Sometimes, actors quit their profession temporarily only to make a comeback after a while. For example, Goodfellas and Casino star Joe Pesci announced his retirement in 1999 but then came back to do a few films since then, including The Irishman. However, a similar comeback is not on the cards for Daniel Day-Lewis, according to his long-time collaborator Jim Sheridan. A recent meeting between Day-Lewis and his Gangs of New York director Martin Scorsese at the 2023 National Board of Review Awards sparked rumours about a collaboration between the two, prompting the actor to make a comeback.

“He says he’s done. I keep talking to him,” said Sheridan in an interview with ScreenDaily. Sheridan directed Day-Lewis in My Left Foot, The Boxer, and In the Name of the Father.

The actor announced his retirement in 2017, many months prior to the Paul Thomas Anderson directorial Phantom Thread. The Anderson film, which earned Day-Lewis a Best Actor Oscar nomination, happened to be the actor's last film.

“Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor,” stated his spokesperson back then. “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."

At the time, the actor said he publicly disclosed his decision to retire from acting to not be "sucked back into another project."