Daniel Day-Lewis said he "never intended to retire" as he prepares to reappear on screen in Anemone, the directorial debut of his son Ronan Day-Lewis. In a new interview, the 68-year-old actor said he felt "residual sadness" watching Ronan, 27, go on to make films while he had stepped away from acting.
Day-Lewis announced in 2017 that he would no longer work as an actor, a move that shocked the film industry. At the time his spokeswoman Leslee Dart issued a statement saying, "Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject." His last screen appearance before his break was in Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, released in 2017.
Speaking to Rolling Stone ahead of Anemone's October 3 release, Day-Lewis framed his departure from acting as a conscious decision to pursue other activities rather than a formal 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 experienced "residual sadness" because he knew Ronan would continue making films while he walked away from the craft.
Anemone, described as a psychological drama, pairs Day-Lewis in a leading role with Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. The father and son co-wrote the screenplay, which the production has said explores the relationships between fathers, sons and brothers. Filming began in Manchester in October of last year. Details about Day-Lewis's character, reported in some outlets as an ex-soldier, have not been officially confirmed by the filmmakers.
The actor has occasionally discussed the emotional toll of his decision to stop acting. In a 2017 interview with W magazine he acknowledged feeling "great sadness" after stepping away and said the impulse to quit became "a compulsion" he felt he had to follow. His representatives at the time reiterated the choice as a private matter.
Day-Lewis is best known for roles in films such as Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood and The Last of the Mohicans. His return in Anemone marks his first planned screen role in eight years and reunites him with a film industry he left at the height of his acclaim. The film's October release will be the first opportunity for critics and audiences to see him perform in a new feature since his 2017 withdrawal.
Representatives for Anemone and Ronan Day-Lewis did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment. The production's official materials reiterate the film's October release and its focus on familial relationships, and sources close to the project have described the collaboration between father and son as central to the film's development.