Jana Kramer says Los Angeles left her unable to afford the kind of childhood she wanted for her children. The 42-year-old actress discussed the decision during a recent Fox News Digital interview about her new film, “The One.”
Kramer recalled living in Studio City with two of her children and confronting the financial limits of raising them there. She wanted more room, a larger backyard, and a neighborhood that could offer the experiences she remembered from childhood.
“I remember being in Studio City with the two kids, and we couldn’t afford to have a bigger place with a bigger backyard and neighborhoods like that. Again, we just couldn’t afford certain neighborhoods and, for me, Tennessee has just always been a place that every time I land, my nervous system just like relaxes; it feels calm,” she said.
Growing up in the Midwest shaped Kramer’s expectations for family life. Some of her greatest childhood memories involved running around her neighborhood, moving between friends’ houses and remaining outside until the sun went down.
Her relocation to Nashville, Tennessee, has allowed her children to enjoy similar freedom. Kramer said watching them ride bicycles and visit friends brings her joy and makes Tennessee feel like home.
“I love it here. You can always go back,” she added. “You can always go to Hollywood, but things have changed so much with self-tapes, which I actually don’t love, but you can. It’s a plane away.”
The “One Tree Hill” star acknowledged that many people raise their children in Los Angeles and said that choice is amazing for them. For Kramer, however, Tennessee provides a totally different life that more closely resembles what she wanted for her own family.
She traced that connection to her upbringing in Michigan and the value she places on how she was raised. Kramer said she wanted her children to receive that same kind of upbringing.
The actress shares Jolie and Jace with her former husband Mike Caussin. She also shares her son Roman with her husband, Allan Russell.
Kramer’s latest project shifts the focus toward vulnerable young people facing dramatically different circumstances. “The One” follows an 18-year-old navigating homelessness after aging out of the foster care system.
“I remember reading the script and just, I love a complicated story, you know, I think it’s always fun to play those roles because life is complex,” she said. “But I loved the story behind it. I loved the faith element. It wasn’t completely thrown in your face, but it was a beautiful thread throughout the movie. And it just had a lot of heart to it. And so I felt that in the movie, and then I felt that pain that everyone was going through. And so, I just really wanted to be a part of telling that story.”
“The One” is scheduled to arrive in theaters nationwide on Nov 5th. Its release coincides with National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, drawing attention to the foster care and teenage homelessness at the center of the film.
Kramer said the movie is shedding light on the issue. She described it as heartbreaking to see a character experiencing life without a home base and feeling that the rug could be pulled from underneath them at any second.
“I just… I can’t imagine that as a kid,” she said. “It’s like I think about my kids, and it makes me sad to think about. Them not feeling safe or them being put into unsafe homes because our job as parents is to protect them. And it makes me really sad that some kids in the foster system don’t get placed into safe homes and those that have to hop around.”
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Her response to the film’s story was closely tied to her perspective as a parent. Kramer said the thought of her own children feeling unsafe made her sad, particularly when considering children who move between homes or are placed in unsafe environments.