During a press conference at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the "Wall Street" actor, 80, explained why he has stepped back from acting without any current plans to return.
Douglas told reporters that he has "purposely" not worked in a few years because he "realized I had to stop," explaining, "I'd been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set."
The actor added that he is "very happy with taking the time off" and has "no real intentions" of going back to acting at the moment.
He discussed his hiatus from acting at the press conference after being asked about his perseverance in the face of health challenges, including a battle with tongue cancer. He quipped that "stage 4 cancer is not a holiday," but said he didn't have "many choices" other than to push through, adding that he was "lucky" that he was able to continue working.
Douglas' "Ant-Man" co-star Evangeline Lilly has similarly stepped away from acting since the release of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." The "Lost" actress shared in 2024 that while she "might return to Hollywood one day," for now, she is on an "indefinite hiatus."
