He's best known for his roles in "Sling Blade," "Bad Santa," and his current series, "Landman." Recently, you may have seen Billy Bob Thornton sporting Cal Poly shirts and hats during interviews on national TV programs, like "The Today Show."
The Academy Award winner has become a bit of an ambassador for the university. But for the Hollywood star, it’s not about the fashion statement; it’s about his family and finding a place that feels like home.
KSBY News anchor Richard Gearhart recently sat down with Thornton to talk about his connection to the Central Coast.
“Our daughter, Bella, when she graduated high school, really wanted to go to college… We toured UCLA and Cal Poly and a few others… We all that day just said, well, this is the place,” Thornton said about Cal Poly.
Bella Thornton is now a sophomore, and her famous father couldn’t be prouder.
“I say it everywhere I go. I mean, I’ll tell somebody, you know, unsolicited… some lady looking through the gem store for crystals or something, I’ll go, ‘Yeah, my daughter goes to Cal Poly, you live around here?'" he laughed.
That pride also extends beyond the Cal Poly campus. The Thornton family now has a home a few minutes from campus, and he admits to becoming a helicopter parent. The local area has also become a creative sanctuary for Thornton.
“Our new record from The Boxmasters comes out June 12th, and it’s called 'In the Bay.' Every song on the record was inspired by Morro Bay or I was inspired to write something while I was here,” he said.
This summer, he'll be hitting the road with his band on their "Morro Rock Tour."
Meanwhile, the man who says he majored in “billiards and beer” while he was in college is amazed at what Cal Poly has offered his daughter, especially the library, one of her “go-to places” on campus.
“I went in there, and I was like, wow, is this ever not like the library we had. You got a café and you can get drinks and study areas. Our library was just kind of a library, a dry kind of place.”
But it’s the community that has truly won him over. From the sunsets over Morro Rock to the local barbershop.
“I was at the barbershop getting my beard trimmed yesterday. I know all of those guys. Sometimes I go in there and hang out and talk to them. It’s just a very accepting place.”
For someone who’s spent decades in Hollywood, the Central Coast offers something different.
“There’s just sort of an innocence. There’s something that reminds me of when I was growing up. I think LA has become a TV show itself. When I come here, I can just breathe,” he said.
Thornton says he tries to spend as much time on the Central Coast as he can when he’s not working and may even keep a home here after Bella graduates. He says he doesn’t mind when locals come up and say "hi."
“The Central Coast is definitely by far my favorite part of California. You kind of want to keep it a secret, but at the same time you want to brag on it, so you’re kind of torn.”
Thank you to the Savory Palette in Morro Bay for hosting us for this interview.
