At the world premiere of “The Old Man and the Gun” at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival, Redford told the audience that his performance in the heist comedy — which earned him another Golden Globe nomination — would be his last.
“The truth is that I really do feel that it’s time for me to move into retirement,” he said, per Variety. “I’ve been doing this since I was 21. I’ve put my soul and heart into it over the years. I thought, ‘That’s enough. Why don’t you quit while you’re a little bit ahead? Don’t wait for the bell to toll. Just get out.’ So I felt my time had come, and I couldn’t think of a better project to go out on than this film.”
Redford later said he didn’t realize the comment would cause such a stir.
“I should just slip quietly away,” Redford told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I said it was probably my last as an actor. I didn’t want to hit that too hard. But at Telluride and Toronto, it took the focus away from what the movie was about.”
Although he admitted “never say never” if the right role came along, Redford, then 82, said he was “pretty committed” to retiring from acting. He also said he was eager to keep directing and producing films, in addition to overseeing the Sundance Institute.
Redford said that when he could no longer steer the arts nonprofit, he would leave operations in the hands of his children Shauna, Amy, and Jamie, whom he shares with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen.
“I feel I’m at a point where, beyond encouraging them, I can step not completely away, but step aside, so they can take the thing and run with it,” Redford said. “Basically, they’re inheriting what I started, and they’re going to keep it going with my grandchildren.”
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