Daniel Day-Lewis is officially ending his retirement. The three-time Academy Award winning actor will make his acting return in Focus Features and Plan B’s Anemone.
Anemone is being directed by Day-Lewis’ son, Ronan Day-Lewis and marks his feature directorial debut. The film is a joint partnership between the father and son, having co-written the script.
According to Deadline, the story follows the intricate relationships between fathers, sons, brothers, and the dynamics of familial bonds. Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley and Safia Oakley-Green will star alongside Day-Lewis.
Photos of Day-Lewis on set filming with Sean Bean started speculations on his return prior to the official announcement.
The 67-year-old actor formerly retired from acting in 2017 following the completion of his film Phantom Thread, directed by frequent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson. The announcement even convinced Anderson that he was truly done acting, telling Yahoo Entertainment “I do believe him.” Another collaborator of Day-Lewis, director Jim Sheridan, reemphasized Anderson’s sentiment in March of 2024, telling ScreenDaily “He says he’s done. I keep talking to him…It’d be great to see Daniel come back.”
Day-Lewis gave no reason for his sudden departure, but it was seemingly unplanned. Speaking to W-Magazine, the actor said “before making [‘Phantom Thread’], I didn’t know I was going to stop acting…I did want to draw a line. I didn’t want to get sucked back into another project.”
Day-Lewis has retired from acting before in 1997-2000 but he believed the 2017 retirement was different than his previous pause, stating “the impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do.”
Upon his return to acting, Day-Lewis became notoriously reluctant to sign on to projects– having starred in only six films since the 2000s.
Considering Day-Lewis’ desire to commit to full retirement and his selective nature, it makes his return to film all the more compelling. Anemone has quickly moved to the top of my most anticipated watchlist.
Update Courtesy of Kamryn Ryan
Feature Image credit to Daily Mail