Daniel Day-Lewis to come out of retirement from acting to star in son’s film
Sir Daniel Day-Lewis is set to come out of his retirement from acting to star in his son’s directorial debut.
The British star is a triple Oscar winner, named best actor for his performances in My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln, widely regarded as one of the greatest stars of his generation.
He announced he was quitting acting after his appearance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 film Phantom Thread, based on the fashion world of 1950s London, for which he was also nominated for the Academy Award.
The actor has won the Oscar for best actor three times – most recently for Lincoln in 2013. Pic: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
The 67-year-old has since largely avoided public life, although did make a suprise appearance at the National Board of Review Awards in January to present US filmmaker Martin Scorsese with a prize.
He also attended a screening of his wife Rebecca Miller’s film, She Came To Me, in New York in 2023.
Now, Sir Daniel is set to star in Anemone, directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, according to US independent production company Focus Features.
The father and son duo wrote the screenplay, which is described as an exploration of the relationships between fathers, sons and brothers, and “the dynamics of familial bonds”.
Sean Bean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley and Safia Oakley-Green will also star in the film, which will be produced by Focus Features and Plan B.
“We could not be more excited to partner with a brilliant visual artist in Ronan Day-Lewis on his first feature film alongside Daniel Day-Lewis as his creative collaborator,” said Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski in a statement.
“They have written a truly exceptional script, and we look forward to bringing their shared vision to audiences alongside the team at Plan B.”
Sir Daniel first starred on screen as a teenager in Sunday Bloody Sunday in 1971, before appearing in several memorable period drama roles.
He is known for playing Hawkeye in Michael Mann’s 1992 epic The Last Of The Mohicans, and was also nominated for Oscars for his performances in Gangs Of New York and In The Name Of The Father.
The star was knighted for his services to drama by Prince William in 2014.
In June 2017, his retirement from acting was announced in a statement given by representative Leslee Dart, who said: “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.”
Sir Daniel is yet to publicly comment on his new role.
The mother of Cassie Ventura has told a court she felt “physically sick” when her daughter told her Sean “Diddy” Combs had threatened to “release two explicit sex tapes” after discovering his long-time girlfriend was dating someone else.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, the seventh day of the trial, Regina Ventura said she did not initially understand the email Cassie sent her in December 2011, saying, “The sex tape threw me, [Diddy] was trying to hurt my daughter.”
The email said Combs was planning to release two explicit videos of her and send someone to hurt her and the man she was seeing, rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.
Regina said the family took out a home equity loan and paid Diddy $20,000 to recoup money he had spent on Cassie “because he demanded it,” angry that Cassie was now dating Cudi.
She said the money was returned days later.
During her evidence, jurors were shown photographs of bruises on Cassie’s body Ms Ventura said were taken when her daughter returned home for Christmas in 2011.
Regina’s time on the stand was fairly brief, as the defence declined the opportunity to question her.
Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi, who dated Cassie in 2011. Pic: Reuters
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial: Day 7 – As it happened
Prosecutors say Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, forced women to take part in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual performances known as “Freak Offs” from 2004 to 2024, facilitated by his large retinue of staff. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty.
The rapper faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs and Cassie pictured in 2015. Pic: Reuters
Last week, the prosecutors’ star witness, Cassie Ventura, who dated Combs for over a decade, spent four days giving evidence.
Combs’s legal team has sought to show jurors that his relationship with Ventura was complicated, and while they acknowledge he was an abusive partner, and had substance issues, they say the sex acts described by the prosecution were consensual.
Read more:
Everything you need to know about the Sean Combs trial
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
‘Diddy wanted our bodies to shine’
A male exotic dancer nicknamed “The Punisher” also gave testimony, telling jurors that in the autumn of 2012, Cassie contacted him asking him to “create a sexy, erotic scene” Diddy, and using the pseudonym “Janet”.
Male exotic dancer Sharay Hayes, aka The Punisher. Pic: Reuters
Sharay Hayes said he went on to have eight to 12 more encounters with the couple, having sex with Cassie, while Diddy watched from a distance.
He described the hotel rooms as routinely being dressed with electric candles and sheet-covered furniture, and says Cassie told him not to “acknowledge” her husband, and to “try not to look at him and no communication”.
He says Diddy would often wear a cap, and he could not see his face, but he later realised it was the famous rapper.
“The Punisher” mentioned using a “considerable amount of baby oil” during the performances, saying “[Diddy] wanted us to keep our bodies covered, to shine”.
He later described the acts as “a fetish type thing,” and while he said he believed Cassie was fully consensual, he also said he “did occasionally see her sigh or wince” and said she would frequently look at Diddy “for cues”.
Paid between $1,200 (£900) and $2,000 (£1.500) for each performance, he said he was not called back after struggling to get an erection during one encounter.
He said he never saw Diddy use drugs or saw filming during any of the performances.
Car park dispute with Suge Knight
David James, Diddy’s ex-personal assistant, also completed his evidence and testified that he never saw physical violence between Cassie and his former boss.
David James, Combs’s former assistant. Pic: Reuters
James, who worked for Diddy for two years, said he left Diddy’s employment after he realised his “life was in danger” following a dispute in a car park with rival record label owner Suge Knight, which culminated in Diddy bringing three handguns to try to find Knight and his entourage.
He also detailed an altercation between Diddy and his personal chef, Jourdan Atkinson, and said he refused to file a police report after Diddy told him to say “Chef Jourdan hit him first”.
The final person to give evidence was a special agent responsible for planning the March 2024 raids on Combs’s Miami home on Star Island.
Steve Gannon showed photos of items taken during the raid, including sex toys, high heels and loaded guns, and explained how an armoured vehicle was used to break down the mansion’s front gate to gain entry while the family was away on a trip.
Combs has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since September and faces at least 15 years or possibly life in prison if convicted.
The trial is set to last for around two months.
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