Two-time Oscar winner Michael Douglas has revealed that he is most likely done with his acting career, stating that he has no real intention of returning to the film industry. He made this statement during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where he was attending the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the classic "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", which Douglas himself produced.

At the age of 80, the actor announced to journalists that unless something extremely special comes along, he will not be acting again. His last role was in the Apple TV+ series "Franklin", in which he played Benjamin Franklin. Filming took place in 2022, and the broadcast was in 2024.

Douglas explained that he deliberately did not work after 2022 because he realized that he had to stop. “I’ve worked hard for almost 60 years and I didn’t want to be one of those people who dies on set,” he said. He added that he was happy with his decision to take a break and, while he doesn’t feel officially retired, he’s not looking for active roles. If something really extraordinary comes along, he’ll look at it, but otherwise he’s happy just to watch his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, while she works.

The actor said he’s currently trying to come up with a good script for a small independent film, but joked that he’s not looking for work because his golf game is improving, the Guardian reported.

In 2010, Douglas went through a tough battle with stage four throat cancer. In Karlovy Vary, he said he was lucky to avoid surgery that would have required the removal of part of his jaw and the loss of his voice — something that would have been fatal to his acting career.

Douglas also touched on the political situation in the United States during the festival. He expressed concern that his country was “flirting with autocracy” and stressed how vulnerable democracy was. According to him, politics has already become a profitable industry, and people enter it for commercial purposes. He pointed out that the United States has maintained a certain idealism that has now been lost. However, the actor refused to go into details, stating that “the news speaks for itself.”

“I myself am worried. I am worried and I believe that it is the responsibility of each of us to be vigilant,” Douglas concluded. | BGNES