Daniel Day-Lewis is back like he never left.

As the Oscar-winning "Lincoln" star, 68, returns with his first movie role in eight years, he told Rolling Stone he did not mean to officially retire from acting — despite announcing his retirement in 2017.

"I never intended to retire, really," he said in the Sept. 10 interview. "I just stopped doing that particular type of work so I could do some other work."

The actor continued: "Apparently, I've been accused of retiring twice now. I never meant to retire from anything! I just wanted to work on something else for a while." Day-Lewis also quipped that looking back, he "would have done well to just keep my mouth shut, for sure."

Day-Lewis, who is widely considered one of the greatest screen actors of all time, officially confirmed his retirement from acting in 2017 ahead of the release of the Paul Thomas Anderson film "Phantom Thread."

At the time, a representative for Day-Lewis confirmed that he would "no longer be working as an actor," adding, "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."

The "There Will Be Blood" actor did remain out of the spotlight for nearly a decade until he announced in 2024 that he would return to star in "Anemone," a film directed by his 27-year-old son, Ronan Day-Lewis.

In the interview with Rolling Stone, Day-Lewis shared that he had a "low-level fear, (an) anxiety about re-engaging with the business of filmmaking" by returning to acting.

"The work was always something I loved," he said. "I never, ever stopped loving the work. But there were aspects of the way of life that went with it that I'd never come to terms with — from the day I started out to today. There's something about that process that left me feeling hollowed out at the end of it."

Day-Lewis added that he thought that by saying he was stepping away from acting, this would prevent him from being enticed back for another film.

"Because I know there'll come a day when I'll be tempted again," he remembered thinking. "But if I've said I'm not doing this, I won't do it." But he joked that his return "just shows I'm not as proud as I like to think I am!"

"Anemone" explores "the intricate relationships between fathers, sons and brothers, and the dynamics of familial bonds," according to Focus Features. Day-Lewis wrote the script alongside his son. Sean Bean and Samantha Morton also star in the movie, which is set to hit theaters Oct. 3.

Prior to his hiatus, Day-Lewis won the Academy Award for best actor three times for "My Left Foot," "There Will Be Blood" and "Lincoln." He also received Oscar nods for "In the Name of the Father," "Gangs of New York" and "Phantom Thread."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daniel Day-Lewis 'never meant' to retire from acting, wishes he kept his 'mouth shut'

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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