Brad Pitt: Looking forward to retirement?

Brad Pitt is in a generous mood.

The actor who plays Achilles in Hollywood's eagerly awaited blockbuster Troy wants to step aside for younger aspirants.

Pitt has been doing his calculations. Four years and that's it!

Confused?

The 40 year-old actor feels that in another four years he will be through with signing autographs, making movies, and being the hot toast of the press. Instead he plans to devote his time to family and indulge in photography.

"There's a new generation coming up and we need new voices in the industry," he told The Daily Telegraph, London. "We [he and wife Jennifer Aniston] figure that anything we want to do, film-wise, we have to get out of our systems before kids come along because they are going to be the priority and we won't be able to do everything we want to do then."

Pitt, who's sporting a crew cut, developed bulky muscles to get the look of the legendary Greek warrior. He even gave up smoking for a while.

But the review in The Daily Telegraph does not exactly rave about Pitt. Reviewer John Hiscock wrote, "...Brad Pitt does not quite fit the bill. Although he looks the part, with a shoulder-length mane of blond hair and a winning way with enemy princesses, he cannot make the often-portentous lines ring true."

But Pitt's popularity remains unaffected. Troy director Wolfgang Peterson told the paper how fans in Malta (where portions of Troy were filmed) went crazy trying to catch a glimpse of their favourite hero.

You can count on Pitt's countless fan to flock to the theatres on May 14 as well — the day Troy opens in the United States.

Photograph: Zack Seckler/Getty Images