Bryan Cranston says he will retire from acting in 2026.
The “Breaking Bad” Emmy winner will be 70 years old at that time, and speaking with British GQ in an interview published Thursday, he explains that even if it’s a temporary break from the industry, he wants to move to a foreign village and lead a quieter life of cooking and gardening with his wife Robin Dearden.
“For the last 24 years, Robin has led her life holding onto my tail. She’s been the plus one, she’s been the wife of a celebrity. She’s had to pivot and adjust her life based on mine. She has tremendous benefit from it, but we’re uneven. I want to level that out. She deserves it,” Cranston said.
Sharing that they’ll probably set their sights on France, shut down his production company and sell his half of Dos Hombres, the mezcal company he owns with “Breaking Bad” costar Aaron Paul, the actor said that for a minimum of six months he and Dearden will commit to learning the language, reading and enjoying the company of new friends.
“I want to have that experience,” Cranston continued. “I want to go for day trips and have the fire in the fireplace and drink wine with new friends and not read scripts. It’s not going to be like, ‘Oh, I’ll read and see what I’m going to do.’ No, it’s a pause. It’s a stop. I won’t be thinking about [work]. I’m not going to be taking phone calls.”
In the meantime, the profile confirmed, Cranston can next be seen starring alongside Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and others in Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” After that, he has Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle” with Samuel L. Jackson and Bryce Dallas Howard and a “Malcolm in the Middle” reunion project from creator Linwood Boomer. A potential stage musical might also be brewing.
But, the actor maintained, “I don’t need a job. I don’t want a job. But I love to work. And there’s a big distinction between the two.”
As far as his proposed plan of retiring to France in 2026, he concluded, “It’s about taking a chance. I’m used to that feeling — of not knowing.”
