British actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, has officially retired from the business of acting since June earlier this year. When Day-Lewis made his public announcement, he failed to state the exact reason as to why he had decided to do so in an unprecedented manner, especially with his career still ahead of him. That is until recently, wherein Day-Lewis sat down in an interview revealing what had caused him to call it quits with the entertainment industry.
The interview was conducted with W Magazine, wherein Day-Lewis detailed the full story behind his reasons for quitting. As it turns out, the British actor took on the role of Reynolds Woodcock, a couturier from the 1950's who outfitted the British Royal Family for his last film "Phantom Thread." The film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson was the ultimate cause as to why Day-Lewis quit.
It is important to note that during the interview, Day-Lewis did not provide concrete answers to inquiries about his retirement but rather explained them in a depressive tone. He explained the general feeling of what it was like putting himself in the shoes of a "meticulous creative" in Woodcock. However, Day-Lewis revealed that the role put him in a state of depression which finally convinced him to stop acting for good.
"Before making the film, I didn't know I was going to stop acting," said Day-Lewis. To put it simply, this was a conclusion he had drawn while the film was in production.
According to CNN, Day-Lewis once again immersed himself to most effectively play the part of the couturier. He even underwent apprenticeship for the New York City Ballet production to learn how to sew and create complicated period fashion pieces to deeply understand the role of the character. Day-Lewis created a Balenciaga dress from scratch and had his wife, Rebecca Miller, model the dress for him.
"Phantom Thread" is scheduled to come out in theaters on Christmas Day.
