Patrick Stewart said he'd 'always and forever be an actor' in final interview months before death

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Patrick Stewart had no plans to leave acting behind, even after spending more than six decades in the industry. Just months before his death, the legendary actor spoke about his love for the profession and made it clear that retirement was never something he could imagine.

In what would be his final interview, Stewart shared a line that now feels especially meaningful: “I’ll always and forever be an actor.” He died on Wednesday, October 28, at age 86 at his home in Los Angeles after "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia,” as per his longtime spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak.

Patrick Stewart said he could never imagine retiring from acting in his final interview

In an interview with TV Insider in July, Stewart reflected on his long career while marking the upcoming 40th anniversary of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. The actor admitted that finding roles became more difficult with age, but he was still excited about the opportunities coming his way.

“As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older,” he shared. However, the 86-year-old said he continued to receive interesting offers and loved being challenged by new work. “That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers, and I love being challenged by new work, like voicing a pig’s head in Riz Ahmed’s brilliant new series 'Bait',” Stewart noted.

The actor then made his feelings about retirement clear, saying, “I can’t imagine ever officially ‘retiring.’ I’ll always and forever be an actor.”

Patrick Stewart called Jean-Luc Picard the most significant role of his career

During the same conversation, Stewart also looked back on his time playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. As the franchise approached its 40th anniversary in 2027, he recalled how clearly he remembered his first day on the Paramount lot.

“All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of 'The Next Generation' is particularly remarkable,” he said. “I still remember my first day driving onto the Paramount lot like it was yesterday.”

When asked about the role that meant the most to him, Stewart did not hesitate to name Picard.

“Without question, Jean-Luc is the most significant role of my career,” he shared. “And I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of what is now such a historic franchise.”

“The final scene of The Next Generation (the episode 'All Good Things…') has always felt like such a beautiful send-off, but of course we then filmed multiple movies after the series wrapped,” Stewart said in the interview. “I truly thought Nemesis was my last time playing Jean-Luc, but then along came Picard and I’m delighted with how that series ended.”