daniel day lewis s

8/13/2019 Daniel Day Lewis s

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IN 1976, WHEN HE WAS 19, Daniel Day-Lewis, who is British and was trained

in the grand theatrial tradition o! Sha"es#eare and the lassis, saw $%a&i

Dri'er( and, des#ite the onsidera)le weight and see*ing o)ligation o! his

heritage, reali+ed that what he longed to )e was an A*erian ator $It was a

real ill*ination,( Day-Lewis told *e late in Agst as he sat at the rogh

wood dining ta)le o! a d#le& a#art*ent in downtown .anhattan, where heand his wi!e, /e)ea .iller, and their two )oys stay when in New 0or" $I saw

%a&i Dri'er2 !i'e or si& ti*es in the !irst wee", and I was astonished )y its

sheer 'iseral )eaty I 3st "e#t going )a" 4 I didn2t "now A*eria, )t that

was a gli*#se o! what A*eria *ight )e, and I reali+ed that, ontrary to

eetation, I wanted to tell A*erian stories( It was raining hard otside,

and Day-Lewis, who has the loo" o! an elegant 'aga)ond, was wearing

lothes see*ingly hosen *any years ago !or their tility and s)tle details

His loose deni* 3eans were worn so!t and white )y se and the one-'i)rant

red #laid o! his shirt had aged into a war* *aroon Day-Lewis is tall and lean

and has tattoos irling his lower ar*s and the #er*anently in"ed hand#rints

o! his and .iller2s two sons li*)ing # his )ody to his sholders %here were

gold loo#s in eah earlo)e, and althogh he had le!t his strdy, )eat-#

leather wor" )oots otside the !ront door and was #adding arond in his

so"s, Day-Lewis still had a "ind-o!-3anty #or"#ie hat on his head %he hat

o'ered his long )la" hair and set o!! the ontors o! his !ae, whih is

do*inated )y his no)le, )ashed nose

5illian Edelstein

Daniel Day-Lewis in the rgged solitde o! Lggala, Ireland

/elated

Daniel Day-Lewis2s All-%i*e %o# Westerns No'e*)er 1, 87

%he :ld Warrior No'e*)er 1, 87

%o# and enter; ara*ont ?antage A)o'e; .elinda Se

@ordon=>ara*ont ?antage

Digging Dee#ly In his !ortho*ing !il* $%here Will Be Blood,( Day-Lewis


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see"s !ortne, glory and oil in trn-o!-the-entry ali!ornia

$Where I o*e !ro*, it was a heresy to say yo wanted to )e in *o'ies, lea'e

alone A*erian *o'ies,( Day-Lewis ontined, as he ate a hi"en-salad

sandwih $We were all enoraged to )elie'e that the lassis o! the theater

were the !iery hoo#s throgh whih yo2d ha'e to #ass i! yo were going toha'e any sel!-estee* as a #er!or*er It ne'er orred to *e that that was

the ase :ne o! the great #ri'ileges o! ha'ing grown # in a *iddle-lass

literary English hosehold, )t ha'ing gone to shool in the !ront lines in

Sotheast London, was that I )ea*e hal!-street-rhin and hal!-good-)oy at

ho*e I "new that dihoto*y was #ossi)le England is o)sessed with where

yo a*e !ro*, and they are deter*ined to "ee# yo in that #lae, )e it in a

drawing roo* or in the gtter %he great tradition o! li)eralis* in England is

essentially a s#onge that a)sor)s all #ossi)ility o! hange A*eria loo"ed

di!!erent to *e; the idea o! A*eria as a #lae o! in!inite #ossi)ilities was

de!ined !or *e throgh the *o'ies I2* glad I did the lassial wor" that I did,

)t it 3st wasn2t !or *e I2* a little )it #er'erse, and I 3st hate doing thething that2s the *ost o)'ios(

Day-Lewis laghed and dran" so*e gra#e!rit 3ie While he *ay a##ear a

)it rogh, his de*eanor is ortly 0o ha'e to #ossess so*ething tterly to

#sh it away, and whether it2s his e&tre*e good loo"s, whih he o)sres

)eneath the tra##ings o! a )ohe*ian #irate, or his ltred )a"grond,

whih he dis#arages, Day-Lewis has an intense attration to the o##osite o!

