Denzel Washington announced his retirement from acting, revealing one of his final roles. The well-known actor stars in the highly anticipated Gladiator 2, with Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal. All three are now doing media rounds ahead of the film’s release, and Washington discussed his future in the profession during an interview with Today. The actor said that director Ryan Coogler is penning him a character in the third Blank Panther film, which will be one of Washington’s final projects. Before retiring, he hopes to star in a new Steve McQueen film and an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello.

The Gladiator 2 star told Today, “For me, it’s about the filmmakers.” At this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best,” Washington stated. “I’m not sure how many more films I’ll create. It probably isn’t that many.” I want to explore experiences that I’ve never had before. He went on to say, “I was 22 when I played Othello. I’m about to play Othello at the age of 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I spoke with Steve McQueen about a project. Following that, Ryan Coogler has written a role for me in the upcoming ‘Black Panther.’ After that, I’ll do the film ‘Othello.’ After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I am going to retire.” Of course, Washington would appear in a third Black Panther film, and Chadwick Boseman, the series’ protagonist, honored him with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019.

“My whole cast stands on your shoulders,” the actor remarked. “The daily battles won, a thousand territories gained, and the many sacrifices you made for the culture on film set through your career—the things you refused to compromise along the way lay the blueprints for us to follow.” In an interview with Empire earlier this year, Washington explained why he wanted to be part of Gladiator 2. “There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker,” the leading man stated. It’s safe to assume that the Blank Panther actor was delighted about the Gladiator job. In the highly anticipated sequel, Washington plays Macrinus, a power broker and former slave. Gladiator 2 opens in theaters across the United States on November 22.