Huge star makes shock return to film set after quitting acting

A huge star 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 67-year-old famously delivered an Oscar-nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2017 film Phantom Thread and then withdrew from acting completely.

But he has emerged from retirement and was seen filming a movie entitled Avelyn where Sean is thought to be playing the role of an ex-soldier. 

But can you guess who it is?  

That's right! It's Daniel Day-Lewis!  

While it is not known what role Daniel plays yet - he was seen in a khaki padded jacket and white helmet as he drove Sean around. 

There was a huge group of crew on the street shooting the scenes which looked action packed. 

In June 2017 Daniel revealed that he had quit acting.

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.

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.'

'When I began, it was a question of salvation. Now, I want to explore the world in a different way.'  

Daniel has earned himself a plethora of awards over his illustrious career, including three Academy Awards for Best Actor for his performances in My Left Foot (1989), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012).

The father-of-three is a famously dedicated method actor, and in the role that won him his first Oscar, his acclaimed 1989 performance as Irish writer and cerebral palsy victim Christy Moore in My Left Foot, he reportedly asked the crew to wheel him around in his wheelchair between takes and feed him with a spoon. 

To prepare for his part as the wrongly convicted alleged IRA bomber Gerry Conlon in the film about the Guildford Four, In The Name Of The Father, he spent three nights on meagre prison rations in a freezing cold cell.

Those passing by on the set were instructed to abuse him and throw cold water on him.

One technician, who has twice worked with Day-Lewis, said at the time: 'I have never known anything like it.

'We all had to call him by his character's name, even if we bumped into him in the toilets.

'If he was doing a scene where he was being aggressive or having a fight, he would start getting really angry a few days beforehand, and would be glaring and snarling at people on the set.

'You had to know when to steer well clear of him because he could be pretty terrifying when he was in character. 

And as well as having a successful career under his belt, has been married to fellow actress Rebecca Miller since 1996, and the couple share two sons- Ronan Cal Day-Lewis (born 1998) and Cashel Blake Day-Lewis (born 2002).