Patrick Stewart, who died at the age of 86 on Wednesday, made clear he had no plans to call it quits on his acting career in what would be his final interview.
'I can't imagine ever officially "retiring,"' the beloved actor told TV Line on July 7, 2026.'I'll always and forever be an actor.'
Stewart, who battled Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia, spoke to the outlet about the 40th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, on which he famously starred as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
'All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of The Next Generation is particularly remarkable,' he said.
Stewart added, 'I still remember my first day driving onto the Paramount lot like it was yesterday.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Stewart for further comment on the story.
Patrick Stewart, who died at the age of 86 on Wednesday, made clear he had no plans to call it quits on his acting career in what would be his final interview; seen in 2023
Stewart's final acting role will come posthumously in next month's Avengers: Doomsday, in which he portrays his longtime X-Men character Charles Xavier.
He spoke in the interview about the latter stages of his career, saying, 'As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older.
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'That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers and I love being challenged by new work.'
In the interview, Stewart said portraying Picard in the Star Trek universe was 'without question,' the 'most significant role' he took on in his career.
He added, 'I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of what is now such a historic franchise.'
Stewart portrayed the role of the USS Enterprise leader over seven seasons and 176 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987–1994.
'The final scene of The Next Generation has always felt like such a beautiful send-off, but of course we then filmed multiple movies after the series wrapped,' Stewart told TV Line.
'I can't imagine ever officially "retiring,"' the beloved actor told TV Line on July 7, 2026.'I'll always and forever be an actor'; seen in 2023
In the interview, Stewart said portraying Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek universe was 'without question,' the 'most significant role' he took on in his career; seen as the character in 1990
The Star Trek movies he was referring to included 1994's Generations, 1996's First Contact, 1998's Insurrection, and 2002's Nemesis.
After nearly two decades, he picked up the role again on the Paramount+ show Picard, which had a three-season run from 2020-2023.
'I truly thought Nemesis was my last time playing Jean-Luc,' Stewart said, 'but then along came Picard - and I'm delighted with how that series ended.'
He added that The Next Generation cast coming back for the final season of Picard 'made for an absolutely joyous and satisfying experience.'
Stewart said, 'They’re all such dear friends, but also exceptionally talented artists.'
He said he enjoyed meeting and collaborating with other performers in the Star Trek universe: 'The enduring power of Star Trek and its values continues to reach new generations, and I’ll always cheer on new series and new adaptations of this story.
'As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older,' he said in his final interview; seen in 1996
Stewart's final acting role will come posthumously in next month's Avengers: Doomsday, in which he portrays his longtime X-Men character Charles Xavier; seen as the character in 2006
'Having fresh voices to tell these new stories is critical, and I’m thrilled any time I get to meet a new member of the Star Trek "tribe."'
Stewart's death at age 86 was confirmed in a statement published to Instagram on Thursday.
'He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all,' the statement revealed.
'We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.'