Bryan Cranston says he plans to pause his acting career and move to France in 2026

All good things come to an end, and for Bryan Cranston, the end of his acting career could arrive by 2026. Speaking to British GQ about the future, Cranston says he plans to retire from acting (for a limited time) and move to France in the coming years.

“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,” Cranston explains. “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.”

Cranston says he plans to shut down his production company, Moonshot Entertainment, and pause his acting career for at least six months. He’s nearing 70 and wants to enjoy life without Hollywood looming over his shoulder.

“I want to change the paradigm once again,” Cranston said. “For the last 24 years, Robin [Dearden] 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. I want to level that out. She deserves it.”

Famous for playing Hal Wilerson in Malcolm in the Middle and Walter White in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Cranston’s body of work speaks for itself. He’s still interested in specific acting opportunities, such as a Malcolm in the Middle movie, but Father Time has a way of catching up with all of us. Some actors choose work over rest. Still, in Cranston’s case, he’d like to enjoy his golden years in comfort, surrounded by family, friends, and wine, free of obligations to Hollywood and its demands.

If you want to catch Cranston on the silver screen before he escapes to France, you can check out Wes Anderson’s upcoming comedy Asteroid City. Cranston stars alongside a laundry list of greats in the quirky film, including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Maya Hawke, Sophia Lillis, Jeffrey Wright, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Steve Park, Steve Carell, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Hong Chau, and more.