Rick Moranis Is Back — Why He Has 'No Regrets' About Taking a 24-Year Hiatus After His Wife Died

Rick Moranis' long-standing Hollywood hiatus is over, as the actor is set to revisit his Honey, I Shrunk the Kids role.

The reboot, which will star Josh Gad as his character's son years later, makes for Moranis' first big-screen role since 1996's Big Bully. Moranis played scientist Wayne Szalinski in the 1989 Disney classic and its 1992 sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. (He also appeared as Wayne in 1997's direct-to-video sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.)

The actor decided to take a step back from Hollywood a year later after his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky, died in February 1991 of breast cancer. The couple shared two children — Rachel and Mitchell.

Moranis, 66, slowly left public life after her death to focus on being a single father, but he's never retired from the business, as he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.

"I took a break, which turned into a longer break," he told THR . "But I'm interested in anything that I would find interesting. I still get the occasional query about a film or television role and as soon as one comes along that piques my interest."

"Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, move to another city," he told THR. "Really, that's all I did."

While Moranis left Hollywood to focus on being present for his children, he didn't express regret at his decision.

"I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people," he said. "I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me."

He added, "I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful."

In 2015, Moranis expressed surprise that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids hadn't been rebooted yet.

"I'm surprised that Disney hasn't done Honey, I Shrunk the Grandkids," he joked. "But I'm happy with the things I said yes to, and I'm very happy with the many things I've said no to. Yes, I am picky, and I'll continue to be picky. Picky has worked for me."

His return comes months before Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters, another franchise in which Moranis plays a fan-favorite character. But unlike Shrunk, Moranis won't be returning for this summer's fresh take on the story.

A quote from his 2015 interview might explain his absence, as he also turned down appearing in 2016's female-driven Ghostbusters reboot, which included his former costars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver. All three return for Afterlife, as does Ernie Hudson.

"I wish them well," he told the publication of the 2016 movie. "I hope it's terrific. But it just makes no sense to me. Why would I do just one day of shooting on something I did 30 years ago?"