Jennifer Esposito Says Goodbye to Home She Mortgaged to Make Passion Film Fresh Kills

Jennifer Esposito is opening up about a painful moment in her life — moving out of the home she risked everything to make her film.

The 52-year-old actress and filmmaker shared an emotional selfie video on social media on Friday, revealing that she is leaving the house she mortgaged to finance her passion project, Fresh Kills. Through tears, Jennifer Esposito explained how deeply personal the decision was and how hard the aftermath has been.

“I’ve been crying because I’m moving out of my home that I mortgaged to make my film,” she said. Esposito also reflected on the lack of public support she felt the movie received, especially from people with large platforms who could have helped spread the word.

While she acknowledged that no one is obligated to help anyone, she questioned whether people still owe each other basic decency. “I think actually we do owe each other something,” she said. “We owe each other decency as human beings.”

In her caption, Esposito added a hopeful note, writing that if people truly supported one another, “systems that are meant to divide actually might fall.”

The post quickly drew an outpouring of support from fellow actors and friends. Jerry O’Connell promised to help promote the film, while Debra Messing praised the movie and called it “maddening” that Esposito had to give up her home to share her art. Don Cheadle also spoke up, urging fans to watch the film and applauding Esposito for putting everything on the line.

Esposito has been open about the sacrifices behind Fresh Kills. During her press tour in 2024, she revealed that she chose to mortgage her home because she believed in the story and in herself. “At the end of my life, am I going to be happy that my house was paid off,” she said at the time, “or that I gave myself the opportunity I’d been waiting for?”

The film, which Esposito wrote and directed, tells the story of women in an organized crime family in late-20th-century New York. It stars Emily Bader and Odessa A’zion.

Getting the movie made was a struggle. Esposito has said she was offered millions of dollars if she agreed to let a man direct the film or cast a big-name male star, based on the belief that women-led films don’t sell. She refused, choosing instead to stay true to her vision.

To fund the project, she turned to her husband, Jesper Vesterstrøm, whom she married in 2020. “If you don’t bet on yourself,” she said, “who is going to bet on you?”

Fresh Kills premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2023. Despite the personal cost, Esposito’s film has reached audiences and is now available to stream on Hulu.

For Esposito, the journey has been heartbreaking — but also a powerful statement about believing in yourself, even when the price is high.