Daniel Day-Lewis was retired. His son is just getting started

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Consider This from NPR
Episode: Daniel Day-Lewis was retired. His son is just getting started
Air Date: October 3, 2025
Host: Mary Louise Kelly
Guests: Daniel Day-Lewis (actor), Ronan Day-Lewis (director and son)

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Overview

In this episode, Mary Louise Kelly sits down with acclaimed actor Daniel Day-Lewis and his son, debut director Ronan Day-Lewis, to discuss Daniel's surprising return to film in "Anemone." The conversation dives into themes of family, legacy, the creative process between father and son, and the movie’s backdrop of Northern Ireland’s Troubles. Daniel reflects on his retirement, dispels misconceptions about his "reclusiveness," and shares what brought him back for this personal collaboration.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Daniel Day-Lewis’s Retirement and Legacy

• Daniel’s Retirement: Daniel Day-Lewis stunned the film world eight years ago with his announcement that he was stepping away from acting.
  • “For me, the work is really pure pleasure. I do the work because I love to do it, not because I feel the need to punish myself. I'd do something else if I needed to punish myself.” – Daniel Day-Lewis (00:29)
• His Approach to Acting: Known for immersing himself in roles, Daniel describes acting as “a silent partnership,” emphasizing the exploration of characters very different from himself.
  • “You start from scratch. You begin with nothing. You reduce yourself as far as possible to the state of an empty vessel which may or may not fill with something that's gonna be useful.” – Daniel Day-Lewis (01:14)
  • “What could be more liberating than to explore with impunity the darker recesses of one's imagination and psyche?” – Daniel Day-Lewis (01:29)

2. Return to Acting in “Anemone”

• The New Role: Daniel returns as Ray Stoker, a reclusive man drawn back into the world when his brother seeks him out, set against the backdrop of Northern England and Northern Ireland’s legacy.
  • “How did I manage without you? ... This is my life. Does it have to be?” – Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray (03:55)
• Father-Son Collaboration: The film marks the first feature from director Ronan Day-Lewis. The screenplay was a joint effort at the family kitchen table.
  • “We wrote the script together, so... there was a moment, I think, when we first got on set where it did hit me, just the gravity of it, but it felt pretty easy to transition into that.” – Ronan Day-Lewis (07:00)

3. Exploring Themes: Family, Legacy, and the Troubles

• Fathers and Sons: The story’s emotional core gradually centered on family ties and generational mysteries.
  • “It was interesting because the kind of father, son thread of it crept up on us... This sense of the kind of fascination with the mystery of the past life of your parent.” – Ronan Day-Lewis (05:53)
• The Troubles: The film grapples with the aftermath of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, from a rare British soldier’s perspective, influenced by both Daniel and Ronan’s personal ties to Ireland.
  • “Largely the perspective of stories told about the Troubles have been from the other side of the fence. ... I have close friends who were on both sides of that Terrible argument.” – Daniel Day-Lewis (08:22)
  • “I think it was also important to me that the film is looking at war and human bloodshed from almost like an omniscient perspective.” – Ronan Day-Lewis (08:46)

4. Working as Family: Directing Daniel Day-Lewis

• Challenges and Dynamics: Ronan navigated directing his legendary father with ease due to the story’s origins in family creativity and a sense of play.
• Daniel’s Motivation: Far from needing to be coaxed, Daniel relished the chance to collaborate with his son.
  • “If anything, I think it was really my wish to work with Ronan… I wonder if we can cook something up just for the pure pleasure of working together.” – Daniel Day-Lewis (07:24)

5. On Reclusiveness and Public Perception

• Debunking the Recluse Myth: Daniel addresses the misconception that he’s a recluse, pointing out that privacy doesn’t equal isolation.
  • “I am not a recluse. I just don't live in the eye of the camera. ... All it means is that, you know, I talk to people all the time. I'm just not talking into a microphone, talking to friends and family and working in different ways in different places. So life goes on, and it is absolutely not the life of a recluse.” – Daniel Day-Lewis (10:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Craft of Acting:
  “What could be more liberating than to explore with impunity the darker recesses of one's imagination and psyche?... I always am most often intrigued by lives that seem very far removed from my own.”
  – Daniel Day-Lewis (01:29)

• On Family Collaboration:
  “Maybe two fellas in a shed... we just couldn't... It was fair enough with that.”
  – Daniel Day-Lewis (06:18)
  [Laughter as the hosts tease about introducing a female character.]

