Daniel Day-Lewis has said he “never intended to retire” and “would have done well to just keep [his] mouth shut” about stepping away from acting. The three-time Oscar winner is making his return to the screen in Anemone, his first film since 2017, directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Day-Lewis reflected on his previous announcements of retirement. “It just seems like such grandiose gibberish to talk about. I never intended to retire, really. I just stopped doing that particular type of work so I could do some other work,” he said. He added that he has been “accused of retiring twice now” but never meant to quit acting permanently.
The actor first announced his retirement in 2017 after the release of Phantom Thread, with his representative stating he would no longer work as an actor. He had also taken a break between The Boxer (1997) and Gangs of New York (2002), during which he reportedly apprenticed with an Italian shoemaker. In 1989, he appeared to quit stage acting after performing Hamlet at the National Theatre.
Day-Lewis said the opportunity to work with his son reignited his passion. “As I get older, it just takes me longer and longer to find my way back to the place where the furnace is burning again. But working with Ro, that furnace just lit up,” he said. He described the experience as “pure joy” but admitted to anxiety about re-entering the film industry, though he never stopped loving the work itself.
Reflecting on Phantom Thread, Day-Lewis said the process left him “feeling hollowed out” and uncertain about regeneration. “I just probably should just keep away from it, because I didn’t have anything else to offer,” he recalled. Now, with Anemone set to premiere at the New York Film Festival in September, he acknowledges he should have kept his retirement private.
