Morgan Freeman, 88, says he has no plans to retire just yet.
Speaking to AARP in an interview published on Tuesday, the actor spoke about his desire to keep acting and how he’s approaching aging with purpose.
“There is a saying about old age — ‘Keep moving’ — and what Clint Eastwood, 95, says: ‘Don’t let the old man in,’” Freeman told AARP. “The way to do that is to keep getting up in the morning, keep working out in the gym, keep taking your vitamins, keep taking your prescribed meds, and keep moving. Keep moving. That is the secret to it all.”
True to that philosophy, Freeman continues to take on new projects. He is set to return to the silver screen in the coming film “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” which premieres on November 14.
Even as he approaches 90, Freeman hopes to continue pursuing his hobbies.
“Will I still be playing golf? That’s the question,” he said.
In an interview with The Guardian published Monday, Freeman said retirement does cross his mind now and then, but never for long.
“Sometimes the idea of retirement would float past me but, as soon as my agent says there’s a job, or somebody wants you, or they’ve made an offer, the whole thing just boils back into where it was yesterday: how much you’re going to pay, where we’re gonna be?” Freeman said.
He added that although his passion isn’t quite what it used to be, it hasn’t completely gone out.
“The appetite is still there. I will concede that it’s dimmed a little. But not enough to make a serious difference,” Freeman said.
He joins a growing list of high-profile figures who see no reason to stop doing what they love just because of their age.
In a May 2024 interview with James Corden, Kris Jenner — who is now 70 — said she has no plans to retire, citing her mother’s example as motivation.
“Because my mom retired when she was 82 and she talks about her job every single day when we’re together, and she will say to me, ‘Oh, my job kept me young, and with purpose, and with joy,’” Jenner said.
In August, Wall Street veteran Burt Malkiel, 92, told Business Insider that he still spends “a fair amount of time each day working” despite his age.
“I’m sure that the rest of us probably will feel much better by working longer, and the economy will be stronger,” Malkiel said.