Acclaimed German actor and filmmaker Werner Herzog reportedly wants to drop the acting part of his resume after starring in Disney’s sci-fi show The Mandalorian. The 77-year-old artist has done a lot of acting recently, and wonders if it isn’t distracting him from what’s most important.
Herzog expressed these feelings during an interview with the BFI at Home Series, which can be viewed on the organization’s YouTube channel. Speaking to Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia, he said he’s thinking of retiring, stating:
“I have done a lot more acting recently, and I have to review it, because it takes away too much attention from the real things.”
By “real things,” Herzog means his own filmography. Over the course of a career that spans several decades, the artist has produced over 20 features as well as 31 documentaries. Widely hailed as one of the best documentary filmmakers of all time, Roger Ebert has complimented his work for being uncompromising as well as required viewing for all lovers of cinema and truth.
As a filmmaker, Herzog is known mostly in the world of independent movies. His acting career, by contrast, received a major boost when he landed the role of The Client in The Mandalorian. While other performers would be happy to star in a mainstream project, Herzog fears the love and praise he’s receiving for the show might detract from his own, lesser known work.
Since Herzog is not satisfied with the role The Mandalorian has played in his career, he might be rather happy about the fact that he’ll not be returning for season 2. As viewers of the series will know, his character – The Client – is killed toward the end of the first season to make room for Moff Gideon as the new primary antagonist.
