Hollywood explained

  When you live in California, Hollywood is not just some mythological
  far-away spot where movies come from as in most parts of the
  world. It's a real place that's part of your everyday life. You
  might bump into a celebrity at the grocery store, see film crews
  blocking traffic on your commute, or have a friend who works as
  an extra. As one longtime Los Angeles resident put it, "Dude, living
  here is like being on a constant movie set.

  The other day, I was grabbing coffee and BAM! There's Tom Hanks
  in line behind me. I was like, 'Yo, T-Hanks, what's good?' and
  he just smiled and waved. Totally surreal."

  The film industry's influence seeps into daily conversations too.

  A local bartender shared, "I swear, half the people who come in here
  are trying to pitch their screenplay. It's always, 'So I've got this
  great idea for a movie...' I'm like, 'Bro, just pour the drinks.'"

  Even for those not directly involved in the entertainment industry,
  the presence of Hollywood affects the local culture and economy.
  You might find yourself using industry lingo without realizing
  it, or taking out-of-town visitors on studio tours. A high school
  teacher from San Fernando Valley recounted, "I had this student who
  was always late to class. When I asked him why, he goes, 'Sorry, Ms.
  J, but they were filming on my street again. Took me forever to get
  out.' Only in LA, right?"

  The unique geography of California, with its diverse landscapes
  ranging from beaches to deserts to mountains, has allowed
  it to stand in for locations all over the world in countless
  films. This has led to some amusing situations for locals who
  recognize their neighborhood masquerading as a foreign country
  on the big screen. As one Santa Barbara resident chuckled,
  "I was watching this movie set in the South of France, and I'm
  like, 'Hold up, that's totally the beach down the street from
  my house!' It's trippy, man. California is basically everywhere
  in the movies."

  Living in California means being part of a place that's both real
  and imaginary, a location that exists in the physical world but
  also in the collective dreams of moviegoers worldwide. It's a unique
  experience that blends the mundane with the magical, where the line
  between reality and fiction often blurs in the most unexpected ways.