Watch: Why Daniel Day-Lewis Returned to Acting After Years-Long HiatusDaniel Day-Lewis' onscreen comeback wasn't an overnight decision. Instead, the three-time Oscar winner-who announced his retirement from acting in 2017-was gradually lured back to his craft while co-writing his new psychological drama Anemone alongside his son Ronan Day-Lewis. "We began with a seed of an idea and that was to work together on something," Daniel, 68, exclusively told E! News at the movie's New York Film Festival premiere in New York City Sept. 28.