Michelle's emotional journey FROM HOLLYWOOD TO HOME!

Outrageous Fortune actress Michelle Ang's made a star-spangled return to her favourite place on Earth

- Florence Hartigan

After years working overseas with celebs like Jodie Foster and Steven Soderbergh, actress Michelle Ang - who Kiwi audiences will remember from her roles on Xena and Outrageous Fortune - is home at last.

For the former Neighbours star and director of the New Zealand International Film Festival feature Kāinga, trading Hollywood glitterati for the shores of Aotearoa was exactly what she needed.

"Being back in New Zealand was the best move I could have made," says Michelle, 38, who relocated from Los Angeles in 2019. "During COVID, I felt like we'd won the lottery! And being close to my friends and family is incredible.

"Having lived in other places, I know New Zealand is truly home. There's a world view that's really aligned with how I feel. There's just this sense that as Kiwis, we take care of each other."

Michelle found herself experiencing a very different vibe in LA, where she moved in 2006, in between stints in Melbourne, London and New York.

"Los Angeles is quite an intense city to live in," recalls the Christchurch-born star, adding that while she enjoyed star-studded events, like attending Woody Harrelson's birthday party in a treehouse, she quickly found there was much more to life in Tinseltown.