Daniel Day-Lewis has always been known for his method acting. For My Left Foot, in which he played a man with cerebral palsy, he wouldn’t leave his wheelchair and had people feed him. For Lincoln, he had cast and crew address him as Mr. President. And for Phantom Thread, we can only assume he actually ate poisonous mushrooms. So when he’s retired, you better believe he’s going to disappear. And that’s pretty much how it’s been, as the three-time Oscar winner has stayed off the radar. That is, until Thursday night, when he bestowed Martin Scorsese – who he has worked with twice – with the National Board of Review’s Best Director award. And with that came a tease for a hopeful third collaboration…
It’s been more than two decades since Daniel Day-Lewis and Martin Scorsese’s last pairing, Gangs of New York (they previously worked together on 1993’s The Age of Innocence) and fans know better than to expect another. Still, the director gave a glimmer of hope by saying, “Maybe there’s time for one more.” So scram, Leo!
Before honoring Scorsese with the Best Director award (his fourth; his first was actually for The Age of Innocence), Day-Lewis offered some touching words: “I was a teenager when I discovered Martin’s work…With a light of his own making he illuminated unknown worlds that pulsed with a dangerous, irresistible energy — worlds that were mysterious to me and utterly enthralling. He illuminated the vast beautiful landscape of what is possible in film and he clarified for me what it is that one must ask of one self to work in faith.”
While Daniel Day-Lewis hasn’t starred in a film since Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread, Martin Scorsese has certainly kept busy, directing his two longest narratives: The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon. He also has another Jesus flick coming out and we can only imagine how Day-Lewis would employ The Method if he were cast…
There was some buzz about Day-Lewis coming out of retirement just last week when a picture of the actor and two previous directors, Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) and Jim Sheridan (three-time DDL collaborator), hit the internet. If he does, whoever he works with – and his fans – will be lucky.
Do you want to see Daniel Day-Lewis come out of retirement or was his decision the right choice for him?