After a seven-year absence from acting, Oscar-winning star Daniel Day-Lewis is making a dramatic return to cinema. In a recent interview, he clarified that he “never intended to retire,” dismissing past announcements as misstatements rather than firm decisions.
Day-Lewis last appeared onscreen in Phantom Thread (2017), after which his representative issued a statement saying he would “no longer be working as an actor.” Since then, his public appearances have been minimal, and fans had resigned themselves to his permanent withdrawal from cinema.
Yet now he is set to star in Anemone, a new film co-written with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, who also directs. The project marks a rare father-son collaboration and the actor described their work together as “pure joy.” He said the idea of working with Ronan drew him back into the craft.
In his interview, Day-Lewis reflected on his decision to step away from acting. He admitted that the process had taken an emotional toll and left him uneasy with the public life that comes with being a film star. But he also insisted that while he may have paused his film work, he never truly intended to quit his art. “I just stopped doing that particular type of work so I could do some other work,” he told Rolling Stone.
Anemone premiered at the New York Film Festival in September 2025 and is expected to release theatrically soon. The cast includes Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. Early reviews note high expectations given Day-Lewis’s long hiatus, but many critics welcome his return.
As one of the few actors to win three Academy Awards for Best Actor, Day-Lewis’s comeback is being watched closely by film lovers everywhere. Whether this marks a full return or a special revival, the world will soon see him light up the screen once more.
