Daniel Day-Lewis returns

Daniel Day-Lewis “retired” from acting in 2017 following his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. I put “retired” in quotes because I never believed he would stay retired—it wasn’t the first time, and it probably won’t be the last time DDL walks away from acting for a bit.

 It’s the privilege of being considered the greatest living actor—you get to work on your own schedule and absolutely no one argues with you about it. The craft is so excellent, it must be demanding, of course he needs a break! But I think a lot about Paul Thomas Anderson revealing DDL’s love of reality TV. I just assume he’s spent the last eight years watching trashy TV and forming strong opinions about Nicolandria, as the old gods intended.

But now DDL’s rest has ended, and he is returning to the big screen in Anemone, which he co-wrote with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis. The younger Day-Lewis is making his feature film directorial debut, so this is some real nepo support from DDL. To be fair, though, it’s not the first time he has worked with family. He previously starred in The Ballad of Jack and Rose which was written and directed by his wife, Rebecca Miller (who is also Ronan’s mother). Let’s be nice and just leave it that DDL likes working with his family sometimes.

And it’s not Daniel we’re examining here, it’s Ronan, who is not only the offspring of two tremendously talented people, but is also the grandson of Arthur Miller, one of America’s greatest playwrights and Marilyn Monroe’s sh-tty husbands. Lots of pressure on Ronan to deliver on multiple fronts, not just as a cinematic storyteller, but as a writer, too. It’s fortunate, then, that Anemone looks visually stunning, and the drama between two brothers, picking apart their mysteries on the moors, looks pretty compelling, too. 

Anemone co-stars Sean Bean and Samantha Morton, and it will premiere at the New York Film Festival later in September. I do not think just any kid starting out gets a cast like that or Focus Features distributing their film in the heart of awards season, but I am choosing delight today, so I will just say that I have missed watching Daniel Day-Lewis in new films. It’s nice to have him back even if it is just to launch another nepo baby upon us.