California<\/a> whenever he needed to take part in an audition or be on set. <\/p>\n“I love living in Michigan, which has been great for my kids and my family,” he told the Chicago-Sun Times in the early 2000s. “I just never did buy this idea that you have to live in Los Angeles to be an actor. I didn’t see that as a requirement in my job description. We do have an airport in Michigan.” <\/p>\n
After a discussion with his agent, Daniels agreed to fund any travel to California personally\u2014vowing that he would be there whenever it was necessary. <\/p>\n
“Basically, years ago we had a child and wanted to raise our baby in a part of the country that we understood,” he continued. “My agent said, ‘If you’re willing to go to L.A. at your own expense for a meeting, then we’re fine. Don’t ever tell us that you can’t afford it.'” <\/p>\n
As it turns out, the actor has never looked back, noting to the outlet that he believes his home life in Michigan has enabled him to stay somewhat “sane” in an industry that can, at times, be anything but. <\/p>\n
“I think Michigan keeps you sane and on an even keel through the ups and downs. In Michigan, I do fireworks, shovel snow and live life,” he remarked. <\/p>\n
Nearly four decades after his move home, Daniels has built a life in Chelsea that extends well beyond simply having a place to live there.<\/p>\n
Property records show that the actor’s primary residence is an idyllic waterfront home on the edge of Cavanaugh Lake, which he and his wife, Kathleen, purchased soon after they moved back to Chelsea. <\/p>\n
One of the biggest factors in that decision was his family. Daniels, who has three children, the oldest of whom was born in 1984, wanted them to grow up away from the Hollywood environment.Evan Agostini\/LiaisonIn 1986, Daniels settled in Chelsea, MI, with his family after spending roughly a decade pursuing his career in New York and establishing himself on the big screen.Michael Tran\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n
While the exact price the couple paid is not known, Realtor.com estimates that the dwelling is now worth around $2 million. <\/p>\n
His property includes a barn that has been transformed into a music studio, filled with rows of guitars. His collection includes an instrument played and signed by George Harrison, as well as a custom Martin guitar that Daniels doesn’t play in order to preserve it.<\/p>\n
Michigan has also become an important part of Daniels’ efforts to create opportunities for other artists.<\/p>\n
He founded the nonprofit Purple Rose Theatre Company, taking its name from the movie that helped accelerate his own career. <\/p>\n
Rather than requiring aspiring performers and writers to follow his path to New York or Los Angeles, the theater has spent 35 years fostering talent closer to home.<\/p>\n
“It’s not easy, but we’re still here,” Daniels told Hour Michigan. “I opened it thinking that maybe from this corner of the country, we could write plays and use actors from where we are because I used to be one of them before I went to New York and Los Angeles. That’s what regional theater needs.”<\/p>\n
Daniels has similarly drawn inspiration from Michigan for his own creative work.<\/p>\n
He wrote “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” a comedy centered on a group of hunters in the Upper Peninsula, before later directing a film adaptation of the story.<\/p>\n
According to Daniels, the production connected with audiences who didn’t necessarily consider themselves regular theatergoers.<\/p>\n
“We had hunters showing up in orange with their hunting licenses on their back seeing the first play they had ever seen in their lives,” he recalled. “That’s the perfect example of us writing about this corner of the country.”<\/p>\n
Now, Daniels is expanding his presence in Chelsea once again.<\/p>\n
He is preparing to open JD’s Stage Bistro, a restaurant and music venue near the Purple Rose Theatre, with plans to provide another platform for talent from Michigan and elsewhere in the Midwest.<\/p>\n
His children are now involved in the businesses and creative endeavors he has established in Michigan\u2014decades after their upbringing helped inspire him to return there in the first place.<\/p>\n
And while Daniels’ career has continued to take him far beyond his home state, including roles on Broadway and in major television and film projects, Chelsea has remained the place to which he chose to anchor his life.<\/p>\n
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