Finally lending a bit of gravity and anticipation to his first collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson since 2007’s There Will Be Blood, a.k.a. many people’s choice for this century’s greatest film, Daniel Day-Lewis has announced a retirement from acting. From his spokeswoman, Leslee Dart, comes the word, which reads: “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.”
That, it seems, is that, despite my suspicion that he’s preparing for a role about someone who retires from acting (I’ll take my bow at story’s end) and the ceaseless speculation that’s sure to emerge in coming days, weeks, and months, no less so when said collaboration — for some time known as Phantom Thread, and referred to as such in Variety‘s story — arrives this fall. Will it be Day-Lewis’ Blackstar? Given the contextual implications of that comparison, let’s hope not — but, again, who among us can claim total (or partial) knowledge? For the time being I’ll take satisfaction knowing there’s at least one performance left from one of our few living titans of the craft.