Twilight star Kellan Lutz reveals why he fled California for Tennessee and dishes on new life with 'land and great Bible studies'

Twilight star Kellan Lutz opened up about his decision to pack up his life in California and move to Tennessee.

The 41-year-old actor, who is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in the Twilight Saga movie series, recalled making the move three years ago in the time following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

'I never wanted to leave [California]', he said on Tuesday's episode of the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum.

However, the actor explained that he and wife Brittany Lutz (née Gonzales), whom he married in 2017, decided to move to Franklin, near Nashville, for family reasons. The pair share daughter Ashtyn Lilly, five, and son Kasen Lane, four. 

'I love California, I really do,' he said on Tuesday's episode of the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum. 'The whole Tennessee move happened when we had our second kid.'

The Immortals star, who has frequently talked about being a Christian, gushed about the past three years they've spent living in Tennessee: 'We got some land, got great Bible studies that we're a part of, great churches, great community.'

He explained that he and his wife originally lived in Orange County, California, where she was born and raised.

Lutz was born in Dickinson, North Dakota and grew up in the Midwest as well as in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he went to high school. 

Before pursuing acting, he attended Chapman University in Orange, California, where he was pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.

Lutz was in Australia filming 7 Guardians of the Tomb when he met Brittany over the phone in early 2017. 

They lived together in Orange County, only moving in together in their marital home when they tied the knot later that same year, for five years before they relocated to Franklin in 2023.

Lutz noted that his wife Brittany hopes to move back to Orange County eventually or have a home in both places so they can live 'bi-ish coastal.' 

'Her family is awesome, but post-COVID, a lot of people flew, like fled California,' Lutz said as he recalled when he and his wife started contemplating moving. 

'A lot of people lost jobs and wanted to move somewhere a little bit more peace given,' he added. 

The actor explained that his wife Brittany's family decided to move to Tennessee, and so they chose to follow them. 

Lutz explained that they wanted to live close to his wife's family so she would have a support system and 'just to help with the kids' whenever he has to travel for work. 

'And one of the kids got sick,' he said as he recalled the instance that he and his wife talked about moving and agreed to make the jump. 

'She felt really out of control as far as not being able to bring both kids there or just kind of helpless. So, she's like, "Can we move?" I'm like, "Yeah, of course."' 

'Then when they decided to move, I was like, "OK, well, we're going to do it. We're going to give it a couple years,' he said. 'And we have, and it's great.'

He added: 'There's a lot of great things about Tennessee, especially Franklin where we live.'  

He also noted the entertainment industry is bustling in Tennessee as he continued about their community in Franklin. 

'There's a lot of actors. I've gone to probably more movie premieres in Franklin, Tennessee, than I have in LA, you know, the last couple years since I lived there,' he explained. 

Among the many pros, he admitted that he and his wife did have to adjust to the weather and miss some aspects of California.

'Like, we aren't seasons people,' he admitted. 'There's tornadoes. My wife goes on red alert, especially when you have kids.'

He added: 'And we do miss good sushi and good Mexican food.'