What's Inside?
- Daniel Day-Lewis breaks retirement to star in Anemone, co-written with his son Ronan, marking a deeply personal collaboration.
- The actor admits fear of returning to filmmaking but credits working with Ronan for reigniting his creative spark and passion.
- Anemone explores bonds between brothers, fathers, and sons, with Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, and more rounding out the stellar cast.
After eight years away from the screen, Daniel Day-Lewis is once again stepping into the spotlight. The three-time Academy Award winner has ended his self-imposed retirement to star in Anemone, a film directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis. For an actor long considered one of cinema’s most elusive and enigmatic figures, this comeback carries a deeply personal meaning.
Daniel Day-Lewis Finds His Way Back Through Family and Storytelling
When Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement in 2017 following Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, many believed it was final. A spokesperson even emphasized that the decision was “private” and not up for further comment. But as he revealed to Rolling Stone, the pull of filmmaking never truly left him—particularly when it came to working with his son.
“I had some residual sadness because I knew Ronan was going to go on to make films, and I was walking away from that,” Day-Lewis explained. “I thought, wouldn’t it be lovely if we could do something together and find a way of maybe containing it, so that it didn’t necessarily have to be something that required all the paraphernalia of a big production.”
Despite his passion, the actor admitted he wrestled with “a low-level fear, [an] anxiety about re-engaging with the business of filmmaking.” For him, the craft of acting was always joyful, but the industry itself carried burdens that left him feeling “hollowed out.” After Phantom Thread, he feared that spark—the regeneration he once relied on—might never return.
But Ronan made the choice clear. He wouldn’t direct Anemone unless his father played the role they had envisioned together. That ultimatum rekindled something. “Working with Ro, that furnace just lit up,” Day-Lewis said. “And it was, from beginning to end, just pure joy to spend that time together with him.”
Why Anemone Could Mark a New Chapter for Daniel Day-Lewis
Anemone is no ordinary project—it’s a father-son collaboration years in the making. Co-written by Daniel and Ronan, the story explores the fragile but powerful bonds between brothers, fathers, and sons. Day-Lewis plays a reclusive man in Northern England whose solitude is shattered when his estranged brother, portrayed by Sean Bean, forces him to confront his past. With a supporting cast including Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley, and Safia Oakley-Green, the film promises both intimacy and intensity.
This project also redefines what “retirement” means for one of Hollywood’s most selective actors. Day-Lewis laughed at the notion of having retired at all: “I never intended to retire, really. I just stopped doing that particular type of work so I could do some other work. Apparently, I’ve been accused of retiring twice now. I never meant to retire from anything!”
His candid reflection reveals less of a career-ending decision and more of a pause—a need to step away until inspiration returned. That inspiration arrived in the form of his son’s creative vision. The timing, he suggests, was never about career strategy but about love, legacy, and the fire of storytelling.
With Anemone premiering at the New York Film Festival before its limited release on October 3 and nationwide expansion on October 10, audiences will soon see whether Day-Lewis’ latest role is a one-time return or the beginning of another chapter. Given his track record of turning every performance into a cultural moment, it would be unwise to assume this will be his final bow.
For now, though, Daniel Day-Lewis has offered something rare: a glimpse into why he acts, why he stopped, and why he came back. And at the heart of it lies the simplest reason of all—family.
