Maybe Steve Martin is ready to hang up his banjo.
In a recent interview, the Emmy and Grammy-winning performer stated that after “Only Murders in the Building,” the Hulu real-crime parody he co-created, he would “work a bit less.”
“I will not look for others once this television program is over. I’m not going to look for other movies. I refuse to appear in cameos. This is it, strangely,” Martin told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I have no interest in retiring,” he told the publication. “I’m not. I would, however, work a little less. Maybe.”
Martin claimed that reducing his professional obligations would allow him to spend more time with his wife, writer Anne Stringfield, and their 9-year-old daughter.
“I have a wonderful family life,” he remarked. “I’m no longer willing to relocate to live or shoot a movie. I’m not supposed to disappear for three months.”
Martin is regarded as one of the great Renaissance men of modern entertainment. He has appeared on “Saturday Night Live” 15 times and is also an actor, comedian, author, and playwright.
He has five Grammy Awards, is an accomplished banjo player, and continues to perform across the country.
In recent years, he has begun to reduce the number of Hollywood films in which he has appeared. Ang Lee’s 2016 film “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” was the performer’s most recent full-length acting role.
Morgan Neville, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind previous Apple TV+ documentaries on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and children’s television pioneer Fred Rogers, will focus on Martin’s 60-year career in his upcoming film. A24, the indie powerhouse, will co-produce the project.
This year, Martin received three Emmy nominations for “Only Murders in the Building,” including best comedy series, best comedy series writing, and best lead actor in a comedy series. The show’s second season is coming to an end.
In “Only Murders,” he plays a lonely Manhattanite who collaborates with a strange theatrical director (Martin Short) and a sarcastic millennial (Selena Gomez) to record a podcast about a string of murders that occurred in their opulent apartment building.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the prolific and well-liked singer struck a modest tone: “There’s a point in your career when people are longing to see you,” he said. “In my personal life, I need to show up now more than ever.”
