The Hollywood legend Carol Burnett has revealed that she intends to quit acting now that she’s 92 years-old. This comes after a career in entertainment that has spanned over 50 years.
Burnett To Quit Acting
Burnett has been quite busy with work in recent years. She made her return to the small screen in 2024 with a regular role in the Apple TV series Palm Royale. Burnett has also had guest appearances in shows like Hacks and Frasier.
In a new interview, however, Burnett admitted that she’s planning to start winding down her career. Instead of doing onscreen work, Burnett revealed that she plans to refocus to jobs “behind the scenes.”
When asked about the career resurgence that she’s been enjoying, Burnett told The Hollywood Reporter, “It started when I did Better Call Saul and that was a wonderful experience because I knew [creator] Vince Gilligan and was a big fan of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.”
“That whole crew had been working together for 15 years, so it was a well-oiled machine,” Burnett continued. “I had a great time doing that. And then on the heels of that, Palm Royale was dessert.”
Despite these successes, Burnett insists that she won’t be taking any more acting roles. That is, unless something truly special comes along.
“But unless it was something unbelievable that I could not refuse, I would much rather now be behind the scenes,” she explained.
Burnett’s Future Projects
While she’s done with acting, Burnett already has a few behind the scenes projects in the work. That’s why she’s likely not done with Hollywood altogether.
“I’ve got a couple of things we’re working on with one of our producers of Palm Royale, Katie [O’Connell Marsh], and we’ve written a few things, so we’re hoping that we can get a series with one of them, and then a film with another one,” Burnett stated.
“So I’m very excited about doing that and just being behind the scenes, not having to put on make-up and just say, okay, here’s some dark glasses and a baseball cap,” the former The Carol Burnett Show star added. “Let’s go to work.”
Burnett Agrees To Do Palm Royale
Burnett went on to say that she had planned to retire from acting sooner than this. Indeed, she only accepted her role on Palm Royale because it gave her the opportunity to work with the likes of Laura Dern, Kristen Wiig, and Allison Janney.
“Three years ago when we started. I got the phone call from Abe Sylvia, who created the show and is the showrunner and director. And he said, ‘We’re going to do this series called Palm Royale, and we’d love you to be in it,'” Burnett recalled.
“I said, ‘Well, who’s in it?’ He said, ‘Laura Dern, Kristen Wiig, Allison [Janney],'” she remembered. “I said, ‘Stop. Stop right there. Don’t go any further. I don’t care what you want me to do. I’m in because I want to be with these wonderful women.'”
“And he said, ‘Well, you’re going to be in a coma like the first four episodes,’ and I said, ‘Listen, I don’t mind getting up, going to work and getting back in bed and getting paid for it,” Burnett concluded. “That’s okay with me.'”
Burnett is a true legend, and there will never be another one like her. While she’ll be dearly missed in onscreen roles, she’ll always live on through the incredible work she’s done for decades.
God bless you, Carol Burnett!