In June, Daniel Day Lewis made an unexpected announcement, delivering a brief message through a spokesperson:

‘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.’

In an interview with W magazine, the actor has disclosed the reason behind his unexpected retirement from performing.

The three-time Academy Award winner discussed how his time working on Phantom Thread with director Paul Thomas Anderson influenced his final decision.

“Before making the film, I didn’t know I was going to stop acting,” Day-Lewis admitted. “I do know that Paul and I laughed a lot before we made the movie. And then we stopped laughing because we were both overwhelmed by a sense of sadness. That took us by surprise: we didn’t realize what we had given birth to. It was hard to live with. And still is.”

Day-Lewis has considered retirement in the past, but insists that this time is different. “What has taken over in the past is an illusion of inevitability,” Day-Lewis explained. “But it’s settled on me, and it’s just there. Not wanting to see the film [Phantom Thread] is connected to the decision I’ve made to stop working as an actor. But it’s not why the sadness came to stay. That happened during the telling of the story, and I don’t really know why.”

“I dread to use the overused word ‘artist,’ but there’s something of the responsibility of the artist that hung over me,” he continued. “I need to believe in the value of what I’m doing. The work can seem vital. Irresistible, even. And if an audience believes it, that should be good enough for me. But, lately, it isn’t.”

We’re in for a memorable film if Anderson’s next fashion drama has anywhere like the emotional impact on moviegoers that it had on Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis previously collaborated with Anderson on the Oscar-nominated There Will Be Blood.

He claimed that his announcement of retirement in June was “uncharacteristic” and was a frantic attempt to “draw a line” in order to avoid being drawn back into another project.

“I knew it was uncharacteristic to put out a statement. But I did want to draw a line,” Day-Lewis said of his choice to announce his departure. “I didn’t want to get sucked back into another project. All my life, I’ve mouthed off about how I should stop acting, and I don’t know why it was different this time, but the impulse to quit took root in my, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do.”

Day-Lewis said when asked about his new life as a retired actor. “Do I feel better? Not yet. I have great sadness. And that’s the right way to feel. How strange would it be if this was just a gleeful step into a brand-new life. I’ve been interested in acting since I was 12 years old, and back then, everything other than the theatre – that box of light – was cast in shadow. When I began, it was a question of salvation. Now, I want to explore the world in a different way.”

“Who knows?” Day-Lewis joked when asked about rumors that he would become a fashion designer. ” I won’t know which way to go for a while. But I’m not going to stay idle. I don’t fear the stony silence.”

Phantom Thread will be released on December 25th.