Daniel Day‑Lewis said he "never intended to retire" from acting and acknowledged feeling "residual sadness" as his son, Ronan, pursued filmmaking while he stepped away from the profession. The comments came as the actor prepares to appear in Anemone, the psychological drama directed by Ronan Day‑Lewis and due in U.K. cinemas on Oct. 3.
In a new interview published by Rolling Stone, the 68‑year‑old Oscar winner said he had not meant to declare a formal retirement in 2017 but had simply stopped doing "that particular type of work" to focus on other things. "It just seems like such grandiose gibberish to talk about. I never intended to retire, really," he said. He added that he experienced "residual sadness" knowing his son would continue making films as he walked away from the craft.
Anemone marks Day‑Lewis’s first screen appearance in eight years. The film, written by Daniel and Ronan Day‑Lewis, explores relationships between fathers, sons and brothers and stars Daniel in the lead role alongside Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. Filming began in Manchester in October 2024. Details about Daniel’s character, identified in publicity as Ray Stoker, have not been formally confirmed by the production, though reports have described the role as an ex‑soldier.
Day‑Lewis walked away from public-facing acting work after his Oscar‑nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017). At the time his spokeswoman, Leslee Dart, issued a statement to Variety 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." In subsequent interviews he has acknowledged mixed feelings about the decision; in a W magazine interview he said the decision to quit "took root" and that he felt "great sadness" as a consequence.
Ronan Day‑Lewis, in his mid‑20s, makes his feature directing debut with Anemone. The film’s production and the father‑son collaboration have drawn attention both because of the elder Day‑Lewis’s long absence from screens and because the screenplay was a joint effort between the two. Daniel described the chance to work with his son as "lovely," and the project has been framed by the filmmakers as an intimate examination of familial bonds.
Critics and audiences will see whether Anemone marks a sustained return to screen work for Daniel Day‑Lewis or a singular collaboration prompted by family ties and a story that drew him back. The film’s Oct. 3 release will be the first opportunity for wider audiences to judge the performance and the directorial debut of Ronan Day‑Lewis.
Day‑Lewis’s career has included acclaimed turns in films such as There Will Be Blood, Gangs of New York and The Last of the Mohicans. His decision in 2017 to stop acting was widely reported as definitive; his recent remarks frame that decision less as an absolute retirement and more as a deliberate redirection of his professional life that nonetheless produced complicated emotions as his son established himself in the industry.