Michael Douglas has opened up about why he’s stepping away from acting.
The 80-year-old actor has earned numerous accolades over his nearly six decades in Hollywood, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Douglas is widely recognized for his iconic portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987), a role he reprised in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010).
His filmography also includes standout performances in The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Fatal Attraction (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Falling Down (1993), The Game (1997), Traffic (2000), Wonder Boys (2000), and Solitary Man (2009).
On July 5, the film producer attended the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic to introduce the screening of a newly restored version of Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), starring Jack Nicholson.
At the screening, Douglas spoke about stepping back from acting in 2022, explaining that after nearly 60 years of hard work, he wanted to focus on enjoying his personal life.
“I have not worked since 2022 purposefully because I realized I had to stop,” Douglas said, per Variety. “I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set.”
While Douglas emphasized he doesn’t consider himself officially retired, he admitted: “I have no real intentions of going back. I say I’m not retired because if something special came up, I’d go back, but otherwise, no.”
The two-time Oscar winner, who has been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones for nearly 25 years, joked that these days he is “happy to play the wife” to the Entrapment actress “in the spirit of maintaining a good marriage”.
The couple shares a son Dylan, and a daughter Carys, while Douglas is also father to Cameron, 46, from his previous marriage to Diandra Luker.
Douglas mentioned he is currently trying to “get a good script out of” one independent film but otherwise has no active Hollywood projects.
“If something good comes up that I really like. But I don’t feel a burning desire,” per Daily Mail. He added: “I’m still producing. I still love bringing people together,” referencing Further Films, the independent production company he founded in 1997.
While the Basic Instinct star is taking a step back from the screen, his 24-year-old son is preparing to step into the spotlight, set to make his acting debut in the forthcoming thriller I Will Come to You, where he will play lead character Julian Marks.
Dylan, describing the role as “complex and deep,” said he looks forward to “bringing this character to life and being part of a project that pushes boundaries,” according to Variety.
For now, the retired movie star says he is simply “enjoying” his break, spending time with family and focusing on producing, with no urgency to return to acting unless the perfect project comes along.
“I don’t feel a burning desire,” Douglas reiterated, embracing the next chapter of his life away from the pressures of set life.