He sat down with a reporter from Entertainment Weekly.
"Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and [I'll] move toward retirement after this 'cause I've been doing it since I was 21. I thought, 'Well, that's enough.' And why not go out with something that's very update and positive?" Redford told Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive interview.
His last film project, “The Old Man & The Gun,” has a storyline of “one last job.” It will be the same not only for the character he plays, but also the actor himself.
Redford portrays Forrest Tucker, a real-life career criminal. His crime: robbing banks and breaking out of prison.
Tucker’s career also carried over six decades.
"The thing that really got me about him -- which I hope the film shows -- is he robbed 17 banks and he got caught 17 times and he went to prison 17 times. But he also escaped 17 times. So it made me wonder: I wonder if he was not averse to getting caught so he could enjoy the real thrill of his life, which is to escape?" Redford told Entertainment Weekly.
Redford may be stepping away from acting but his Hollywood career may not fully be over. When asked about his directing plans, Redford said, "We'll see about that." He also founded the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival.
“The Old Man & The Gun” hits theaters on Sept. 28. It also stars Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tom Waits and Casey Affleck. Redford also produced the film.
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