Grammer, who stars in ‘Wish You Were Here’ in theaters now, calls out government ‘malfeasance’
Grammer says lawmakers ‘took their eye off the ball’ in wildfire disaster
Actor Kelsey Grammer says California leadership failed to be on top of fire prevention, amounting to "malfeasance" that has left people stranded.
Kelsey Grammer is seeing a shift in Los Angeles politics, all stemming from what he feels was mismanagement of fire prevention by state and local governments.
"I've always been a little bit on the more conservative side of things politically around here, so that shift seems to be unfolding because of … I guess you'd call it malfeasance in office," the actor told Fox News Digital.
"I mean, I don't really know what else to say, but somebody took their eye off the ball, and there's probably going to be some accountability for that. But you never know in California," he added.
Kelsey Grammer says California officials "took their eye off the ball" ahead of the devastating Los Angeles fires. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Grammer, who stars in the new film "Wish You Were Here," said he’s had "a house full of refugees" from the fires, which broke out across Los Angeles this month, with the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas being hit particularly hard.
"I am devastated by the loss, the human loss, the loss of life," he said. "When you lose everything you have, and that's happened to me a couple of times in my lifetime, it's just [like], OK, that's [when] you pick up, and you figure out what's going to happen next, one foot in front of the other. That's how it has to be."
He continued by saying that he’s been seeing "a lot of people around who want to support" the people affected by the fires but understands why some of them may leave the city.
Grammer has been hosting friends at his home in the aftermath of the L.A. wildfires, and he's been volunteering with those affected. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)
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"Somebody took their eye off the ball, and there's probably going to be some accountability for that. But you never know in California."
— Kelsey Grammer
"For many, they're going to want to find a new way to live, a new way forward, a new place to live. But I know a lot of people want to stay, and I wish them well with it. And I'm certainly going to do everything I can to help," Grammer said, adding he’s been "quietly volunteering some stuff behind, but that's what I want to do."
The "Frasier" star has deep roots in California and recalled his grandfather telling him about volunteering to fight forest fires outside Fresno as a teen.
"And he said [it] was the scariest thing he ever did. Now, if my grandfather knew that fighting a fire was important and being prepared for it, we never should have stopped being prepared for it," Grammer said. "And that's obviously what happened."
"We never should have stopped being prepared for it. And that's obviously what happened," Grammer said of the Los Angeles fires. (Santiago Felipe/David McNew/Getty Images)
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"Political expediency or whatever, you lose sight of things," he continued. "But we live in a desert, we basically have really hazardous fire conditions all the time, and we stopped doing stuff to remediate it. So, you know, you just got to use your head."
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Grammer also hopes to bring a little positivity through his work in "Wish You Were Here."
"Certainly, I hope, as I borrow this line from Gregory Peck who said, 'I just hope that the time people spend watching my work, they consider it time well spent. That's all I can ever hope for.' And I've always really admired that goal."
Grammer hopes audiences will consider "Wish You Were Here" as "time well spent." (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
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Based on a novel of the same name, the story follows Charlotte (Isabelle Fuhrman) who experiences a whirlwind romantic evening with a stranger (Mena Massoud). But when things abruptly change the next morning, she seeks answers and finds new meaning in their connection.
Grammer plays Isabelle Fuhrman's father in "Wish You Were Here." (Lionsgate)
Grammer plays Charlotte’s father alongside "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey, and he provides some "hit-and-run comedy" to the romantic drama.
"You can tell that he's a great sort of, if not a father figure, an avuncular figure who is coaxing them into their best lives. That's, I think, what he does as he tries to live his own best life."
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"Wish You Were Here" is actress Julia Stiles' directorial debut, and she reached out to Grammer after they worked together on 2021’s "The God Committee."
"She called and said, ‘I'm finally directing a film. I'd really like you to do this for me.’ And so, of course, I mean, she's a wonderful, wonderful person and a terrific actress. And she turned out to be a pretty good director. So it was a pleasure," he said.
"Wish You Were Here" is in theaters now.
