Hollywood has become a polarizing dumpster fire lately.
Between all of the anti-Trump biased filmmakers and the unoriginal reboots and sequels, it’s been insufferable.
And news broke this week that will be one of Hollywood’s biggest blows in many years.
Three-time Academy Award Winner for Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, has officially announced his retirement from the business.
Day-Lewis is widely considered to be the one of the greatest actors of all time – not only amongst his fans, but from his peers as well.
Variety reports:
“The 60-year-old star, who has played presidents, writers, and gang leaders in a career that has spanned four decades, has one final film awaiting release, an untitled drama set in the world of high fashion.
It is scheduled to hit theaters on December 25, 2017 and reunites him with Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Day-Lewis to a best actor Oscar in 2007’s ‘There Will Be Blood.’ Day-Lewis intends to help promote the movie, according to a person familiar with his plans.
He did not give a reason for his retirement. In a statement, Day-Lewis’ spokeswoman, Leslee Dart, confirmed the news: ‘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. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.’
Day-Lewis is the only performer to ever win three best actor Oscars. He was honored for the title role in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln,’ for his turn as a rapacious oil man in ‘There Will Be Blood,’ and for his performance as writer and artist Christy Brown in ‘My Left Foot.’
He earned two other Academy Award nominations for ‘Gangs of New York’ and ‘In the Name of the Father.’
Day-Lewis has been praised for his shape-shifting acting and versatility. He is known for going to extreme lengths for his performances, frequently remaining in character off-screen. He has also starred in musicals (“Nine”), adventure epics (“The Last of the Mohicans“), and period dramas (“The Age of Innocence”).
The method master once learned Czech to play a philandering doctor in ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being,’ listened to Eminem records to channel rage in ‘Gangs of New York,’ and confined himself to a wheelchair for ‘My Left Foot’ to play Brown, who had cerebral palsy.
Although he has remained in high demand, Day-Lewis is also known as being extremely selective, often waiting years between projects.
In the late ’90s and early aughts he appeared to give up acting for a while, reportedly working as a cobbler before Martin Scorsese convinced him to return to the screen for ‘Gangs of New York.’”
Sadly we will be deprived of incredible performances, but fortunately Day-Lewis will have this last film, Phantom Thread.
Phantom Thread is set during the high stakes world of fashion in 1950’s London where a dressmaker is commissioned to design for the royal family.
It is unclear what role Day-Lewis will play, but all logic would suggest he is the star and the dressmaker for the royal family because he is a shoe cobbler in real life.
And Paul F. Thompkins perfectly captures how mind-blowing his presence is as one of the most prolific actors ever.
Thompkins says of Daniel Day-Lewis:
“Now, I had been told that Daniel Day-Lewis was kind of an intense person. And he’s really not.
He’s really … THE MOST INTENSE PERSON that has ever lived on Earth. He’s not doing anything – he’s just sitting in a chair – and I am terrified of him, as if a jungle cat has wandered onto the set.”
His talents will sorely be missed, but at least we will have one more performance. And likely nothing short of amazing.