Bryan Cranston plans to retire from acting to spend time abroad with wife: ‘She deserves it’

LONDON – Bryan Cranston plans to retire from acting in the coming years to spend more time with his wife, Robin Dearden.

Cranston, 67, revealed his retirement plans in a profile published Thursday by British GQ. The “Breaking Bad” actor will retire in 2026 – “at least temporarily,” according to GQ.

“I want to change the paradigm once again,” Cranston said. “For the last 24 years, Robin has led her life holding onto my tail. She’s been the plus one, she’s been the wife of a celebrity. She’s had to pivot and adjust her life based on mine. She has tremendous benefit from it, but we’re uneven. I want to level that out. She deserves it.”

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In addition to retiring from acting in 2026, Cranston plans to close shop on his production company, Moonshot Entertainment, and sell half of Dos Hombres – the mezcal company he and former “Breaking Bad” co-star Aaron Paul co-founded in 2019.

After that, Cranston said he wants to travel to a foreign county for a minimum of six months, with France as one possible destination, according to GQ.

“I want to have that experience,” Cranston said. “I want to go for day trips and have the fire in the fireplace and drink wine with new friends and not read scripts. It’s not going to be like, ‘Oh, I’ll read and see what I’m going to do.’ No, it’s a pause. It’s a stop. I won’t be thinking about (work). I’m not going to be taking phone calls.

“I don’t need a job. I don’t want a job,” Cranston added. “But I love to work. And there’s a big distinction between the two.”

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In the meantime, Cranston hopes to do a “Malcolm in the Middle” reunion project for the family sitcom he starred in as Hal Wilkerson, a father of three boys. The show ran for 151 episodes across seven seasons from 2000 to 2006.

“I’m curious about that family 20 years later,” Cranston said. “What happened to them? Where are they? What are the kids doing? They’re grown men now.”