Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis is making a return to the big screen seven years after he announced his retirement from acting. He will star in the feature film “Anemone,” directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.
The film, produced by Focus Features and Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company, delves into the complex relationships among fathers, sons, and brothers, examining familial dynamics. Day-Lewis will appear alongside Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley, and Safia Oakley-Green. At 67, he is also contributing to the project as a co-writer, collaborating on the screenplay with his 26-year-old son.
In 2017, while promoting “Phantom Thread,” Day-Lewis expressed a strong sentiment about retirement, stating that the decision felt different and necessary at the time. His publicist confirmed his retirement to The Hollywood Reporter, emphasizing that Day-Lewis was grateful to his collaborators and audiences but would not be acting again.
However, it seems he may have reconsidered. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, Day-Lewis holds the record for the most Academy Awards for Best Actor, having won for “My Left Foot,” “There Will Be Blood,” and “Lincoln.” He has also received nominations for three other films.
Previously, Day-Lewis had stepped away from acting, entering a “semi-retirement” phase in Florence, Italy, to pursue his interests in woodworking and shoemaking. In the late 1980s, while performing in “Hamlet” in London, he famously left the production claiming to have seen his father’s ghost, which prompted him to retire from stage acting. Reflecting on that moment later, he suggested that it may have been more metaphorical than literal.
Ronan Day-Lewis has chosen a different artistic path, focusing primarily on painting and showcasing his work in New York. He is set to debut his first international solo exhibition in Hong Kong. The elder Day-Lewis has three sons: Ronan, 29-year-old Gabriel-Kane, and 22-year-old Cashell, which may keep him connected to the film world through their creative endeavors in the future.