Is ‘Anemone’ going to bring Daniel Day-Lewis back to acting for good?
Could Anemone be the start of the long-awaited third act in Daniel Day-Lewis’ career?
The upcoming project, directed by the actor’s 27-year-old son, Ronan Day-Lewis, is set to premiere at the New York Film Festival next month. Most of the buzz around the movie relates to the fact that Day-Lewis will be returning to acting for the first time since he announced his supposed retirement in 2017, but whether this will be a one-off remains to be seen.
While it’s undeniably exciting that the actor, widely considered the cream of the crop, will be returning to the silver screen, the question of nepotism inevitably arises. Is Day-Lewis only returning to Hollywood just to give his son a helping hand? The three-time Oscar winner claimed he was retiring just before the release of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, which was a fantastic film to bow out on, even earning him an Oscar nomination for his magnificent performance.
So, did anything other than his son’s ambitions of becoming a director bring him back to Hollywood? It’s too early to tell, of course, but can we really complain if it means getting a new Day-Lewis performance? I, for one, would love to see Day-Lewis back on my cinema screen – wouldn’t we all?
The actor might have a reputation for being rather difficult to work with, and he often takes his method acting way too far, but at the end of the day, he yields excellent results. Pretty much everything Day-Lewis merely breathes near turns to gold, and if there’s anyone we need to come and save us from the dire cinematic landscape we’re currently living in, it’s him.
We’re losing many of our best actors to franchise movies and capitalistic blockbuster worlds like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but if one thing’s for certain, Day-Lewis would never stoop that low. Sure, call me elitist, but these films just can’t be placed in the same category as cinematic excellence like Day-Lewis vehicles such as In the Name of the Father or There Will Be Blood. In many ways, it feels like Day-Lewis is one of the last proper big-name actors to remain authentic to truly fantastic and challenging projects.
So, with his return to acting with Anemone, will Day-Lewis be the cinematic saviour we need in 2025? Or is Day-Lewis only contributing to the industry’s messy decline by fuelling nepotism? It’s hard to say, because nepotism really is so widespread these days that it would be impossible to imagine Hollywood without it. As one of the greatest actors of all time, it’s not hard to see why he has raised a son interested in the same industry, and at least he’s supportive of his child’s ideas.
We can only hope that Ronan helped spark a renewed interest in cinema inside his father, and that his return to acting with Anemone will mark a new phase in his career, a third and final act, featuring some well-needed contributions to an industry in need of more originality. Hopefully, Day-Lewis will get back in the ring for good, because we need him more than ever.
With an impressive cast lined up for Anemone including Samantha Morton and Sean Bean, it seems like the film is destined for success, and perhaps this’ll remind Day-Lewis of what he does best. Let’s pray that he returns for more than just nepotistic outings in favour of his son.
