Laughton became an American citizen, a fact of which he was immensely proud.
Ruggles of Red Gap is a hidden gem of a movie in which Laughton stars as an English butler on the American frontier. Lots of observations about new world v. old, class society v. self-made men (and women), living life on one own's terms v. what society expects. The showstopper scene is when he is in a saloon and the American frontiersmen are trying to remember those words Lincoln said. Laughton, the English butler, recites the Gettysburg Address from memory, mesmerizing the Americans. I dare you to watch that scene and come away with a dry eye. At the time he was already considering taking citizenship.