“Just removed a humongous burden, one that I truly didn’t fathom the weight of until it was gone.”

Oppenheimer star says he’s stepping back from acting: ‘Frustrated, fed up, fried’

“Just removed a humongous burden, one that I truly didn’t fathom the weight of until it was gone.”

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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August 18, 2026 6:54 p.m. ET

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David Krumholtz attends the ‘Supergirl’ New York City premiere on June 22. Credit:

Arturo Holmes/WireImage

- David Krumholtz said he put his “acting career on hold” after decades in Hollywood.

- The *Oppenheimer* star explained that the last year of “fighting for parts” made him realize that most of the entertainment industry has been “mass demoted.”

- “A huge wave of relief washed over me,” he said. “Not sure what I’m going to do for money instead.”

David Krumholtz is sick of the Hollywood grind.

The actor, best known for his supporting roles in hit films like *Oppenheimer* and *The Santa Clause*, announced that he has officially put his acting career “on hold” as the entertainment industry continues to degrade the experience of working as a character actor.

“I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day. It’s been something I’ve been petrified to do for years,” Krumholtz said in a post on Threads on Monday. “Specifically, the fear was that I’d go broke and not be able to handle being out of the game.”

The *Numbers* star said that he “sent the definitive email” putting his career on ice for now — and he feels good about his decision.

“A huge wave of relief washed over me,” he said. “Not sure what I’m going to do for money instead, or how I’m going to do it, but I just removed a humongous burden, one that I truly didn’t fathom the weight of until it was gone. Frustrated, fed up, fried.”

David Krumholtz in ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023).

Universal Pictures

Krumholtz sent a number of follow-up posts on Tuesday, including one where he clarified what he would prefer to do for a living instead of acting full time.

“Inspire kids in school through motivational speaking,” he wrote in response to a commenter.

** has reached out to representatives for Krumholtz for comment.

The *Addams Family Values* star indicated that the last year of “fighting for parts” has worn him down past his breaking point, as the opportunities that he found would “exploit my talent and reputation for a drastically diminishing return.”

He added, “Exploitative art isn’t art. And artists deserve a fair pay percentage for work that assists their employers in making profits.”

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Krumholtz, who began acting as a teenager in the early ’90s, said that the industry has radically shifted over the course of his career.

“Pay was fair. And the momentum could be built. And while talent was never a surefire marker of success,… if you helped make a Studio money, you were guaranteed to get another opportunity to do so,” he said of Hollywood during his early career. “But with conglomerate corporatizing of Hollywood, those unwritten rules of mutual respect have shifted…. Drastically. I’m being asked to ‘hang in there’ by my own union and reps.”

The actor, who recently appeared in *Supergirl* and *The Studio*, said that he’s been expected to “brand” himself online.

“[I’m] asked to reinvent myself on social media for likes and follows so that I can be considered for fan conventions and internet ads just so I can make the money that simply acting on a TV show or film or stage refuses to pay me anymore,” he said. “I, along with many talented folks, not just actors, are being mass demoted. Imagine you excel in your career for 34 years, just to be drastically demoted for it.”

David Krumholtz in ‘Supergirl’.

Parisa Taghizadeh/DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Krumholtz says that he’s still open to acting in the future, but he refuses to keep playing the game with the current rules.

“If you want to work with me as an actor, I am interested. If you believe in what I can do as an actor, I believe in you,” he said. “If you simply don’t, if you think you’ve seen all I can do and it’s just not enough for you, that’s fine, so I’ll just stop begging. I’m not above begging for financial security. But what’s the point of begging for none?”

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The performer, who is next set to star in *Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story*, said that he refuses to be “dehumanized by unfair pay practices” any longer.

“It’s a goddamn shame, but I have to be responsible for what I can control and change and that’s me and my heart,” he wrote. “I can give of myself willingly, elsewhere. I can still act. I can act to make an impact, rather than a measly buck. And that’s my choice. And that’s exactly what I plan to do.”

Krumholtz ended his extensive thread with appreciation.

“Gotta be grateful for all I’ve been given the opportunity to accomplish, for the folks who believed in me. It’s been a breathtaking ride, truly,” he wrote. “It’s been more than one big dream come true. And I slayed it. It healed [a lot] in me. It humbled me. I needed it. I’d be dead if I had never become an actor. I’m certain of that. And now, new life.”

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