Contrary to what he said in August, Robert Redford may not be retiring from acting, Variety reported.
Speaking to the publication on Thursday, at the premiere of David Lowery’s The Old Man & The Gun, which the 82-year-old had said last month would be his last film as actor, Redford took back his remarks. “That was a mistake,” Redford said. “I should never have said that.”
Redford added that if we were to retire, he should do so quietly, as talking about it draws “too much attention in the wrong way”. However, he refused to clarify that Lowery’s film would not be his last. “Keep the mystery alive,” he added.
At the same event, the actor told PEOPLE magazine that he should not have spoken of retiring “because you never know” and that an announcement like that “draws attention away from the film”.
Lowery’s crime comedy, also starring Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter, Tom Waits and Sissy Spacek, will be released in theatres on September 28. It stars Redford as Forrest Tucker, a career criminal who has managed to escape from prison 17 times.
Redford began his acting career with television in the 1960s. His film credits include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Sting (1973), All the President’s Men (1975), Out of Africa (1985), Havana (1990) and An Unfinished Life (2005). He made his directorial debut with Ordinary People (1980), which won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. He also won the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 2002. His other films as director include A River Runs Through It (1992), Quiz Show (1994) and Lions for Lambs (2007).
Redford had first indicated his plans for retirement in 2016, when he said his upcoming two films, Ritesh Batra’s Netflix film Our Souls at Night (2017) with Jane Fonda and The Old Man & The Gun, would be his last.