Anthony Hopkins Quotes

Actors can't retire. What would they do?

People ask me if I am thinking of retiring. Well, it doesn't occur to me. Different day, different challenge, different way. Lovely jubbly.

I never really planned a career. I've tried to avoid it. I've tried to do this stuff I felt for, the stuff I like. So, I've just been meeting these fantastic directors who've offered me a variation of different parts and different films.

I keep telling people I'll make movies until I'm fifty and then I'll go and do something else. I'm going to be a professional gentleman of leisure.

I'm a bit delusional, but every time I do a job, I think I'm retired.

It's not that I'm retired; I just no longer accept acting work.

I'm not really good at retiring. I tried that one time and Nancy ran me out of the house.

As a jobbing actor, you can't afford to be choosy; if you're typed, you're generally working. I still feel that way, and the thing is, even within the horror genre, I now get to play all kinds of different roles.

It took me a long time to reach the decision to retire, actually, from the Art Ensemble.

If you start thinking about retirement in six months' time, you're already there.

I didn't want to get into acting. I was very happy doing MTV, it took up my time, I was content.

By the time I am Howard's age I hope to be long retired. I don't plan on working that long.

There's no reason why I should retire.

I love comics work, and I hope I never stop doing it. But at the same time, I have my own law practice that I've built up over quite a while - it's been more than a decade that I've spent building that business - so it seems a little premature to just shut it down after nine months of working at a high level in comics. We'll see.

The perfect life would be to have an amazing part every year and to spend all my free time to just write.

I think, being an actor, it's just a relief every time you get a part.

I just wanted to be a guy who could earn a living as an actor, and I did that for a long time.

I don't suppose I'll ever retire completely.

I'm reading scripts, desperately wanting to work. I've set a couple of things up for next year.

When I was younger, I thought about retiring.

Five years is a long time to play one part.

As an actor, you're never busy enough.

I regard myself as someone who is retired but who occasionally goes out to work. In fact, I'm offered so much good stuff that it's not so occasional.

I retired simply because I didn't have the passion and motivation anymore; I was tired. At the time I thought, 'Well, I had a great time, there is the end.' At some moment, there is the right time to call it an end.

As an actor, you never know where the work's going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.