UPDATE: Following his initial post going viral, David Krumholtz is already trying to clarrify his comments, saying he never intended to formally “quit” or “retire” from acting. Here’s his Instagram post:
Firstly, I am very well. And I feel very loved. Secondly, I never used the word “retiring” or “quitting”. Instead, I said that I decided to put my career on hold. I don’t expect anyone to understand, but the outpouring of support for my decision has been deeply heartwarming. I am wildly grateful, as more than one of my biggest dreams have come true as a result of being an actor. Grateful to all who support and believe in me. However, a time has come where the weight of those dreams and ambitions has become surprisingly oppressive. That’s a me problem, not a Hollywood as a whole problem. There are no rules that guarantee success, but I know this: an amazing career in this business consists of a small handful of triumphs, but not without a mountain of disappointments. I love my mountain of disappointments, I do, but I’m human and my mountain is starting to sting more than it used to. Need time to figure that out, let it heal. My mental health is vital to my family. My career has run the gamut. I’m in disbelief. But I find myself at a crossroads between the inherent self involvement being a professional actor requires, and a burning desire to give more of myself to others in need, in whatever way I can. And so, for the time being, I’m pursuing that goal. There’s still more work to come. Stuff to be seen. And as always, I really hope you enjoy what I’ve put out there. Just,… gimme a sec.
If you were a 90s kid, you grew up with David Krumholtz. You may not have noticed it, but your brain did. As a child actor, Krumholtz appeared in a number of roles in some of our favorite 90s movies. You may have likely seen him in Life with Mikey, Addams Family Values, The Santa Clause and 10 Things I Hate About You. As an adult, Krumholtz would continue as a character actor in films such as Oppenheimer, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and most recently, Supergirl. According to IMDb, Krumholtz has 147 acting credits on his resume.
The journeyman character actor may have recently appeared in some big movies (despite Supergirl‘s box office performance), but Krumholtz has recently stated that he’s decided to step away from acting. According to Entertainment Weekly, he revealed that his decision was influenced by Hollywood’s degrading experience as a character actor. He posted on Threads,
I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day. It’s been something I’ve been petrified to do for years. Specifically, the fear was that I’d go broke and not be able to handle being out of the game.”
Despite being fearful of the decision, Krumholtz says he sent “a definitive email,” which took him out of the Hollywood grind. He would add,
A huge wave of relief washed over me. Not sure what I’m going to do for money instead, or how I’m going to do it, but I just removed a humongous burden, one that I truly didn’t fathom the weight of until it was gone. Frustrated, fed up, fried.”
The star cited that his reasoning was that the last year of “fighting for parts” had taken a toll on him and had worn him down past a breaking point. He said that the opportunities he would find felt like they ultimately “exploit my talent and reputation for a drastically diminishing return.”
He added, “Exploitative art isn’t art. And artists deserve a fair pay percentage for work that assists their employers in making profits.” One idea he did give in response to a commenter about what he might get into was “Inspire kids in school through motivational speaking.”
Given the actor’s relative success in the industry, his decision is surprising, to say the least. What do you make of it? Will he actually stick to it, or is this just a momentary thing? Let us know in the comments.