Daniel Day-Lewis will remain retired from acting, despite best efforts to lure him back. Apparently the actor is also most displeased with “streamers”.
We’ve known for a while that Daniel Day-Lewis, the actor known for roles in films like Phantom Thread, There Will Be Blood and Gangs Of New York, has retired from acting.
Just to be clear, nothing has changed on that front. In fact, we’ve simply got further confirmation that Day-Lewis is not looking to make a comeback of any sorts.
Director Jim Sheridan, speaking to ScreenDaily, said he still talks to Day-Lewis, but the actor isn’t interested in making another film.
“I’d love to do something with him again. He’s like everybody else, he opens up the streamers and there’s seven thousand choices, none of them are good. Film has been moved out of the public domain into a private domain – you have a remote, you can stop it. It’s not the same experience. It’d be great to see Daniel coming back and doing something ‘cos he’s so good.”
Sheridan and Day-Lewis collaborated on three films together; 1989’s My Left Foot, 1993’s In The Name Of The Father and 1997’s The Boxer. My Left Foot brought Day-Lewis his first Oscar for Best Actor, a prize he would go on to win for There Will Be Blood and Lincoln also. Overall, Day-Lewis was nominated for Best Actor six times during his career.
Day-Lewis’ last acting credit was in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread and months after the film was released, Day-Lewis released an official statement to say he’s done.
“Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor,” a spokesperson announced at the time. “He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject. ”
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Except he did comment on it. In an interview with W Magazine (via Variety here), Day-Lewis reflected on his choice to release an official statement.
“I knew it was uncharacteristic to put out a statement,” Day-Lewis said at the time. “But I did want to draw a line. I didn’t want to get sucked back into another project. All my life, I’ve mouthed off about how I should stop acting, and I don’t know why it was different this time, but the impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do.”
Nothing would make us happier than to have to eat our words on this, but it does look like there is very little chance for Day-Lewis to ever return to the silver screen.