whate'er he a*e )y easily He is #artilarly o*#elled )y the idea o!

s#ontaneity, )t there is nothing slo##y or ha#ha+ard a)ot hi*, and thatlends Day-Lewis, des#ite his areworn lothes, a ality o! grae He is *ost

'ol)le and #assionate on the s)3et o! !il* He lo'es e'en )ad *o'ies and

li"es to analy+e the wor" o! ators #ast and #resent Day-Lewis re'eres the

greats 4 Brando, DeNiro 4 )t he is intriged )y all "inds o! #er!or*anes

He disli"es 5ohn Wayne, lo'es @ary oo#er, #re!ers the 5i**y Stewart o!

a#ra2s lassi #itres to the Stewart o! Anthony .ann2s westerns and is

!asinated )y lint Eastwood $I sed to go to all-night sreenings o! his

*o'ies,( Day-Lewis realled $I2d stagger ot at C in the *orning, trying to )e

loose-li*)ed and *ean and taitrn( He #ased $.y lo'e !or A*erian

*o'ies was li"e a seret that I arried arond with *e I always "new I oldstraddle di!!erent worlds I2d grown # in two di!!erent worlds and i! yo an

grow # in two di!!erent worlds, yo an o#y !or :r si& Why #t a li*it

on it(

Sine 1998, when he de!tly na'igated two identities as Haw"eye, the heroi


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white !rontiers*an raised as a Nati'e A*erian, in $Last o! the .ohians,(

Day-Lewis has #layed *any A*erians I! .artin Sorsese, who is, o! orse,

the diretor o! $%a&i Dri'er,( had not )een the one to a##roah hi* a)ot the

role o! the 'agely Eroentri Newland Arher in $%he Age o! Innoene,( he

wold ha'e trned it down $%oo English,( Day-Lewis elained $I was ho#ing

he2d as" *e to do so*ething *ore rogh-and-t*)le( When Sorsese did,with $@angs o! New 0or",( in 8, Day-Lewis thrilled to the hane to #lay

Bill the Bther, a 'iolent "ing o! the ity In his latest !il*, $%here Will Be

Blood,( whih o#ens ne&t *onth and was written and direted )y >al

%ho*as Anderson, Day-Lewis #ortrays a *an who is searhing !or his !ortne

in oil in trn-o!-the-entry ali!ornia %he harater is loosely )ased on

Edward Doheny, who started ot as an itinerant #ros#etor loo"ing !or gold

and sil'er and )ea*e the *illionaire who headed the >an A*erian

>etrole* and %rans#ort o*#any $%here Will Be Blood( is a)ot the lre o!

the West, the into&iating sense o! !reedo* and o##ortnity that an )e

!ond in new lands and the osts o! hge and sdden sess %here are

shades o! rrent #olitis in the !il* 4 the oil and the greed still resonate 4

)t it is, *ostly, a $iti+en ane(-ese harater stdy a)ot the orr#ting

desire !or #ower and rihes %he tale it tells is, in *any ways, a story a)ot

what is right, and wrong, with A*eria

$I was dee#ly nsettled )y the sri#t,( Day-Lewis said $


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>art o! Day-Lewis2s hesitation o*es !ro* the "nowledge that his *ethod o!

wor"ing de*ands near-total i**ersion in the li!e o! his harater Des#ite the

!at that he is the *ost eloent o! *en, a)le to s#ea" e&te*#oraneosly in

!lowing #aragra#hs withot the se o! olloialis*s, he is nwilling toeose the *ehanis o! his ating #roess $It2s not that I want to #ll the

