Jackie Chan Quits Action Movies—but Will He Go Right Back to Work Like These Stars Who Fake-Retired?

Look back at Alec Baldwin, Amanda Bynes, Jay-Z and more celebs who claimed to quit their gigs only to change their minds and return to work

By Rebecca Macatee May 18, 2012 9:11 PMTags
Jackie ChanTrago/FilmMagic

Jackie Chan made a surprising announcement Friday: He's retiring from action films.

"This will be my last action movie," the 58-year-old actor said at a press conference for Chinese Zodiac at the Cannes Film Festival. "I will ask my body how long I can go…I tell you, I am not young any more."

But Chan, who said he now wants to be "a true actor" not "an action star," isn't the first star to go back on his word when it comes to throwing in the towel. From Alec Baldwin to Brad Pitt, here five celebs who fake-retired.

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1. Alec Baldwin: In 2009, the 30 Rock star told Men's Journal he was quitting acting in 2012. "I don't have any interest in acting any more," he said. "I'm not young, but I have time to do something else." Baldwin is, in fact, confirmed for the seventh and final season of the hit NBC show, which will conclude in 2013.

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2. Amanda Bynes: In June 2010, the actress tweeted (and has since deleted) that she was retiring. "Being an actress isn't as fun as it may seem," she wrote. "If I don't love something any more, I stop doing it. I don't love acting any more, so I've stopped doing it." She noted that "24 is a young age to retire but you heard it here first I've #retired." One month later, she was back: "I'm unretired," she tweeted (and also deleted).

3. Jay-Z: Beyoncé's hubby famously said his 2003 Black Album would be his last, but three years later, he dropped another record. "It was the worst retirement in history," he admitted to Entertainment Weekly.  "Something, when you love it, is always tugging at you and itching, and I was putting it off and putting it off. I started fumbling around to see if it felt good."

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4. Céline Dion: In the fall of 1998, the singer announced she was going to take a major career break as of Jan. 1, 2000. In March 2003, however, Dion returned to the stage in Las Vegas, performing a regular show at Caesars Palace until December 2007.

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5. Brad Pitt: In November 2011, Angelina Jolie's fiancé gave us all a scare, telling Australia's 60 Minutes that he'd continue acting for "three more years." But just days later, the actor cleared things up. "I wasn't actually putting an exact deadline on my expiration, but I see it coming," he told reporters. "I just have other interests and I do quite enjoy the production side."