Aaron Taylor-Johnson admitted to turning down blockbuster films in the past in order to be a more active parent for his young children.
Esquire recently interviewed the famous actor about his upcoming Marvel film, “Kraven the Hunter,” and showcased how selective Taylor-Johnson is about the roles he takes on. The actor candidly revealed he enjoys acting but said it doesn’t “fuel” him the way time with his family does.
“There was ‘Kick-Ass,’ and then there was ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Avengers’, and all those things lined up for me. But I didn’t really care for them,” he told the outlet.
“I wanted, purely, to be with my babies,” he said.
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Taylor-Johnson admitted the offers for roles kept coming in, but he wasn’t willing to take them because it meant he’d be separated for his family at such a critical time in their lives. He told Esquire he was in the running to play characters “that nobody knows about—big, huge franchises that were in play” — but he pushed back against the larger roles he felt could’ve led to even bigger movies, because he didn’t want to get roped into any long-term commitments that would interfere with his family life.
“I didn’t want to be taken away from them,” Taylor-Johnson said, referring to his children. “I battled with what that would be like.”
“I would say I was probably not ready to be in that position anyway—it was too early. But yeah, I also slightly didn’t give a fuck,” he told the outlet.
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Taylor-Johnson said he opted to center his life around his kids and began taking on roles that were smaller and less publicized. He told Esquire he took on supporting roles — or roles in smaller, more niche films — and spent the bulk of his time with his children. (RELATED: ‘I Wish I’d Done That’: Rachel McAdams Explains Why She Turned Down Multiple Box Office Hits)
“It doesn’t feed my soul,” he said, referring to other actors who take all the major offers thrown at them. “I enjoy the normality of things, the everyday stuff. Getting my kids ready in the mornings, taking them to school and activities—that’s plenty. That feeds my soul.”