Ashley Jensen made the decision to quit Los Angeles because she felt her career always felt "vulnerable" in the US.
The 48-year-old Scottish actress enjoyed great success Stateside with roles in the ABC series ‘Ugly Betty’ and sitcom ‘Accidentally on Purpose’.
Jensen did enjoy LA life but due to the studio system that operates in American television she didn’t like the uncertainty of what her next job would be, and ultimately that’s what inspired her to return to her native Britain.
In an interview on UK TV show ‘This Morning’, she said: "In a lot of ways I felt as though it was a little bit transient and nobody was happy with the here and now. It was always like, ‘When I get the next job, when I get the next pilot. It was a vulnerable state to live in.’ Because even when you get a pilot you can be re-cast in that pilot or after four episodes the producers can pull the plug because they’re not getting the figures they want. There seems to be more loyalty here (in the UK), in a way."
Jensen – whose other TV and film credits have included roles in ‘Extras’, ‘Catastrophe’, ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ and ‘The Lobster’ – also was very aware that LA was a city for young people and not a place she would want to grow old in with her family; husband Terence Beesley and their eight-year-old son Francis.
She said: "You don’t want to be old in LA."
Joking about one thing she definitely loved about Los Angeles, she added: "The fact that they pack your shopping for you in LA is a plus!"
Ashley Jensen left LA because to protect her ‘vulnerable’ career
