Talkback: Is It Time For Brad Pitt to Retire?

BradPitt300.jpgThis weekend, Brad Pitt announced that he plans on retiring from acting in three years. Sure, a declaration like that should be taken with a grain of salt, especially considering the similar threats made by actors like Ryan Gosling and drunken directors like Steven Soderbergh, that turned out to be mere fantasies rather than concrete plans. Regardless of the sincerity of this statement though, Movieline wonders: Is it time for Brad Pitt to quit acting?

The bombshell came this weekend during an interview with the UK's 60 Minutes program, during which Pitt revealed to correspondent Tara Brown that he would only like to continue doing his "business" for three more years. Three years is certainly a reasonable goal considering that in three years, the actor will be 50 years old and will have spent nearly three decades in front of the camera. On the other hand though, it seems like 2014 would be a premature exit for the actor, who some have said, never got the award recognition or praise that he deserved because of his good looks. If that is the case, then wouldn't three years from now, when the actor's youthful attractiveness evolves into a slightly less distracting visage, be the time for Pitt to shine?

The actor has been nominated for an Academy Award twice -- for 1995's Twelve Monkeys and 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- but has never taken home an Oscar. This year, Pitt is in the running for a Best Actor nod for his turn as the beleaguered baseball coach in Moneyball, a performance that Movieline's own Stephanie Zacherek considered a career breakthrough.

According to IMDB, Pitt has signed on to star in Shame director Steve McQueen's project Twelve Years a Slave alongside Michael Fassbender. If Pitt's three-year estimation is correct, the project, scheduled for a 2014 release, could be his last in front of the camera.

The actor told 60 Minutes that he is uncertain of his plans after retirement but still enjoys the the production and development side of the business, which he is able to partake in via his Plan B Entertainment production company.

Time to hear what you think about Pitt's retirement plans! Do you think three years is a sensible projection? Do you think the actor should wait until he wins an Academy Award? Would the "right role" or "right script" derail the star's retirement plans? And most importantly, can't someone just make Adam Sandler retire instead?

· Being Brad [60 Minutes]



Comments

  • NP says:

    When did he start acting?
    /lowhangingfuit

  • j'accuse! says:

    He should be nominated for The Tree of Life, not Moneyball. No knock on the latter, and I know it's more commercially viable as it involves baseball and the AMPAS is so very concerned about being relevant to the regular folk, but Mr. Pitt shined in that picture. Sigh...whatevs.

  • AS says:

    I respectfully disagree. I think Moneyball is the performance that really showcases his talents.

  • Quirky- says:

    To be honest, as much as I've enjoyed Pitt in some roles, I don't think his presence - if he does follow through - is something I'll greatly miss. Hasn't Jolie made similar statements in the recent past about giving up acting, too?
    Oh, and the Tara Brown interview is for the Aussie 60 Minutes, Julie.

  • Sarah says:

    Oh I really hope he changes his mind. I was really looking forward to seeing the choices he made as he got older and to following his career for many years to come. The man's got chops and doesn't seem at all concerned with his looks changing with age.