Legendary actor Daniel Day-Lewis seemingly retired from acting back in 2017 with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” appearing to be his last film.
Nearly a decade on, that’s changed as the actor returns for “Anemone” which was directed by his son and is set to open next month states-side.
Doing early publicity for the film, the 68-year-old celebrated English thespian tells. Rolling Stone that his pulling back from acting wasn’t due to the craft itself which he loves, but the business part of showbusiness and all that came with it.
As a result, he needed time to replenish himself creatively:
“I think the reservations were entirely a reflection of fear more than anything else. It was just kind of a low-level fear, [an] anxiety about re-engaging with the business of filmmaking.
The work was always something I loved. I never, ever stopped loving the work. But there were aspects of the way of life that went with it that I’d never come to terms with – from the day I started out to today. There’s something about that process that left me feeling hollowed out at the end of it.
It was only really in the last experience [‘Phantom Thread’] that I began to feel quite strongly that maybe there wouldn’t be that regeneration anymore. That I just probably should just keep away from it, because I didn’t have anything else to offer.”
Reflecting on his words eight years on, he says his overly prideful talk of retirement at the time was too absolute:
“I would have done well to just keep my mouth shut, for sure [laughs.] It just seems like such grandiose gibberish to talk about. 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! I just wanted to work on something else for a while. If I draw a line under this, I’ll be too proud to go back on that.
Because I know there’ll come a day when I’ll be tempted again. But if I’ve said I’m not doing this, I won’t do it. This just shows I’m not as proud as I like to think I am!. I do feel it’s important to restate that the love of the work itself, that has never diminished for me.”
“Anemone” has its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 28th before Focus Features gives the film a limited release on October 3rd and a wider one on October 10th.
