Michael Douglas, 80, reveals why he ‘purposefully’ quit acting

Michael Douglas revealed why he “purposefully” stepped away from his acting career.

The Oscar winner, 80, detailed that he has “not worked since 2022 purposefully” because he realized he “had to stop.”

“I had 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,” he told the press at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic Saturday, per Variety.

“I have no real intentions of going back.”

While discussing his non-retirement, the actor spoke about how his battle with throat cancer influenced his decision.

“Stage 4 cancer is not a holiday, but there aren’t many choices, are there?” he explained. “I went with the program, involving chemo and radiation, and was fortunate.

“The surgery would have meant not being able to talk and removing part of my jaw and that would have been limiting as an actor.”

Douglas’s last big film credit was as Dr. Hank Pym in the 2023 Marvel film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” However, he appeared in the 2024 mini-series “Franklin,” where he played Benjamin Franklin.

Despite his intentions of staying away from a movie set, the “Fatal Attraction” star noted that he could be swayed by the right project — which he already has lined up.

“I say I’m not retired because if something special came up, I’d come back, but otherwise, no,” he explained.

During his interview, though, the “Basic Instinct” actor opened up about “one little independent movie” he is “trying to get a good script out of.”

Nonetheless, he is aiming to spend more time with Catherine Zeta-Jones, as he detailed that he is “happy to play the wife” in their relationship, “in the spirit of maintaining a good marriage.”

Douglas and the “Chicago” star — who share son Dylan, 24, and daughter Carys, 22 — have been married since 2000.

He also shares son Cameron, 46, with his ex-wife, Diana Luker.