Bryan Cranston reveals his plans for retirement
He’s been on our screens for over two decades, making us laugh as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, and outright scaring us as Walter White in Breaking Bad, but now actor Bryan Cranston has decided it’s time to take a serious break from acting; and he knows exactly where he’s going to go once he does it.
The decision to retire from the screen, as well as shut down his Moonshot Entertainment production company and sell his half of the mescal company he’d co-founded with fellow Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul, is based partly on his desire to “change the paradigm” with his wife Robin Dearden.
Having been married for 34 years, Cranston has opened up about feeling like their partnership is one-sided, and he wants to rebalance that. Speaking to British GQ, the 67-year-old actor said: “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,” before adding, “I want to level that out. She deserves it.”
Having spent a good chunk of his working life in Hollywood, it appears that the quaintness of rural Europe is calling to the Breaking Bad actor, who’s said that he would like to flee to a small French village for half a year and do nothing but cook, garden, and be close to Dearden, saying: “I want to have that experience. I want to go for day trips and have the fire in the fireplace and drink wine with new friends and not read scripts.”
Reiterating his desire to stop working altogether, Cranston made himself crystal clear: “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. It’s about taking a chance. I’m used to that feeling – of not knowing.”
Cranston’s comments shouldn’t come as a surprise; back in February, the actor spoke to The Independent about the importance of separating work and personal life and maintaining a healthy balance: “Make sure your personal life is as sane and as structured as possible. If you have that, then in your creative life you can go anywhere, because there is this invisible tether back down to sanity.”
He also hinted at the longevity of an acting career and the inherent uncertainty that comes with such a vocation, explaining how “acting feels tentative. It doesn’t feel like it’s foundationally structured to last long.” Whilst fans of Cranston may lament the news, they can still enjoy his talents on the upcoming film from director Wes Anderson, Asteroid City.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.