Daniel Day-Lewis made a surprising comeback from his retirement stint to hand Martin Scorsese the Best Director award at the National Board of Review Awards in midtown Manhattan on Thursday night.
Scorsese’s epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” snagged the top honors at the 95th NBR Awards. The film was announced as the Best Film, with Scorsese clinching Best Director and Lily Gladstone taking home Best Actress.
The highlight of the night was the unexpected appearance of Day-Lewis, who stepped away from acting after his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 film “Phantom Thread.” Day-Lewis spent the evening next to Scorsese at Cipriani’s 42nd Street before presenting the Best Director award.
“I was a teenager when I found Martin’s work,” Day-Lewis said. “With a light he created, he showed me unknown worlds full of dangerous and captivating energy – worlds that were mysterious and completely fascinating to me. He illuminated the wide, beautiful possibilities in filmmaking and made clear what one must demand of oneself to work with belief.”
Day-Lewis, known for his roles in Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York” (2002) as well as “The Age of Innocence” (1993), described working with the director as “one of the greatest joys and unexpected privileges of my life.”
Scorsese reciprocated the sentiment when he accepted the award, calling working with Day-Lewis “one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
“Maybe there’s time for one more,” added Scorsese with a grin, leaving the crowd gasping at the possibility. Day-Lewis, standing to the side of the stage, smiled and held out his hands.
The NBR’s charm lies in the pairings of presenters and honorees. Laura Linney reunited with Mark Ruffalo, star of “You Can Count on Me,” with Linney introducing Ruffalo as the Best Supporting Actor. Patti Smith presented Lily Gladstone with the Best Actress award.
The Most Touching Moment of the Evening
The most poignant moment of the night came early on when Michael J. Fox appeared on stage with Davis Guggenheim, the director of the documentary winner “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” The crowd gave Fox a standing ovation before he reflected on how Parkinson’s disease changed his life for the better.
“Parkinson’s has been a gift. It’s been a gift that keeps on taking,” Fox said. “It’s been a gift because it’s given me an audience to talk about what’s possible.”
Bradley Cooper, recipient of the Icon Award for “Maestro,” also paid tribute to Fox, recalling watching “Secret of My Success” and “Family Ties” growing up.
“I felt like he was my friend,” Cooper said.
Although there was little suspense to the ceremony as the awards had been announced earlier, a clue was dropped to one of awards season’s biggest mysteries. French director Justine Triet, honored for Best International Film with “Anatomy of a Fall,” provided a hint for moviegoers debating whether the film’s protagonist, played by Sandra Hüller, was guilty of the murder she is tried for in the film.
“I have one advice: Watch the dog,” Triet said. “He’s an animal. He has instincts. Maybe he knows.”
Early Life, Education, and Retirement
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis entered the world on April 29, 1957, in Kensington, London, as the second child of poet Cecil Day-Lewis (1904–1972) and actress Jill Balcon (1925–2009). His older sister, Tamasin Day-Lewis (born 1953), has made a name for herself as a television chef and food critic.
Cecil Day-Lewis, born in Ballintubbert, County Laois, Ireland, was of Protestant Anglo-Irish descent. He moved to England at the age of two and eventually became the Poet Laureate in 1968.
On the other hand, Day-Lewis’s mother, Jill Balcon, came from a Jewish background, with ancestors who immigrated to England from Latvia and Poland in the late 19th century.
Sir Michael Balcon, Day-Lewis’s maternal grandfather, played a significant role in the British film industry as the head of Ealing Studios, contributing to its development
Sir Michael Balcon’s impact is still recognized today, with the BAFTA for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema awarded annually in his memory.
Daniel Day-Lewis chose to step away from acting between 1997 and 2000. During this time, he took on a distinctive role as an apprentice shoemaker in Italy. Even though he initially returned to acting, he surprised many by announcing his retirement once again in 2017.
