Rob Lowe on why it's cheaper to bring 100 people to Ireland than to produce in Los Angeles

Irish film industry production surged by 33% in 2024 as tax incentives and talent continue to attract global shoots

Criticising Hollywood’s low film industry incentives, Rob Lowe said that bringing 100 Americans to Ireland costs less 'than to walk across the lot at Fox, past the sound stages, and do it there'.

If the Irish film industry needed validation from an esteemed source, veteran actor Rob Lowe’s recent comment that “it's cheaper to bring 100 people to Ireland” than his native LA will surely have gladdened hearts at Ardmore and Troy Studios. 

Criticising Hollywood’s low film industry incentives, he repeated that bringing 100 Americans to Ireland costs less “than to walk across the lot at Fox, past the sound stages, and do it there”. In a recent episode of his podcast - Literally! With Rob Lowe - where he was joined by his former Parks and Recreation comedy series co-star Adam Scott, Lowe explained why he opted to film his game show, The Floor, in Dublin rather than California. 

“There are no tax credits, and all those other places are offering 40%. And that's not even talking about union stuff. It’s criminal what California and LA have let happen. Everybody should be fired.” Scott, who is known for his roles in Severance and Ghosted, said “nothing shoots in Los Angeles anymore” and added that he is involved with an upcoming film shooting in Cork over the coming months.

Lowe’s comments gel with a previous article in the influential film industry magazine Variety: “Ireland has become a capital of filmmaking” in recent years, establishing itself as “one of the world’s most attractive production environments” thanks to an attractive tax incentive, Section 481, and the plethora of talented writers, directors, producers, casts and crew that the country has to offer. 

The Irish screen industry

Screen Ireland launched its 2025 Production Slate earlier this year, with over 80 productions across feature film, TV drama, animation, documentary and short film. 

Total production spend generated by the Irish screen industry in 2024 is valued at over €430 million, representing a 33% increase on 2023 figures. Despite unprecedented disruptions and challenges facing the industry globally, the Irish creative screen industry continues to experience record-breaking production growth, driven by sustained Government investment. 

Research shows that the Gross Value Added of the audiovisual industry in Ireland is over €1bn across live action and animation, digital production, distribution, publishing transmission and exhibition. In terms of employment, the industry supports a total of almost 16,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

This year, Screen Ireland plans to ring-fence funding of €5.5m for nationwide development and Irish language storytelling across all genres and formats. In order to capitalise on the global opportunity for the digital games sector in Ireland, Screen Ireland will also launch a €500,000 digital games development initiative. 

“In a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace, public funding for Irish film and television is now more essential than ever,” said Chair of Screen Ireland Board, Ray Harman. “Our new strategy Fís Athnuaite outlines how, as an agency, we plan to continue to build a sustainable future for filmmaking in Ireland.” 

The analysis cites the audiovisual sector as a “strong generator of cultural value, promoting the Irish language, identity, and values through the telling of stories on screen”. Productions like The Banshees of Inisherin and Normal People have increased visitor numbers to filming locations, while films like Kneecap and An Cailín Ciúin raise interest in Irish language and heritage. 

Tourism Ireland’s research from 2024 revealed that 26% of tourists coming to Ireland indicated that film, television and travel shows were a source of travel inspiration. “Since 2021, Irish films and talent have won over 300 international awards,” said Chief Executive of Screen Ireland, Désirée Finnegan. 

“It has been an incredible journey for the creative teams behind these projects, with so much achieved already.”