The Real Reason Daniel Day-Lewis Ditched Hollywood (& Why He Decided To Come Back)

Daniel Day-Lewis was on a career high in 2017 when he retired. With three Academy Awards under his belt and a nomination for another, for his acclaimed performance in "Phantom Thread," Hollywood was hardly tired of Daniel. But the Irish actor was tired of Hollywood. Plenty of celebs who made it big in Hollywood have abandoned their fame for a normal life, and he seemingly decided to do just that. "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," a statement from his spokesperson confirmed at the time, per NME. 

But by 2024, he was back. In a 2025 interview, the "Lincoln" star clarified to Rolling Stone that he'd always loved acting but that living the life of an actor was what wore him out in the end. "There were aspects of the way of life that went with it that I'd never come to terms with — from the day I started out to today," Daniel imparted. "There's something about that process that left me feeling hollowed out at the end of it." Usually, a brief break would leave him wanting to return, but eventually, that urge faded, which is when the Oscar winner stepped away permanently. 

The fact that Daniel made a comeback in 2024 was entirely thanks to his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, who was building his own career and roped his famous father into it. Ronan's feature debut, "Anemone," saw him and his dad working on the script together, and it gave Daniel his spark back. He not only co-wrote the film, but the esteemed performer also starred as the main character, Ray. Critics and fans alike welcomed him back, with Awards Watch dubbing Daniel "a force of nature."

Daniel Day-Lewis has a reputation for retiring and then coming back to do another film. Unlike actors whose careers came to an end due to health issues, the Hollywood icon ended his simply to explore other avenues. As the '90s came to an end, the Irish actor took extended time off, and he used his newfound freedom to work as a shoemaker's apprentice in Italy. Of course, Day-Lewis did return to the big screen eventually. But, when the "There Will Be Blood" star quit in 2017, he planned on doing so for good. Day-Lewis did this, in a way, to hold himself accountable. "I knew it was uncharacteristic to put out a statement. But I did want to draw a line. I didn't want to get sucked back into another project," the Oscar winner explained to W magazine. "All my life, I've mouthed off about how I should stop acting, and I don't know why it was different this time, but the impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do."

When Day-Lewis returned from retirement again in 2024, he felt a little silly. As Gold Derby reported at the time, while attending the 2025 New York Film Festival press screening of "Anemone," the "Gangs of New York" star acknowledged, "I probably made a f**king fool of myself by announcing that I was going to stop working — and I probably made a fool of myself by coming back." Many stars have chosen family over fame, but in Day-Lewis' case, he returned to acting for the sake of his son, conceding, "To deny myself the possibility of working with Ronan just to stand on pride would have been a worse decision."