Steve Martin is currently in the middle of a renaissance, with the veteran comedy movie actor being nominated for two Emmys for his work on Only Murders in the Building. But in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the stand-up-turned-Hollywood star said he was prepared to retire after Only Murders in the Building came to an end.
In Only Murders in the Building, Martin, Selena Gomez and Marty Short star as a trio of lonely true crime fanatics who are trying to get to the bottom of a murder which took place in their Upper West Side apartment building, the Arconia. As well as starring in the hit TV series, which became Hulu’s most-watched original comedy, Martin also serves as a co-creator and writer for the series along with John Hoffman.
According to THR, the show came to life in 2019 when Martin had dinner with This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman. Martin floated the concept of three male true crime fanatics of a certain age investigating murders in their New York apartment building — and Fogleman was immediately enthused.
With the addition of co-showrunner Hoffman and Selena Gomez as one of the core trio, Only Murders exploded on-screen two years later — although Martin only agreed to star in the show if long-time collaborator, Marty Short, was there too.
Only Murders isn’t Martin’s only project on the go — he’s also writing his twelfth book and is touring along with Short for their live show. “We were very happy just doing the live show,” Martin said. “There may be a natural end to that — somebody gets sick, somebody just wears out — but I wouldn’t do it without Marty. When this television show is done, I’m not going to seek others. I’m not going to seek other movies. I don’t want to do cameos. This is, weirdly, it.”
The family movie star, who has one nine-year-old daughter, added, “I have a family life that’s really fun. To film a movie now, to go someplace else to live, I’m not willing to do that anymore. I can’t disappear for three months.”
If this has put you in the mood for more Martin at his best, check him out in ‘80s movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which is available now on streaming service Netflix. Meanwhile, seasons 1 and 2 of Only Murders in the Building are available to stream on Disney Plus.