Daniel Day-Lewis Officially Ends Acting Retirement To Work On Son's Film

Seven years after Daniel Day-Lewis announced he was finished with acting for good, the Oscar winner will star in his son Ronan Day-Lewis’ directorial debut, “Anemone.”

Film studios Focus Features and Plan B, who are shepherding the project’s production and distribution, confirmed the news Tuesday to The Associated Press.

“We could not be more excited to partner with a brilliant visual artist in Ronan Day-Lewis on his first feature film alongside Daniel Day-Lewis as his creative collaborator,” Focus chairperson Peter Kujawski said in a news release. “They have written a truly exceptional script.”

In addition to co-writing the script for “Anemone” with his son, Daniel Day-Lewis will star opposite “Game of Thrones” alum Sean Bean and “The Whale” actor Samantha Morton.

According to a synopsis, the film “explores relationships between fathers, sons, brothers, and familial bonds.”

Ronan Day-Lewis, 26, has primarily spent his adult years as a painter.

His father has won three Oscars — for “My Left Foot” (1989), “There Will Be Blood” (2007) and “Lincoln” (2012).

Daniel Day-Lewis’s return to cinemas is sure to please fans, who spotted him and Bean riding a motorcycle through Manchester, England, on Tuesday, multiple news outlets reported.

Daniel Day-Lewis told W Magazine in 2017 that he intended to retire.

“I need to believe in the value of what I’m doing,” he said, adding that a “great sadness” overcame him while he was working on “Phantom Thread.” “The work can seem vital. Irresistible, even. And if an audience believes it, that should be good enough for me. But, lately, it isn’t.”

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Can't