Actors really enjoy saying they want to retire, or they’re going to take a break, but, today, a thespian who has always taken long stretches between projects has decided he’s completely finished.
Daniel Day-Lewis has formally announced his retirement from acting, with a statement that’s concise, and leaves no room for misinterpretation:
“Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. 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.”
His final film will be Paul Thomas Anderson‘s (tentatively titled) fashion drama “Phantom Thread,” which is due in cinemas on Christmas Day. The timing of the announcement is certainly curious, and it possibly suggests that Day-Lewis, who has never been a fan of doing press, won’t be doing the rounds for the film, if only not be asked by every outlet why he’s hanging it all up. Did something happen on the set of the new film? Or is the actor simply ready to return to a simpler life of shoe cobbling? Time will tell.
It’s certainly a major loss for cinema, as Day-Lewis was undoubtedly one of the master craftsmen of the trade. But with three Oscars on his shelf already — for “My Left Foot,” “There Will Be Blood,” and “Lincoln” — not to mention he’s worked with some of the most accomplished cinematic auteurs the medium has to offer, there likely isn’t much left on his cinematic bucket-list.
If Paul Thomas Anderson’s next movie wasn’t already one of the most anticipated movies of the year, this announcement just made it an ever bigger must-see movie. Since “Phantom Thread” opens on Christmas Day, maybe the greatest gift would be if Gene Hackman decided to come out of retirement, so as to bring some balance to Day-Lewis’ exit…. [THR]