in order to start this discussion. To which the star of the series Lupine on Netflix responds: “You only need to learn a little about Californian taxation to understand that we are far from paradise here. Is it also useful to point out to those who would like to forget that I am also a French citizen, and that as such, I pay taxes to France each time I work there? So let the haters think what they want. If I showed my tax form, it would shut up a lot of people’s voices. I’m taxed a lotbut I don’t have to provide proof.”
A response that could not be clearer, from the actor. He also took the opportunity to reaffirm his attachment to his country, which he has not forgotten even though he no longer lives there: “I wanted to come back to something that concerns me more, to what we talked about yesterday, the links, the attachments… Make no mistake Elsa, I’m not the guy who is there, who leaves, and then hello. I am not a leaf in the wind. I love the people around me deeply.“
Omar Sy, his life between California, Paris and Provence
As a reminder, if Omar Sy flew to California, it was to find a little more anonymity, at a time when his notoriety was beginning to weigh on him on a daily basis. And for those who wonder about the life he leads in Los Angeles, with his wife Hélène, mother of his five children, Elsa Vigoureux did not hesitate to release a few details: “The house is indeed that of a wealthy American family. With cars parked out front. The front door is almost as wide as it is high. Inside, the rhythm is threefold: that of the children, the trips to and from schools, the well-regulated daily life; it’s that of France, the phone calls, the technical and practical supervision of Omar; and it is also that of a couple, between Hélène’s mornings and Omar’s nights, there is a sort of gap where they both slip, behind the others’ backs.“
Finally, let us point out that Omar Sy may no longer live in France, but he therefore continues to work there, as he has already explained, and also, he still owns real estate there. In Paris but also a house located in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence where he likes to recharge his batteries when he can: “Over there, I ride a motorbike, I go buy my tray of fries, I walk…” And among his neighbors, another personality from Trappes like him, Jamel Debbouze.
