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Daniel Day Lewis made a shock return to a film set on Tuesday after quitting acting in 2017.
With his grey beard, he looked completely unrecognisable as he shot motorbike scenes with actor Sean Bean in Manchester seven years after retiring.
The legendary actor – who starred in Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans – never gave a reason for his exit, with his team insisting it was a ‘private decision’.
However the real reason Daniel has returned from retirement has now been revealed, and it is a sweet family one.
Daniel has made an exception for his director son Ronan, 26, who is currently working on his directorial debut.
The real reason Daniel Day Lewis came out of retirement has been revealed after the star was spotted filming in Manchester this week
The legendary actor has come out of retirement as he makes an exception for his director son Ronan, 26, who is currently working on his directorial debut (Daniel pictured in There Will Be Blood in 2007)
Following in his mother Rebecca Miller’s footsteps to become a film maker, Ronan will be directing his first film titled Anemone.
The father and son duo wrote the screenplay, which is described as an exploration of the relationships between fathers, sons and brothers.
Earlier this week, the father-of-three, who is the only person to have won three Best Actor Oscars, was pictured filming scenes in Manchester for the upcoming movie.
Although Daniel’s role has not been confirmed yet he is rumoured to be playing an ex soldier and was pictured wearing a khaki padded jacket and white helmet as he drove Sean around on a motorbike.
The film will be produced by Focus Features and Plan B and will also star Sean, Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley and Safia Oakley-Green.
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said in a statment: ‘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’
‘They have written a truly exceptional script, and we look forward to bringing their shared vision to audiences alongside the team at Plan B.’
In 2017, Daniel Day Lewis sent shockwaves through Hollywood when he announced he was retiring at the age of 60.
Following in his mother Rebecca Miller’s (R) footsteps to become a film maker, Ronan (middle left) will be directing his first film titled Anemone (pictured with Lena Christakis (R) )
In 2017, Daniel Day Lewis sent shockwaves through Hollywood when he announced he was retiring at the age of 60 (pictured October 2023)
Pictured: Daniel Day Lewis holds up his Oscar after winning Best Actor for My Left Foot in March 1990
The British star, who rocketed to fame in films including Gangs of New York and The Last of the Mohicans, did not reveal the reason behind his retirement at the time.
A statement released to Variety by his spokeswoman confirmed the shock news.
In it, Leslee Dart 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.’
A few months later in an interview with W magazine he acknowledged he felt ‘great sadness’ at the decision but explained he felt compelled to take it.
‘The impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion. It was something I had to do,’ he said.
He went on: ‘Do I feel better? Not yet. I have great sadness. And that’s the right way to feel.’
The star famously delivered an Oscar-nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 film Phantom Thread and then withdrew from acting completely.