Matt Damon Confirms Steven Soderbergh's Plan To Retire

Matt Damon has currently been filming the thriller Contagion with Steven Soderbergh in Chicago. Unfortunately, Damon has confirmed that Soderbergh plans to retire and said he is trying to enjoy the experience since he doubts it will be likely that he will have many more chances to work with him.

Soderbergh is currently 48 and has a list of great films under his belt. According to an Esquire article from two years ago, Soderbergh hopes to retire by 51.

Damon spoke with the LA Times and had this to say about the retirement, 

"He's retiring, he's been talking about it for years and it's getting closer."

"He wants to paint and he says he’s still young enough to have another career. He’s kind of exhausted with everything that interested him in terms of form. He’s not interested in telling stories. Cinema interested him in terms of form and that’s it. He says, 'If I see another over-the-shoulder shot, I’m going to blow my brains out.' "

Damon goes on to say,

“After this movie we’re doing ‘Liberace’ next summer with Michael Douglas, and then he might do one more movie after that with George [Clooney], and then after that he’s retiring."

There you have further confirmation about his impending retirement. It may seem crazy or as if it is a hoax, but it does not look that way. Soderbergh has had a very successful career and is the only director that has been nominated twice in the same year for the Academy Award for best director. That happened in 2000 when he was nominated for Traffic and Erin Brockovich.  

According to Damon, Soderbergh has grown tired of making films.  Damon recounted a discussion with Soderbergh, 

"After I worked with Clint [Eastwood] I went back and said, ‘Look, Clint is having a blast and he's going to be 80 years old.’ And Steven says back, ‘Yeah, but he’s a storyteller and I’m not. If you're an actor or a writer or someone working in film, it's such a waste. For me, I'm going to spend the next 40 years trying to become a great director and I will never reach what he's reached. And he's walking away from it."

It may seem strange to some, but I can actually understand wanting to go out at the top of your game. You never know what the future may hold for him. He will always have the ability to come back and direct any project that he wants. What are your thoughts on the idea of Soderbergh's retirement?

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