One of the greatest actors who ever lived, will act no more.
Daniel Day-Lewis, the celebrated and Oscar-winning star of My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln, has officially announced that his upcoming film Phantom Thread will be his last.
The actor’s publicist confirmed the news (via Variety): “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.”
Walt Disney Studios
Daniel Day-Lewis, the only man to win three Academy Awards for Best Actor, has never been particularly prolific, choosing his projects very carefully over the years. The actor is famous for his intense method acting, staying in character throughout the production and often long beforehand. He lived in the wilderness for months before filming the French and Indian War epic The Last of the Mohicans, and sent Sally Field text messages in character as Abraham Lincoln to help develop their relationship before filming Steven Spielberg’s celebrated biopic.
Daniel Day-Lewis has toyed with retirement before. After starring in the 1997 drama The Boxer, he worked as a cobbler – yes, really – until Martin Scorsese enlisted him to star as Bill the Butcher in the Oscar-nominated 2002 drama Gangs of New York.
Of course, actors and directors retire from the entertainment industry all the time, and many of them return to the big screen already. (Heck, Steven Soderbergh’s done this dance multiple times now.) But Daniel Day-Lewis has made an official announcement, and it sounds like he might be perfectly happy finding other ways to spend his time. We wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors.
Top Photo: Mark Davis / WireImage
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
