Robert Redford has won just about every award and accolade that can be given to someone in the entertainment industry. He’s won Oscars, Golden Globes, and a BAFTA. He’s earned lifetime achievement awards from the Academy and the Screen Actors Guild. But it appears that Redford has another accolade he’d like to add to his storied career — shortest retirement in history.
Back in August, the actor-filmmaker said that he was going to retire from acting after his latest film “The Old Man & The Gun.” He had plenty of reasons for it and seemed adamant that now was the right time to walk away from being in front of the camera. Oh, what a difference a couple months make!
“The Old Man & The Gun” hasn’t even hit theaters yet, and in a new interview at the premiere of the film, Redford is backtracking on that retirement. Well, sort of.
“That was a mistake. I should never have said that,” Redford told Variety.
He continued, “If I’m going to retire, I should just slip quietly away from acting, but I shouldn’t be talking about it because I think it draws too much attention in the wrong way. I want to be focused on this film and the cast.”
Sure, that sounds like he’s just wanting to steer the conversation towards the film. Perhaps, he’s just upset that all the talk surrounding the new David Lowery film is how this is the Robert Redford swansong. Just looking at our headlines for everything related to “The Old Man & The Gun” mentions how this is the last film for the actor. That being said, he does explain further, and in doing so, keeps the door open for new acting gigs in the future.
When asked if ‘Old Man’ would be his last role, he said, “I’m not answering that.” He adds, “Keep the mystery alive.”
So, it appears that reports of Redford’s acting career coming to an end were premature. However, it definitely doesn’t sound like he’ll be rushing out to do a new film anytime soon.
