I don’t think much when an actor says they’re done. Remember when Leonard Nimoy said he was quitting? Probably not. It happened in 2002. And again in 2010. Actors love to announce they’re done acting, and it never ever sticks.
So when Oscar winning method actor Daniel Day-Lewis says he’s done, I shrug and nod. The dude played Abraham Lincoln, which pretty much seems like the leading man holy grail but he’s following that up with the leading role in Phantom Thread. “Set in the fashion world of 1950s London, a dressmaker is commissioned to design for members of high society and the royal family.” That’s not going to be his final role. You don’t go from Lincoln to a 1950s dressmaker to retirement.
But that’s what he says he’s doing. His spokeswoman, Leslee Dart, (Lewis is too fancy for an agent to release statements) announce:
“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. ”
Lewis is a method actor. He lives in his roles while he’s making movies. My theory: his next movie is just about a guy who hates movies.