• On Legacy and Trauma:
  “Ray, your character, Daniel, is a former English soldier... carries the legacy of things that happened there that he did. I wondered why Northern Ireland?”
  – Mary Louise Kelly (07:54)

• On Directing His Father:
  “I'd sort of been thinking of it in such a kind of low stakes, playful way... us at the kitchen table working on it.”
  – Ronan Day-Lewis (06:48)

• On Rumors of Reclusiveness:
  “If you're not visible publicly, you're deemed to be somehow retired from ordinary everyday life... But all it means is that... I talk to people all the time. ... It is absolutely not the life of a recluse.”
  – Daniel Day-Lewis (10:05)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:29 – Daniel Day-Lewis discusses his love for acting.
• 01:14 – Daniel on his creative approach.
• 03:55 – A dramatic film excerpt: Ray and Jim reconnect after decades.
• 04:47 – Explaining the plot and the brothers’ dynamic.
• 05:53 – Ronan talks about emerging themes of fathers and sons.
• 06:48 – Ronan describes the experience directing his father.
• 07:24 – Daniel on wanting to return to film to work with Ronan.
• 08:22 – The personal and nuanced take on The Troubles.
• 10:05 – Daniel addresses rumors about his personal life and privacy.
• 11:05 – Closing thanks and acknowledgements.

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Tone & Style

The conversation is warm, reflective, and at times playful, with both Day-Lewises displaying mutual respect and affection. It’s a thoughtful exchange about artistry, generational collaboration, and the enduring effects of history and family.

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Conclusion

This episode offers an intimate look at the relationship and creative partnership between Daniel Day-Lewis and his son Ronan as they tackle themes of trauma, legacy, and reconciliation both onscreen and off. Daniel’s return to acting for this project feels not just like a career move, but a deeply personal choice rooted in family and storytelling.

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Transcript

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Eight years ago, Daniel Day Lewis quietly dropped a bomb on the film world in the form of a short statement. Daniel Day Lewis will no longer be working as an actor, it said. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject. Well, the statement was shocking in part because of how dedicated Day Lewis was to his craft. Here he is talking to NPR in.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

For me, the work is really pure pleasure. I do the work because I love to do it, not because I feel the need to punish myself. I'd do something else if I needed to punish myself. I love to do the work that I do. It's a game.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

It was also surprising because he was so good at it. Day Lewis won a record three Best Actor Oscars and he really inhabited each role, whether it was President Lincoln.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Blood's been spilt to afford us this moment. Now, now, now.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Or whether he was playing a ruthless oil prospector.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

There are times when I, I look at people and I see nothing worth liking.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Or maybe it's that the characters were inhabiting him.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

You start from scratch. You begin with nothing. You reduce yourself as far as possible to the state of an empty vessel which may or may not fill with something that's gonna be useful.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Day Lewis described it as a silent partnership.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

What could be more liberating than to explore with impunity the darker recesses of one's imagination and psyche? And I suppose that has always appealed to me. And I always am most often intrigued by lives that seem very far removed from my own.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Well, retirement notwithstanding, Daniel Day Lewis has a new movie. He plays a man who withdraws from the world he once knew and then finds himself pulled back. Consider this. Daniel Day Lewis is back in a film directed by his son about unfinished business and about what we pass down from npr. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

It's consider this from NPR. For 20 years, a man has been living in the woods in the north of England. He's got everything he needs to survive. Roof over his head, cans of food. Food. Piles of firewood. He's isolated. He wants to keep it that way. No one knows where he is, except for one guy, Jim. And one day, Jim shows up unannounced, determined to bring him home.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

How did I. What? How did I manage without you? I won't pretend I don't think about it from time to time, but this is it, Jim. This is my life. Does it have to be?

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Daniel Day Lewis stars as the reclusive Ray Stoker in the new movie Anemone, which was directed by his son, Ronan Day Lewis. Father and son are both in our New York studios. Daniel and Ronan Day Lewis, welcome to All Things Considered.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Thanks so much.

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Thank you so much for having us.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Let's jump straight into the story. Daniel Day Lewis. Your character Ray, as I mentioned, has been off the grid for two decades. And then suddenly this guy Jim, played by absolutely terrific Sean Bean, walks through the door of your cabin. I know you don't want to give too many twists away, but what happens next?

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Well, Jem, as we discover him at the very beginning of the story, embarks on this mission in agreement with his wife, Nessa. Jem is my brother, and he has raised a boy with Nessa, who is currently in a great deal of trouble. And there's a connection there. And so when he sets out on the journey to find me, it's with the idea of, as you said, of trying to find some way of convincing me to come back from this place.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I didn't realize you two were brothers until there's a great scene where the two of you, you're at the sink and you're brushing your teeth and you're rinsing and spitting together, and I suddenly thought, okay, these two, either we're roommates or they're brothers. They've shared a sink.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Right? Right.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So we've already gotten. This is a movie about brothers, Ronan. It's also, of course, about fathers and sons and what we pass on. What were you trying to explore here?