shtters down,( Day-Lewis said, as he !inished his sandwih $It2s 3st that

#eo#le ha'e sh a *isone#tion a)ot what it is I do %hey thin" the

harater o*es !ro* staying in the wheelhair or )eing lo"ed in the 3ail or

whate'er e&tra'agant thing they hoose to !os their !antasies on

So*ehow, it always see*s to ha'e a sel!-!lagellatory as#et to it Bt that2s

3st the s#er!iial st!! .ost o! the *o'ies that I do are leading *e toward a

li!e that is tterly *ysterios to *e .y hie! goal is to !ind a way to *a"e

that li!e *eaning!l to other #eo#le(

As a teenager, Day-Lewis stdied woodwor"ing and, tre to the di'ide in his

natre, he wanted to )eo*e a ra!ts*an 4 a *a"er, rather than a designer,

o! !rnitre He en3oyed the tools, the wor"sho#, the onstrtion Be!ore he

a##lied to theater shool, the Bristol :ld ?i $I #i"ed 3st one )ease then

it wold )e a sign !ro* the gods i! it was not *eant to )e,( Day-Lewis

elained, he a##lied !or an a##rentieshi# with a well-"nown a)inet*a"er

When he was ae#ted at dra*a shool, he o**itted hi*sel! !lly to ating,

)t Day-Lewis ne'er ga'e # his interest in the #roess o! honing a s"ill


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Innoene,( is all 3st a #reli*inary iniry into what, !inally, e*erges on

sreen, !lly drawn %hose details, howe'er interesting, are li"e *ood lighting

4 they set the stage !or sedtion, )t they do not elain how Day-Lewis

*elds with the haraters he on3res

$%his wor" reires an nsal o*)ination o! alities,( Day-Lewis said He

#i"ed # a olander !ll o! washed herries and headed into a s*all o+y

den o!! the large retanglar li'ing roo* %he a#art*ent was s#arsely

deorated with o*!orta)le hairs and a well-worn #ale )le so!a %he oh

was #iled with !olded )edding 4 his yonger son, ashel, had le!t his )ed

#stairs and sle#t there $He wanted to )e nearer to s,( Day-Lewis

re*ar"ed %here was a large, #er!etly reali+ed *odel sail)oat #laed on a

low ta)le $%hat was a gi!t !ro* /e)ea,( Day-Lewis said $:ne o! the !ew

things I did with *y dad was sail a )oat in the rond #ond at Hyde >ar"( A

)eati!l )leahed-wood grand!ather lo" stood against the "ithen wall,and a large #ainting o! a 'i'id garden hng in the entry to the *aster

)edroo* $I did that one,( Day-Lewis said, as he sat on a low des" hair

Strewn on the !loor arond hi* were se'eral *otoryle *aga+ines; one o!

Day-Lewis2s #assions is .oto@>, the o*#etiti'e )i"e torna*ent, whih is

#o#lar e'erywhere althogh so*ewhat less so in A*eria %his s**er,

he )orrowed a @S/ 1 )i"e and rode at 18 *#h !ro* Los Angeles to

Lagna Sea to heer on his hero, the legendary ha*#ion ?alentino /ossi

When Day-Lewis s#o"e a)ot /ossi, it was in the sa*e adlatory tones he

reser'ed !or De Niro, Brando and .ontgo*ery li!t $I2* a gro#ie,( he said

$/ossi is a genis %here are so*e #arallels )etween what he does and whatthose ators do 4 his wor" reires )oth a great deal o! disi#line and a

wildness o! s#irit With ating, there is always that intangi)le as#et that goes

)eyond the #ratial !ra*ewor" Brando had that 4 the !reedo* that he had

was *ore the instinti'e !reedo* o! an ani*al at ti*es than a h*an And

De Niro %he world he o!!ered in his #er!or*anes had a #al#a)le h*anity I

was tterly sre that he was that *an in %a&i Dri'er2 I ha'e no idea )y what

*eans he arri'ed at that )t, I dare say, at so*e #oint, he on'ined hi*sel!

that he was that *an too(

>art o! what Day-Lewis ad*ires so *h a)ot A*erian *o'ies is their la"

o! insistene on the "ind o! )rilliant dialoge that harateri+es *h o! the

theater He dis#arages the idea o! le'er tal", or the British gi!t !or langage

Day-Lewis )ristled when I *entioned, ad*iringly, that he was so artilate $I

a* *ore greatly *o'ed )y #eo#le who strggle to eress the*sel'es,( he

said, sonding a little *isnderstood $.ay)e it2s a *iddle-lass British hang-

#, )t I #re!er the a)strat one#t o! inoherene in the !ae o! great


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!eeling to )eati!l, !ll sentenes that on'ey little e*otion(

