"A way of freeing yourself" Anemone star Daniel Day-Lewis speaks out against people who criticize method acting

Screen Talk: Daniel Day Lewis - The 69th BFI London Film Festival - Source: Getty
Screen Talk: Daniel Day Lewis - The 69th BFI London Film Festival - Source: Getty

Daniel Day-Lewis is returning to Hollywood with Anemone, a film he made with son Ronan Day-Lewis, marking an end to his long hiatus from the industry. Oozing with method acting and Lewis' signature eccentricity, the film stars the actor as a hermit Ben Stoker, as his brother sets out to bring him home.

Lewis' method of acting stands out in the film, something he has carried with him in all his roles and endeavors, making it his signature style. In a recent appearance at the London Film Festival, the actor spoke against people who criticize method acting, calling it a way to "free yourself" as you get ready to move into the moment.

“All the recent commentary in the last few years about Method acting is invariably from people who have little or no understanding of what it actually involves. It’s almost as if it’s some specious science that we’re involved in, or a cult. But it’s just a way of freeing yourself so that the spontaneity, when you are working with your colleagues in front of the camera, that you are free to respond in any way that you’ll move to in that moment.”

His statements echo a previous conversation he had with The New York Times earlier this month, where the actor said,

“Of course, there are techniques you can learn, and I know that the Method has become an easy target these days. I’m a little cross these days to hear all kinds of people gobbling off and saying things like ‘gone full Method,’ which I think is meant to imply that a person’s behaving like a lunatic in an extreme fashion.”

Lewis' latest film venture is Anemone, his first film in eight years after Paul Thomas Anderso's Phantom Thread. The actor brings back his charm, and his method of acting to the screen, sparking discussions on his future in Hollywood and if he will continue to star in films.


More details about Anemone

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Anemone marks the return of Daniel Day-Lewis to the screen after eight long years, in a haunting psychological drama that also doubles as a family affair. Directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis, who wrote the script in collaboration with his father, the film is his directorial debut.

The story follows Daniel as Ray Stoker, a reclusive man forced to confront the ghosts of his past when his estranged brother, played by Sean Bean, arrives to bring him home. Samantha Morton joins as Nessa, the family’s weary matriarch, with Samuel Bottomley and Safia Oakley-Green rounding out the cast as Brian and Hattie.

Anemone has received mixed reviews from critics, with the screenplay receiving criticism while Lewis' performance was applauded by many.


Anemone is now in theaters.

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Edited by Nibir Konwar