All good things must come to an end. It’s just a fact of life. Such is the case with the legendary career of actor Brad Dourif. It has come to light that Dourif, known best to horror fans for his work in the Child’s Play franchise as the voice of Chucky, now considers himself retired from acting. That is, save for one very important exception: Chucky. Indeed, it seems that Dourif is ready to walk away from acting almost entirely, but he still plans to provide the voice of the iconic killer doll.
The news comes to us from the folks at JoBlo. While the full interview hasn’t dropped, the outlet recently spoke with several members of the team behind the Chucky TV series, which is currently in the midst of its very bloody third season on Syfy and USA Network. During the conversation, here’s what was reportedly said:
“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting. The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”
For what it’s worth, Dourif has been associated with this character for 35 years. He voiced Chucky in the original Child’s Play back in 1988, in addition to briefly playing the killer Charles Lee Ray who inhabits the doll’s body. He never looked back, voicing the character in every single movie as well as the TV show, save for 2019’s Child’s Play remake. Fiona Dourif, his daughter, has been with the franchise for over a decade now too, having first appeared as Nica in 2013’s Curse of Chucky. So it’s become a true family affair, especially since Dourif considers franchise creator Don Mancini to be like family.
Dourif has earned his retirement. He’s in his mid-70s and, with more than 170 acting credits to his name spanning five decades, the man has earned the right to relax. Horror fans will also know the actor’s work from movies like The Exorcist III, Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift, Critters 4 and Rob Zombie’s Halloween films. He’s a genre icon and we should tip our cap to him.
As for how much voicing Chucky is in his future, that remains uncertain. Mancini has potential plans for Chucky season 4, but it has yet to be given the green light by the networks. But he also recently confirmed that a new Child’s Play movie is in development, so that could be on the horizon. When the time comes, Dourif will seemingly answer the call. Beyond that, he will be enjoying a well-earned retirement.
Chucky airs Wednesdays on Syfy and USA Network.