Day-Lewis #ased and ate a !ew herries $It was always ass*ed that the

lassis were a good line o! wor" !or *e )ease I had a deent 'oie and the

right nose Bt any)ody who o*es !ro* an essentially ynial Ero#ean

soiety is going to )e )ewithed )y the sheer enthsias* o! the New World

And in A*eria, the artilate se o! langage is o!ten regarded with

ss#iion Es#eially in the West Loo" at the #resident He old tal" li"e an

edated New Englander i! he hose to Instead, he holds his hands li"e a

*an who swings an a& Bsh nderstands, 'ery asttely, that *any o! the

#eo#le who are going to 'ote !or hi* wold regard hi* less highly i! he "new

how to #t words together He wold no longer )e one o! the* In Ero#e, the

tradition is one o! oratory Bt in A*eria, a *an2s *an is ne'er s#endthri!t

with words( Day-Lewis s*iled $%his, o! orse, is *h *ore a##ealing in

the *o'ies than it is in #olitis(

WHEN DANIEL DA0-LEWIS agreed to star in $%here Will Be Blood,( the writer-

diretor >al %ho*as Anderson sggested he wath a n*)er o! !il*s,

inlding $%he %reasre o! the Sierra .adre,( whih is a "ind o! e&istential

western %he 19JG !il*, whih stars H*#hrey Bogart, !ollows three

A*erians as they hnt !or gold and !ind wealth in .e&io Li"e *any

westerns, the *o'ie is *oralisti at heart; the harater o! the *en is tested

)y their sdden good !ortne and, to ote !ro* the !il*2s diretor 5ohn

Hston, they $stew in their own 3ie(

$It2s *y !a'orite *o'ie,( Anderson told *e one a!ternoon in early :to)er

%he writer-diretor o! $Boogie Nights( and $>nh Drn" Lo'e,( a*ong other

!il*s, Anderson has always see*ed interested in how !ate intersets with

harater, es#eially in the o#enness o! ali!ornia $All o! li!e2s estions and

answers are in %he %reasre o! Sierra .adre,2 ( he said $It2s a)ot greed and

a*)ition and #aranoia and loo"ing at the worst #arts o! yorsel! When I was

writing %here Will Be Blood,2 I wold #t %he %reasre o! the Sierra .adre2 on

)e!ore I went to )ed at night, 3st to !all aslee# to it(

Anderson )egan writing the sri#t when he a*e aross the *"ra"ing

no'el $:il( )y K#ton Sinlair, in a )oo"store in London $I was ho*esi",( he

realled, $and the )oo" had a #ainting o! ali!ornia on the o'er( He ended

# ada#ting only the !irst 1C #ages o! $:il( whose *ain harater was a


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o*#osite o! *any *en, a*ong the* Edward Doheny $A!ter a !ew tri#s to

Ba"ers!ield, where they ha'e *se*s de'oted to the early oil*en, I started

to get a sense o! the !il* %he *se*s are largely trailers with a lot o! oil

ei#*ent lying arond the yard Ba" in the day, enogh #eo#le had

a*eras, and they too" a lot o! #itres :il !ields were an interesting thing to

#hotogra#h, and that researh *ade it easy to #t the #iees o! their ti*estogether(

%he *o'ie onentrates on the !inanial asent and s#irital deline o! a

Doheny-li"e !igre $Doheny set ot !ro* the East oast at the tail end o! the

wild, wild West,( Anderson ontined $.en !ro* all o'er the ontry were

o*ing ot to the New .e&io territory to *a"e their !ortne And they

started loo"ing !or oil sing *any o! the sa*e tehnies that they had sed

to loo" !or sil'er( Day-Lewis was str" )y their +eal $I read a lot o!

