Jessica Lange Says ‘Maybe I’m Done’ As She Questions Her Hollywood Future

Jessica Lange isn’t interested in taking a role just to keep working, and her frustration with Hollywood has her wondering whether it’s time to walk away. After five decades onscreen, the 77-year-old actress is openly discussing retirement, admitting few film projects get her excited these days.

She hasn’t announced a final goodbye. But between stalled productions, limited stage opportunities, and concerns about where filmmaking is headed, the two-time Oscar winner sounds increasingly comfortable with closing this chapter.

Jessica Lange Says She Feels Like She’s ‘Coming To An End’

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In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Lange offered a candid assessment of her future. “I actually feel like I’m coming to an end,” she said, pointing to her latest film, “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” as a potentially fitting final project, describing it as “not a bad way to end.”

The adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play gives Lange another substantial dramatic role after a career filled with complicated women. Whether another movie follows, however, remains uncertain.

According to Lange, several projects are still floating around, but that doesn’t mean they will make it into production.

Stalled Projects Have Left Her Future Uncertain

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Lange acknowledged that possibilities are on the table, although none appear guaranteed. “There are a couple projects that have been in the works forever that may or may not happen,” she said.

Her hesitation also reflects the difficulty of getting the kinds of movies she wants to make off the ground. “I don’t know,” she said. “It doesn’t seem easy to get things made anymore. At least not the kind of films that interest me.”

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Lange Says Few Movie Roles Excite Her Now

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Speaking to Vogue this month about her return to the “American Horror Story” franchise, Lange again questioned what might come next. “I would love to do something on stage again. It’s been a couple years,” she said.

She recalled a recent theater experience more enthusiastically than her current film prospects. “I did a wonderful play two years ago called Mother Play, which was a great experience. As far as film, there’s nothing right now that really excites me that much,” she admitted.

For Lange, accepting a role without that excitement carries its own risk. “And you’ve got to be excited, because it’s a long, long haul,” the actress said. “The idea that you would start something, and then regret your decision to do it would be terrible. So, maybe I’m done!”

Finding Stage Roles Has Been A Challenge, Too

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Although Lange remains interested in theater, she has previously acknowledged that wanting to return and finding the right role are two different things. In a 2019 interview, she discussed the limited opportunities available to older actresses. “That’s one of the problems of being the age I am. I would love to be on the stage again. The reality is, there’s not many parts for me to play,” she said.

She also argued that Hollywood was “nowhere near” where it needed to be on gender equality, even while recognizing that some progress had been made.

Jessica Lange Believes Hollywood Lost Some Of Its ‘Soul’

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Lange has also been blunt about how she believes filmmaking has changed since her early years in the business. “Everything’s a trade-off. In the ’70s, there were great directors doing great projects. When you look at the body of work from the late ’60s through the ’70s and into the early ’80s, that was the heyday, I think, of American film. I really do,” she previously said.

She blamed part of that shift on the industry’s increasingly corporate structure, saying, “It became corporatized just like every other aspect of America, and it lost some of its, I don’t know, some of its soul.”

Her Possible Goodbye Follows A Career Full Of Major Wins

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Lange made her film debut in 1976’s “King Kong,” launching a career that would eventually bring her two Oscars, three Emmys, and a Tony.

She won supporting actress honors for “Tootsie” and later took home the lead actress Oscar for “Blue Sky.” Her Emmy-winning work includes “Grey Gardens,” “American Horror Story: Murder House,” and “American Horror Story: Coven.”

More recently, the Newport Beach Film Festival honored her with its Icon Award.