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yeah, it was interesting because the kind of father, son thread of it crept up on us. We kind of realized that Brian had to become a real person and not just this kind of footnote on the periphery of the brothers story. And I think when we first created a scene of him alone in his room, it really opened up his perspective and this sense of the kind of fascination with the mystery of the past life of your parent.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Yeah. You know, after I don't know how long it was before we realized that two fellas in a shed, like, we just couldn't.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

We couldn't.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

It was fair enough with that.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I was thinking, I hope a woman will come in at some point, Right?

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yeah.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

What is the challenge Ronan of. Okay, this is your feature directorial debut. And I imagine it would always be a challenge to direct one's own parent. And oh, by the way, your father is freaking Daniel Day Lewis. What was that like?

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yeah, I mean, I'd sort of been thinking of it in such a kind of low stakes, playful way for so long. Cause of the way the script came together, which was just like us at the kitchen table working on it.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Yeah, y' all wrote the screenplay together?

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yes. Yeah, we wrote the script together, so. But there was a moment, I think, when we first got on set where it did hit me, just the gravity of it, but it felt pretty easy to transition into that.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Daniel Day Lewis, this is your first movie in what, seven or eight years?

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Yes, it is. Yes.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And did your son have to twist your arm to unretire?

[Daniel Day Lewis]

No. I mean, it may seem like that from the outside, but no. If anything, I think it was really my wish to work with Ronan, knowing that I'd decided to work at something else for an unknown period of time. There was a kind of anticipatory sadness in me knowing that Ronan would make films. And I thought, I wonder if we can cook something up just for the pure pleasure of working together.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So let's go to the mystery, the trauma, I guess is a better word. The trauma at the center of this film, which has to do with Northern Ireland. Ray, your character, Daniel, is a former English soldier. He fought there. He carries the legacy of things that happened there that he did. I wondered why Northern Ireland? There have been so many films, so many dramas that have explored the Troubles. What intrigued the two of you about wanting to revisit that history?

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Yeah, no, that's certainly true. I mean, but largely the perspective of stories told about the Troubles have been from the other side of the fence. You know, I grew up with sort of deep attachment to both Britain and to Ireland. I have dual citizenship. I have close friends who were on both sides of that Terrible argument.

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yeah. Like, as my dad was saying, his connection to Ireland. And then also having grown up there from 7 to 13, we learned about the Troubles in school. And I think since then, it's really loomed large in my imagination. And I think it was also important to me that the film is looking at war and human bloodshed from almost like an omniscient perspective.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Well, and I was just looking. Ronan, you were born in 1998.

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yeah.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So you must have no direct memory of before the Good Friday Accord, before the, you know, when the Troubles were very much live.

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Yeah.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

And conversely, over the years, I spent quite a lot of time in the north of Ireland, specifically in Belfast during the Troubles when they're at the very worst. And it felt like a very, very different and a very threatening place. Yeah.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So you're talking about, you know, it matters to have spent time on the ground there to remotely begin to understand this story. Let's go back to where we started and the cabin in the woods where your character has spent a long time away from the public before finally re emerging. It is not lost on me, Daniel Day Lewis, that you're doing something of the same thing, having stay out of the public eye for years. Are you drawing on something personal there? You're known as a method actor.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

No. I'm so glad you asked me that question. I'm delighted to have a chance to respond to it because I think my name is sort of rarely mentioned that the word reclusive or recluse isn't attached to it. And I am not a recluse. I just don't live in the eye of the camera. You know, I mean, if you're not visible publicly, you're deemed to be somehow retired from ordinary everyday life. You very often see that phrase break silence. But all it means is that, you know, I talk to people all the time. I'm just not talking into a microphone, talking to friends and family and working in different ways in different places. So life goes on, and it is absolutely not the life of a recluse.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Well, let me say thank you to both of you. This has been an absolute pleasure.

[Ronan Day Lewis]

Thank you so much.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Oh, for us, too. Thanks for having us.

[Ronan Day Lewis]

So great.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Well, it's the very much not reclusive actor, Daniel Day Lewis.

[Daniel Day Lewis]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And his son, the director, Ronan Day Lewis, speaking with us from our New York bureau about their new movie Anemone. It's out through Focus Features, which we should note is a financial sponsor of npr. This episode was produced by Katherine Fink and Connor Donovan with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Patrick Jaranwadanan. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Thank you to our Consider this Plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and who help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. You can Learn more at plus.NPR.org It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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