orres#ondene dating !ro* that #eriod,( he told *e in his a#art*ent$Deent *iddle-lass li'es with wi'es and hildren were a)andoned to #rse

this elsi'e #ossi)ility %hey were )an" ler"s and shi##ing agents and

teahers %hey all !led West !or a sni!! o! hea# *oney And they *ade it #

as they went along No one "new how to drill !or oil Initially, they soo#ed it

ot o! the grond in sae#ans It was *an at his *ost ani*alisti, si!ting

throgh !ilth to !ind )right, s#ar"ly things(

$%here Will )e Blood( #resents a intessentially A*erian story o! *ani!est

destiny twinned with the lessons o! a #ara)le $Ba" then,( Day-Lewis said,$*en wold get the !e'er %hey wold "ee# digging, always with the idea that

ne&t ti*e they2ll throw the die and the *oney will !all ot o! the s"y It "illed

a lot o! *en, it )ro"e others, still *ore were reded to des#air and #o'erty,

)t they still )elie'ed in the #ro*ise o! the West( In the *o'ie wor" he

hooses to ae#t, Day-Lewis is o!ten drawn to the #sh-#ll o! a*)itios

drea*s and their onseenes, as re!leted in a "ind o! !rontiers*an Daniel

>lain'iew, in $%here Will Be Blood,( is in ertain ways a rdled 'ersion o! the

*an #laying hi*; the !e'er an gri# an ator too

It was di!!ilt to raise the *oney !or $%here Will Be Blood,( whih ga'e Day-

Lewis al*ost two years to #re#are !or the role He s#ent nearly all that ti*e

in Ireland, where he and his !a*ily li'e !or *h o! the year in a ho*e in the

ontryside otside D)lin $I li"e to learn a)ot things,( Day-Lewis said $It

was 3st a great ti*e trying to onei'e o! the i*#ossi)ility o! that thing I

didn2t "now anything a)ot *ining at the trn o! the entry in A*eria .y


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)oarding shool in ent didn2t e&atly teah that(

When !il*ing started in 5ne 86 on a ranh in .ar!a, %e&, Day-Lewis

arri'ed in the harater o! Daniel >lain'iew Anderson tried to shoot the sri#t

in seene and *ost o! the sets with the nota)le e&e#tion o! the real

Doheny *ansion, whih has an in-hose )owling alley and whih is loated in

Be'erly Hills were within the on!ines o! the 'ast ranh $%he ranh,( Day-

Lewis realled, $allowed yo to ha'e the illsion o! an ad'entre that2s

shared to the e&lsion o! all other things and #eo#le We were drilling !or oil,

and that was that(

Hal!way throgh the 6-day shoot, Anderson reali+ed that the seond lead

ator, who #lays >lain'iew2s ne*esis, was not strong enogh He was

re#laed )y the 'ersatile yong ator >al Dano, )t three wee"s o! senes

with Day-Lewis needed to )e reshot Dring $@angs o! New 0or",( Day-Lewis

wold stay in harater and deli)erately glare at his o-star, Leonardo

Dia#rio, *irroring the ontentios dyna*i that these *en had in the !il*

While Dia#rio withstood the #ressre and Dano thri'ed on it there are

re#orts that the !irst ator s!!ered !ro* inti*idation $It 3st wasn2t the right

!it,( Anderson elained di#lo*atially

$In the )eginning on %here Will Be Blood,2 ( Day-Lewis realled, $we were

strggling( He loo"ed al*ost glee!l $It2s always what doesn2t wor" that is

*ost se!l( :! orse, this sonds *ore li"e a Brit than an A*erian

%here2s a s)tlety in Day-Lewis2s #er!or*ane in this *o'ie that *ay ste*

!ro* his otsiderness He grew # on Sha"es#eare, not westerns, and as a

reslt, he is not stee#ed in lihs a)ot oil )arons, #ros#etors and their il"

