Daniel Day-Lewis has spoken about his decision to retire and has said that he won’t be seeing his last movie Phantom Thread.
Day-Lewis is one of most celebrated actors in Hollywood history, winner of three Academy Awards and known for numerous memorably performances.
The actor had earlier made the decision to retire after his collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson on Phantom Thread and has now spoken to W Magazine about what went into the decision:
“Before making the film, I didn’t know I was going to stop acting. I do know that Paul [Thomas Anderson] and I laughed a lot before we made the movie. And then we stopped laughing because we were both overwhelmed by a sense of sadness. That took us by surprise: We didn’t realize what we had given birth to. It was hard to live with. And still is.”
Day-Lewis wasn’t, however, able to give a full explanation for his decision: “I haven’t figured it out,” he said. “But it’s settled on me, and it’s just there…I dread to use the overused word ‘artist,’ but there’s something of the responsibility of the artist that hung over me. I need to believe in the value of what I’m doing. 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.”
Day-Lewis, as is his trademark, put a lot of work into preparing for the role of designer Reynolds Woodcock in Phantom Thread, but doesn’t have any intention of seeing the finished product.
“Not wanting to see the film is connected to the decision I’ve made to stop working as an actor,” he said. “But it’s not why the sadness came to stay. That happened during the telling of the story, and I don’t really know why.”
SEE ALSO: Paul Thomas Anderson says Phantom Thread is his attempt at Rebecca
Set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. With his latest film, Paul Thomas Anderson paints an illuminating portrait both of an artist on a creative journey, and the women who keep his world running.
Phantom Thread is set for release on December 25th in the States, and on February 2nd in the UK.
Originally published November 29, 2017. Updated April 18, 2018.
