Daniel Day Lewis admits shocking regret over retirement reversal

Daniel Day-Lewis opened up about his unexpected return to acting and admitted he regretted ever announcing his retirement.

The three time Oscar winner stepped away from the screen in 2017 but recently made the decision to come back for Anemone, the directorial debut of his son Ronan Day-Lewis. 

Daniel also co-wrote the script with him. Speaking at the New York Film Festival, he said, “I made a f****** fool of myself by announcing that I was going to stop working, and probably a bigger fool of myself coming back. 

But to deny myself the possibility of working with Ronan just to stand on my pride, I think that would've been probably a worse decision.”

Despite his legendary status, Daniel admitted that acting life never felt comfortable. He explained that while the work itself felt vital and necessary, the fame that came with it often left him uneasy. 

“I had long periods where I thought I'm not well suited. The work was always very precious to me — it was like food and drink. But I think I have it in common with a lot of actors, that I'm very ill suited for the life around it... the public aspect of it.”

The star reflected on how attention from the public was something he never managed to adjust to, even after decades of success. 

“I was always ill at ease with the public aspect of the life. I thought I'd get used to it and I never really did. And so it left me wondering if I wasn't just better off keeping out of it.”

Daniel's return with Anemone marks not just a comeback, but also a deeply personal collaboration with his son.