Knli"e an A*erian ator who *ight ha'e a##roahed the #ro3et with )ig

arhety#es in *ind, Day-Lewis in'ented the harater Whih is *ore or less

what the West has always allowed

:N AN KNKSKALL0 WA/. and )right day in Se#te*)er, Day-Lewis was

dri'ing his )la", )eat-# B.W throgh the narrow ontry roads in the

gorgeos, nde'elo#ed tree-o'ered *ontains soth o! D)lin We too" a

rossroad alled Sally @a#, heading # a stee# li*) toward a s#ot alled

Lggala, where the 'iew, Day-Lewis hinted, wold, in so*e !nda*ental way,

elain all that he lo'ed a)ot this ontry He )egan 'isiting Ireland with his

!ather, eil Day-Lewis, the #oet lareate o! England, when he was J eil,


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li"e Daniel, o#ied *any worlds; he was )orn in Ireland, and e'ery

s**er, Daniel and his older sister, %a*asin, were ta"en to li'e in ontry

inns along its western oast $It was glorios,( Day-Lewis said He was

wearing a )rgndy ordroy shirt, #ants in a !aded *stard he" and a

)elted oli'e green rain 3a"et that was so weather)eaten the thi" otton had

so!tened to sede He learly lo'ed the road and was an e&ellent dri'er$oe*s,( whih ndersored his anestral ties to the ontry

When Daniel was )orn, his !ather annoned his )irth )y #)lishing a #oe*

entitled $%he New)orn( In #art, it reads; $We ti*e-worn !ol" renew=:rsel'es

at yor enhanted s#ring,=As thogh *an"ind2s )egn=Again in yo=%his is

yor )irthday and or than"sgi'ing(

At the ti*e o! Daniel2s )irth, eil Day-Lewis was CM He had wor"ed as atranslator and had written #l# no'els nder an alias :ne, $%he S*iler With

the ni!e,( a s#y thriller with a #olitial the*e, was ada#ted !or the *o'ies )y

:rson Welles, )t the !il* was ne'er *ade eil Day-Lewis was a

o**nist in his Ms and was lose to W H Aden and Ste#hen S#ender

Daniel2s *other, 5ill Balon, was his !ather2s seond wi!e and an atress

whose !ather, Sir .ihael Balon, was the head o! Ealing Stdios, one o!

England2s #redo*inant !il* stdios eil, li"e a good soialist, sent Daniel to

a #)li shool in Soth London rather than a #osh aade*y When his

#arents reali+ed that Daniel was not )eing #ro#erly edated, they enrolled

hi* in )oarding shool, where he was *isera)le eo#le

who delight in on'ersation are o!ten sing that as a *eans to not say what


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is on their *inds When I )ea*e interested in theater, the wor" I ad*ired

was )eing done )y wor"ing-lass writers It was o!ten a)ot the inartilate I

later saw that sa*e thing in De Niro2s early wor" 4 it was the *ost s)li*e

strggle o! a *an trying to eress hi*sel! %here was sh #oetry in that !or

*e(

When he was in his early teens, Day-Lewis #er!or*ed a one-)oy 'ersion o!

