It seems that Daniel Day-Lewis’s retirement from acting is indeed final, according to his longtime director Jim Sheridan. Sheridan, who directed Day-Lewis in three of his most iconic films (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, and The Boxer), confirmed the news with a sense of sadness. Despite staying in touch with Day-Lewis, Sheridan expressed his regret that the actor is no longer interested in returning to the screen, noting the changing landscape of cinema, where content has shifted from a communal experience to one largely consumed privately at home.
Day-Lewis, who announced his retirement in June 2017 after The Phantom Thread (his final film with Paul Thomas Anderson), has since remained resolute in his decision. While The Phantom Thread earned him another Oscar nomination, Day-Lewis revealed that part of his motivation for publicly announcing his retirement was to make it harder for him to return to acting. He wanted to create a clear boundary to ensure his departure from the industry would be final.
As Sheridan noted, it would have been great to see Day-Lewis return to the screen, as his talent remains unparalleled, but for now, it seems his retirement is definitive.