Fifty years into his career, Michael Douglas found a new audience via the MCU, playing Hank Pym in the Ant-Man trilogy and Avengers: Endgame. Now, he’s not only ready to squash the insect but maybe hang it up altogether.
In a lengthy interview with Deadline, Michael Douglas said he has little interest in returning to reprise Pym in any future Marvel movies (he even had the idea to kill him off in Quantumania), saying that even though it presented opportunities he never imagined, the story is over. “I had the experience, and I was excited to do it. I’d never done a green screen picture before. I did the The Kominsky Method because I wanted to work with Chuck Lorre and try some comedy. But I’m enjoying my hiatus and enjoying my life. It was overwhelming running the production company and acting at the same time.”
Here, Michael Douglas looks to be hinting at an imminent retirement, which we could understand considering he’s 80. (Although his old man, Kirk, was a staggering 92 when he had his last onscreen credit, so he does have some time to match that.) On the topic, Douglas said that even if he doesn’t step foot in front of the camera again he would still be actively involved in Hollywood, “If something good comes up that I really like. But I don’t feel a burning desire. I’m still producing. I still love bringing people together.”
Throughout his career, Michael Douglas has earned two Academy Awards, an Emmy, multiple Golden Globes (including their Cecil B. DeMille Award), an AFI Life Achievement Award, and many more. Of note, Michael Douglas won both of his Oscars (one for producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, another for Best Actor in Wall Street) before his father Kirk received the Academy Honorary Award. Kirk would earn a total of three Best Actor nominations, for 1949’s Champion, 1952’s The Bad and the Beautiful and 1956’s Lust for Life, in which he played Vincent van Gogh.
My all-time favorite Michael Douglas performance is easily Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys. But what is yours? Drop your pick in the comments section below.
