‘Oppenheimer’ actor announces career break: ‘I’m done begging’

David Krumholtz – the actor known for his roles in Oppenheimer and The Santa Clause – has announced that he is putting his acting career on hold.

The 47-year-old actor revealed his decision in a series of posts on Threads, saying he recently sent an email officially putting his acting career “on hold.”

“I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day,” Krumholtz wrote. He said the decision was something he had been “petrified” to make for years because he feared he would run out of money and struggle to return to the industry.

Despite those concerns, Krumholtz said he immediately felt a sense of relief after making the decision.

“A huge wave of relief washed over me,” he wrote, adding that he remains unsure about what he will do for money but feels he has removed a major burden from his life. He described himself as “Frustrated, fed up, fried.”

David Krumholtz later revealed that one possibility he is considering is motivational speaking in schools, saying he would like to “inspire kids in school through motivational speaking.”

The actor, who began working professionally as a teenager in the early 1990s, said years of trying to secure acting roles had taken a toll on him. He argued that many of the opportunities available to him now would exploit his experience and reputation while offering significantly less financial compensation.

“Exploitative art isn’t art,” Krumholtz wrote, adding that artists deserve a fair share of the profits generated by their work.