Just whenDaniel Day-Lewisthought he was out, they pulled him back in, as best said by Michael Corleone inThe Godfather: Part III. While the recent announcement of the3-time Oscar winner’s sudden returnto acting was shocking, anyone paying attention to his career shouldn’t be too surprised. After all, this is not Day-Lewis' first or second time returning to his craft upon supposedly retiring. The third time around, withDay-Lewisset to make his triumphant return inAnemone, the directorial debut of his son,Ronan Day-Lewis, the act has grown stale. For the sake of Day-Lewis' credibility and the viability of cinema,these faux retirement claims must end.As they say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Daniel Day-Lewis Has a Habit of “Retiring”
Anemone, the upcoming film produced by Focus Features and Plan B Entertainment, is co-written by Ronan and Daniel Day-Lewis, and it is described as an exploration of the intricate relationships between fathers, sons, and brothers. The 26-year-old Ronan Day-Lewis was a newborn when his fatherembarked on his first extended hiatusfollowing the release of theJim Sheridanfilm,The Boxer. Instead of appearing in movies, theMy Left Footstar turned to woodworking and shoemaking, taking a 10-month apprenticeship under Italian shoemakerStefano Bemer. He returned to the big screen five years later as the tyrannical crime lord, Bill “The Butcher” Cutting inMartin Scorsese’sGangs of New York.
From this point onward, Day-Lewis' filmography would see long gaps in between projects, primarily due to the rigorous preparation he does for his roles.Day-Lewis doesn’t act, but rather, he transforms into his characterand immerses himself in unprecedented levels of method acting. Following his Oscar-winning turn asAbraham Lincolnin theSteven Spielbergbiopic, Day-Lewis once again announced he was taking an extended break, this time to live a rural lifestyle in Ireland as a stonemason. Rather than Scorsese, it wasPaul Thomas Anderson, who directed Day-Lewis to hissecond Academy Award inThere Will Be Bloodand who lured him back to the screen withPhantom Thread, which was positioned as his final film, without a doubt. Hereleased an official statementto “draw a line” and not be lured back into a role.Day-Lewis was adamant that his 2017 retirement was no joke.As recently as March 2024, he rejected any notion of a comeback. Despite his history, I was still fooled, once again.
Daniel Day-Lewis' Retirements Undermine His Craft and Public Image
Anyone with enough doubt, or awareness of Daniel Day-Lewis' history, expected another comeback at some point. For someone who desires to be off-the-grid, Day-Lewis is not a complete recluse with the media, as, earlier this year, heattended the National Board of Review awardsand reunited with Martin Scorsese on stage, which prompted a new wave of un-retirement speculation. Upon walking off into the sunset in 2017, the actor couldn’tprovide an exact reasonbehind his decision, stating,“I need to believe in the value of what I’m doing.“This abstract line of thinking crystalizes how we — and the actor himself — ought to interpret the litany of “retirement” announcements. These breaks indicate that he is waiting patiently for the role best suited for him, for however long it may be. Day-Lewis' selective nature goes hand-in-handwith his intense preparation. For better or worse, he doesn’t experiment off the cuff with parts.We understand that this is part of the Day-Lewis mystique,so the claims of retirement are misguided.
Day-Lewis' unhealthy habit of announcing his retirement is also a disservice to his image. His ostentatious means to transform into character, such asrefusing to wear a coatthat wasn’t period appropriate despite contracting pneumonia on the set ofGangs of New York, or demanding that he bereferred to as “Mr. President"on the set ofLincoln, is pretentious on the surface.However, Day-Lewis never partakes in these stunts for publicity’s sake,as he graciously approaches method actingas a collaborative process. Yet, with his non-stop back-and-forth between retiring and un-retiring, he demonstrates behavior suggesting that he is craving attention from the media. This goes without saying, as he’s been a central force behind some of the best films of the last 30 years, but cinema is much better off with Day-Lewis around, even if audiences are forced to wait interminably for hisnext transformational performance. Just don’t tell me that you’re done for good, because I know it’s a lie.
Granted, there is a chance Daniel Day-Lewis is only returning as a favor to his son, the director of the upcomingAnemone. While hisseamless chameleon-like abilitiesmight indicate that he’s otherworldly, he is human. I don’t fault him for returning to the camera for a family cause. For someone as gifted and accomplished as Day-Lewis,it’s easy to get swayed back into acting, so playing the retirement game is a fruitless endeavor.
