Rick Moranis says he 'never retired' in rare interview after decades out of the spotlight for tragic reason
Rick Moranis is officially back in business and will return to the big screen in Spaceballs: The New One next year after several years away from Hollywood.
Spaceballs was released in 1987, and fans of the cult classic are finally getting a sequel 40 years later.
Of course it wouldn't have been the same if Moranis didn't reprise his role of Lord Dark Helmet, so people will be pleased to know that he's officially tied to the upcoming project.
Moranis' last movie was Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997, but despite it being decades since he starred in a film, Moranis insists that he never retired from acting.
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Speaking at a San Diego Comic-Con panel in one of his first interviews in some time, the 73-year-old said of his absence: "I really wasn’t retired. I was just negotiating!"
He went on to say of Spaceballs: The New One: "This came along right at the right time."
Another contributing factor to Moranis' decision to join the movie was 'hearing who was going to be in it'.
Fellow Spaceballs alumni George Wyner, Daphne Zuniga, Mel Brooks, and Bill Pullman will be back for the sequel, as well as Pullman's son, Top Gun: Maverick actor Lewis Pullman.
Other members of the cast include Keke Palmer, Anthony Carrigan, and Josh Gad.
While he insists that he didn't retire from Hollywood, he did consciously stop taking on a lot of move roles in the 1990s following the tragic passing of his wife Anne, who died from breast cancer. Anne was survived by her husband and their two children, Rachel and Mitchell.
As Moranis became a single dad following Anne's death, he stepped away form the spotlight to raise his son and daughter. The Ghostbusters favorite never remarried.
He insists that has no regrets about his decision. The Canadian star told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015: "I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people.
"I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me.
"I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful."
He kept his toe dipped in the entertainment industry while parenting his children – even if we weren't seeing his face on screen.
"I was fortunate to be able to continue to make a living writing and doing voice work in Manhattan," Moranis said.
The actor did the voice of Rutt in the 2003 Disney movie Brother Bear, and also did numerous radio commercials that largely aired in Canada.
Moranis released his own comedy albums too.
He went on to tell THR: "Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, move to another city. Really, that’s all I did."
Topics: Entertainment, Hollywood, Nostalgia, Celebrity, Film and TV
Niamh Shackleton