Each time an actor or musician or director talks about retiring, it’s pretty easy to roll your eyes. Mostly because they hardly ever mean it. But it’s also hard to imagine ever voluntarily giving up a life of wealth and fame. The latest star to hint at retirement is Robert Downey Jr., who told Entertainment Weekly that he and his wife Susan “want to begin to be in our lives.” Which means watching movies, reading books, painting, of course.
“I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don’t know, maybe a couple more times. It’s something I’m so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay.”
No! Lucky for all his fans, Downey knows he might not be able to leave acting even if he wants to. “If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next 5 or 7 or 10 years,” he said. We’d like to go ahead and suggest the Jay-Z model wherein one announces his retirement, soaks in all the requisite fanfare, and then behaves like it never happened. It’s really the best of both worlds.
This Week’s Cover: ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Exclusive: Is Downey quitting acting? [EW]
