We're still a little bit shocked by Daniel Day-Lewis's announcement that he will be stepping away from the world of acting. No doubt he has his reasons, but it's sad to see someone of his talent walk away. But now that the precedent for actor retirements has been sets, here are a few that could / should step away from Hollywood:
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro is one of the greatest actors of all time. He's been nominated for seven Oscars and has won twice, Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II in 1975 and Best Actor for Raging Bull in 1981. Since the turn of the century, his choice of roles has become increasingly questionable, especially last year's Dirty Grandpa, which was slated by critics and cinemagoers alike. It has been painful to watch the man who once portrayed Travis Bickle reduced to gross out comedy.
While we have high hopes for The Irishman, which will see De Niro reunited with Martin Scorsese and Al Pacino, we wouldn't mind if he retired from acting after that.
Johnny Depp
Once upon a time, Johnny Depp was a well-respected actor, known for fulling committing to his roles. But times have changed and now he's better known for the issues in his personal life and his performances in the Alice in Wonderland and Pirates of the Caribbean films, which have gone from fun to clownish. He'll be hoping to redeem himself in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel, but if not, there's always the option of retirement.
Meryl Streep
Meryl has been nominated for a record 20 Oscars, and has been nominated in every decade since the 70s. She has three wins to her name, and has also won Emmys, BAFTS and an IFTA. There's really not a whole lot left that she hasn't accomplished, unless she decides she wants to go for the EGOT. Since she's still getting prime roles in quality films, she probably isn't considering retirement, but after nearly 40 years in the industry she might be ready for a break. We've seen Streep get political in recent years, maybe she'll venture into the world of political activism.
Harrison Ford
Next month, Harrison Ford will celebrate his 75th birthday. As much as we love seeing the guy on-screen, we can't help but feel he's earned himself a rest. In the past decade he's reprised all three of his most iconic roles, Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Rick Deckard, and found time to squeeze in parts in Anchorman 2, The Expendables 3 and The Age of Adaline. He has an untitled Indiana Jones project lined up for 2020, so maybe he'll take some time off after that. But given his love of flying planes, we can't imagine he'd be the type for a quiet retirement.