Bryan Cranston said he wanted to spend more time with his family (Picture: Getty)
Bryan Cranston has shut down retirement rumours but revealed he is taking a break from acting.
The 67-year-old has enjoyed more four decades in the limelight, after beginning his show business career in the 1980s.
After roles in soap operas, including Loving, Baywach and Raising Miranda, he starred in the iconic sitcom Malcolm In The Middle.
In 2008, Bryan shot to fame playing meth-making dad Walter White in Breaking Bad, widely regarded as one of the best TV series ever made.
Since then, the Little Miss Sunshine actor has earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in Trumbo, and also featured in the critically acclaimed series, Your Honor, which debuted in 2021.
Reflecting on his career on Instagram on Friday, the Godzilla star wrote: ‘Hey everyone, I hope this little message finds you well. Some news came out that wasn’t entirely clear…even to me. So I wanted to set the record straight.
‘I am not retiring.’
However, Bryan continued: ‘What I am going to do is hit the pause button for a year after I reach my 70th birthday in 2026. Holy crap – 70!
‘I’m not even sure what ‘pausing’ means entirely, but at this moment, I think it means that by taking a year off it will provide several things.’
One of Bryan’s most well-known roles was Walter White on Breaking bad (Picture: AMC)
Bryan continued that first of all his break from Hollywood would allow him to spend time with his ‘beautiful’ wife Robin ‘in a way that I haven’t been able to in the last 25 years.’
He added: ‘Not as a wife of a celebrity, but as a loving married couple entering into – well, let’s be honest, our latter years, with new hopes and goals and experiences.’
The Drive actor said the pause would also give him a ‘reset’ on his career.
Bryan said he would return to Hollywood in a year (Picture: Getty Images)
Bryan said: ‘I’ve had such an unbelievable ride for over two decades – with playing characters on TV, films, and on stage that I could only have dreamt about…until it actually happened.
‘I could not be more grateful and thankful for such opportunities. That said, I feel as though I’m beginning to run out of fresh ideas in how to play characters that I’m being offered.
‘So exploring a more expanded life experience will give me the chance to replenish my soul and prepare for whatever roles I may be afforded in a more authentic way.’
Bryan went on to say that he would be ‘unplugging from social media.’
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‘Step off the hamster wheel of business,’ he continued. ‘And dive into the classic novels that I’ve always promised myself I would read but haven’t…But before that happens, I’ve got some unfinished business.’
But it will be a while before we see the last of Bryan on our screens as he explained that he had several films due to come out, including Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Argylle.
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He is taking the year off.