Many talented method actors have made lasting impressions on the world of cinema, but none more so than Daniel Day-Lewis. With memorable roles in such films as There Will Be Blood, Lincoln, and My Left Foot, it’s as if he truly disappears into the characters he portrays. But how does he do it?
Like many actors, getting into character often takes resorting to some pretty zany tactics. And wouldn’t you know it, Day-Lewis is no stranger to doing whatever’s necessary to transform into character. Just take these bonkers stories that prove he truly is the craziest actor in Hollywood…
- When Daniel Day-Lewis was cast in the film In The Name of the Father, in which he played Gerry Conlon, a wrongfully convicted Irishman accused and convicted of a bombing, he went to great lengths to transform for the role. Literally…
Not only did he lose upwards of 50 pounds while simultaneously depriving himself of food and water, but he also famously asked film crew members to verbally and physically abuse him. This resulted in them yelling and throwing water at him.
2. If you thought acting was Daniel Day-Lewis’s only talent, you’d be wrong. When one of his characters has a hobby, he takes the time to learn it. That was the case when he played fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock in Phantom Thread…
In order to nail the details of the character, Day-Lewis actually studied how to design clothing. This included learning how to sew, drape, sketch, and lay out the materials. What was even more: he actually recreated a Balenciaga dress all on his own!
- Over his illustrious career, Daniel Day-Lewis has found inspiration for characters in some rather strange places. For instance, in order to transform into the sociopathic Bill the Butcher for Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, he looked to an unlikely source…
He listened to the music of Eminem! Day-Lewis would wake up at five o’clock every morning and listen to the rapper’s tunes—specifically “The Way I Am.” He later explained that it was common for him to bring inspiration from music into his roles.
- If anyone on the set of There Will Be Blood thought their life was going to be a cakewalk around Daniel Day-Lewis, they were in for a rude awakening. After all, it was an intense film—and Day-Lewis was an intense actor. Still, not everyone could handle it…
- If anyone on the set of There Will Be Blood thought their life was going to be a cakewalk around Daniel Day-Lewis, they were in for a rude awakening. After all, it was an intense film—and Day-Lewis was an intense actor. Still, not everyone could handle it…
It was rumored that one of the film’s actors, Kel O’Neill, found Day-Lewis so intimidating on set that he actually quit the project altogether. This led to him being replaced by actor Paul Dano. Yet, Day-Lewis has denied this…
- It’s no secret that Daniel Day-Lewis’s character from There Will Be Blood, Daniel Plainview, was one of the most ruthless to ever appear in film. So it only made sense that when the role called for him to slap co-star Paul Dano in the face…
- It’s no secret that Daniel Day-Lewis’s character from There Will Be Blood, Daniel Plainview, was one of the most ruthless to ever appear in film. So it only made sense that when the role called for him to slap co-star Paul Dano in the face…
Day-Lewis didn’t hold back. As Dano remembered, Day-Lewis slapped him before every take. Not only that, but when the scene escalated, he began dragging Dano by the hair to a pile of mud and rubbing his face in it. Whoa!