Although the decision had been a difficult one, the temporary split of the band greeted the three members of the Police like a new door to open, a new challenge, a breath of fresh air in their careers as musicians.

In March 1984, after the last concert with the Police in Australia, Stewart said that leaving the Police was like "leaving school" and entering a new, "adult" world. The time had come to leave the family that had brought him fame, wealth, and success; this project that Stewart had nurtured for so long had become a golden cage, and the chance to work on something different gave him the strength to experiment with new sounds and new directions.

There was no doubt that the years spent with the Police would remain the most significant steps in Stewart's early musical career; the music of the Police had become the most important soundtrack of his life. And it is exactly the world of soundtracks that would give Stewart the opportunity to take a growing step as a musician and start a new career in the movie business.

The first chance had arrived a couple of years before. At the same time that he was recording Synchronicity with the Police, Stewart was composing and recording the soundtrack to the Francis Ford Coppola film Rumble Fish. This unusual, percussion-based soundtrack earned Stewart a 1984 Golden Globe nomination for Best Score and opened doors to several movie productions to follow.

In 1985 Stewart released a film of his own called The Rhythmatist based on a journey to Africa to explore the roots of rhythm. While recording and touring with the Police, this kind of project would have been impossible to pursue; but the band's hiatus afforded him the time and opportunity to pursue a number of new paths. More offers continued to arrive on Stewart's desk, and day by day he became one of the most requested musicians in Hollywood.

In 1986 the Police reformed to play three dates in the U.S. on an Amnesty International tour. The performances gave Sting, Andy, and Stewart the chance to work together again, but their attempts to continue further failed. While re-recording some of the tracks to be included in a "best of" album, old tensions between members resurfaced.

To make matters worse, Stewart suffered an injury while playing polo, fracturing his collarbone and rendering him unable to play. He would be out of commission for some time, but rescheduling wasn't an option: Sting was already committed to other projects, including a new movie filming in Italy. The reunion was a bust, and the band decided to stop recording, releasing their greatest hits album with only one re-recorded song ("Don't Stand So Close To Me '86").

Stewart continued composing soundtracks, but soon a new project would bring him back to the world of touring and recording as the drummer in a rock band.