Rick Moranis Explains Why He Really Took A Break From Acting


Where in the world is Rick Moranis?

After quite a few leading roles in blockbuster movies throughout the 1990s, Rick Moranis seemed to disappear from the Hollywood spotlight.

Perhaps the biggest rumor that circulated online for years was that the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids star decided to retire from acting after spending over two decades of his life in that line of work.

However, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rick Moranis made it clear that he never officially retired from acting.

According to the report, Moranis decided to focus more on his personal life and two children after his wife Ann Belsky Moranis died from her battle with breast cancer in 1997.

This is not the first time that Rick Moranis has talked about his decision to put his responsibilities to his family over his successful acting career.

In an October 2005 interview with USA Today, the Spaceballs actor admitted that balancing his home life and work life simply became too overwhelming.

“I pulled out of making movies in about ’96 or ’97. I’m a single parent, and I just found that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a break.”

Rick further explained that his “little” break from acting continued to grow longer and longer over time until he reached a point of not knowing whether or not he would return.

“The little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it. In the last few years I’ve been offered a number of parts in movies, and I’ve just turned them down. I don’t know whether I’ll go back to it or not. I’ve been doing a lot of writing and a lot of parenting, and now I’m doing this.”

Nearly 10 years later, in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rick Moranis admitted that he is now open to exploring a return to acting in a role that he finds interesting.

Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis and Tom Arnold in “Big Bully” (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The report states that the 62-year-old actor still has representations, thanks to Bailey Brand Management, an endorsement firm based in Santa Monica, California.

Moranis claims that he still receives the occasional query about a movie or television role and will likely take advantage of one in the future if it piques his interest.

Even though fans and critics were not able to see Rick Moranis on the big-screen since 1997, he apparently has been involved with quite a few voice acting projects in recent years.

Moranis provided the voice of Rutt in the 2003 Disney animated film, Brother Bear and has also worked on numerous Canadian radio commercials, comedy albums, and op-ed pieces for the New York Times.

Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis attends the Walt Disney Pictures premiere of “Brother Bear” October 20, 2003 in New York City.

Thanks to his recognizable and seemingly ageless face, Rick Moranis also states that it is hard for him not to be recognized in public. While traveling on the streets of New York, he admits that he is frequently approached by longtime fans of his past work.

In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rick states that Hollywood’s decision to embrace nostalgia is admirable – especially since developing original material is not very easy to do. He even joked about being surprised that Disney has not created follow-up sequel called Honey, I Shrunk the Grandkids.

Overall, Rick Moranis is proud of his current collection of past work and is apparently not in a rush to add another role to that list.

“I’m happy with the things I said yes to, and I’m very happy with the many things I’ve said no to. Yes, I am picky, and I’ll continue to be picky. Picky has worked for me.”

Whether Rick Moranis decides to return to acting within the next year or even the next decade has yet to be seen. One thing’s for sure: His loyal fans and critics will continue to wait patiently for it to happen.

[Image Credit: George de Sota, Mark Mainz/Getty Images]

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