Paul Newman returned to the stage in December 2002, taking the lead in a Broadway adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town after nearly four decades away from theatre. The appearance marked an important final chapter in his acting career, allowing him to revisit the stage before gradually retiring from film and television.

The play ran briefly until January 2003 and earned Newman Tony and Primetime Emmy nominations after its television broadcast. He joked that performing again was like “sticking a rifle in your mouth”, describing the difficulty of returning after so long, although Our Town became his third-to-last acting role before his official retirement in 2007.