Harold >inter2s $D*) Waiter,( and he was an e&tra in the !il* $Snday

Bloody Snday( $I was 3st a loal "id,( he said, as he whi++ed #ast a )sload

o! torists ot to see the ontryside $I got to o*e ot o! the hrh, the

sa*e hrh where I sang in the hoir, and srath # a row o! ars 4 a 5ag,

a Bentley 4 #ar"ed in !ront I thoght, I get #aid !or this 0ears later, I saw

the diretor, 5ohn Shlesinger, at the Edin)rgh !esti'al, where we were

showing .y Beati!l Landrette2 I #lay a hooligan #n" in that too I said to

Shlesinger, I gess I ha'en2t #rogressed *h(

In 197C, he re'ised his #er!or*ane in $%he D*) Waiter( and aditioned !or

the Bristol theater shool $I thoght *y heart wold )rea" i! I didn2t get in,(

he told *e At shool, Day-Lewis i**ediately )ristled at )eing )o&ed into the

lassis $:ne teaher was always trying to throw a loa" arond *e( )t

too" re!ge in the wor" o! Barrie ee!e, a %hather-era #laywright, who wrote

'i'id dis#athes !ro* wor"ing-lass li!e

Day-Lewis also stdied a !or* o! ating rooted in the Stanisla's"y Syste* $It

was li"e ha##ening on to#ia,( he said, as we ontined # the *ontain

$%he thing that Stanisla's"y lays ot is how yo do the thing the !irst ti*e

e'ery ti*e 4 1, ti*es %hat2s the idea yo2re always searhing !or( Sir

Larene :li'ier !a*osly dis*issed Stanisla's"y2s teahingsF the tehnie

was *h *ore ae#ted )y A*erian ators $:li'ier *ight ha'e )een a

*h )etter ator on !il* i! he hadn2t had that !li##ant attitde,( Day-Lewis

said with annoyane $:li'ier was a re*ar"a)le ator, )t he was entirely

*issing the #oint onsistently He !elt that !il* was an in!erior !or*( Day-

Lewis #ased $


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dead( Day-Lewis #ased $I2'e *anaged to reate a sense o! )anish*ent in

so *any di!!erent areas o! *y li!e I li'e in Ireland, not England I *a"e !il*s

in A*eria And now I2* )anished !ro* the theater )ease I2'e slagged it o!!

so *h And I did the ns#ea"a)le thing o! !leeing !ro* Ha*let2 (

His 'oie trailed o!! %he last ti*e he was onstage was dring a 19G9

#rodtion o! $Ha*let( at the National %heatre in London Day-Lewis had

already )egn a##earing in !il*s, and $.y Le!t


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#ro#er attire ha'e )een o*ing here,2 ( Day-Lewis realled $ I ho#e yo2re

not going to lower the tone2 ( He laghed at the *e*ory %here is so*ething

a)ot Ireland that reassres and )olsters his re)ellios s#irit In England,

#erha#s he !eared he wold )e selhed, *ade ordinary, old He

intentionally hose to #lay the #riggish, sno))ish eil ?yse in $A /oo* With

A ?iew,( he said, in order to $nderstand what it is to )e that *an andthere)y a'oid the #ossi)ility o! e'er )eo*ing hi*( And that sealed it 4 he

too" his areer to Ireland and A*eria

Dring the *a"ing o! $.y Le!t


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Dalai La*a Bt the relationshi# with Ad3ani was t*ltosF @a)riel li'es

with his *other, and Day-Lewis did not s#ea" to *e a)ot hi* He is learly

de'oted to his two yong sons with .iller He re#eatedly *ar'eled at their

a)ilities; /onan who is 9 draws )eati!lly and has a de'astating right ross

#nhF ashel who is C has a #otent i*aginationF they )oth lo'ed %e&as,

and eah #er!eted their !ather2s aent in $%here Will )e Blood(

Be!ore his *arriage to .iller and the )irth o! their hildren, Day-Lewis wold

ati'ely try to re*o'e hi*sel! !ro* what was !a*iliar, going where'er his

wor" or harater too" hi* With the role o! hristy Brown in $.y Le!t laying the #art o! hristy Brown le!t *e with a sense

o! setting *ysel! on a orse, o! trying to ahie'e so*ething that was tterly

ot o! reah(

He e'entally *ade two *ore Irish !il*s with 5i* Sheridan, the diretor o!

$.y Le!t


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swi!t, )ease the energy yo ha'e is onentrated and an )e !leeting %he

great *ahinery o! !il* an wor" against that I ha'e ne'er had a #ositi'e

reation to all the st!! that s##osedly #ro*otes the !il* %he thoght o! it

will *a"e *e hesitate to do any !il*s at all(

And yet, there were those he yearned to wor" with Day-Lewis *et .artin

Sorsese when the diretor was #lanning to diret $Shindler2s List( $I

thoght that wold )e so*ething 'ery interesting to do,( Day-Lewis said, as

he #ored a # o! tea !or *e $Bt then the #ro3et went to S#iel)erg When

I *et .artin at the Be'erly Wilshire Hotel, I wanted to #i" hi* # and ddle

hi* He is a *ighty *an, and when he as"s yo to do so*ething, yo want to

do it I was strggling to esa#e !ro* English drawing roo*s, )t )ease o!

.artin, I ae#ted the role in %he Age o! Innoene2 (

In 1996, he *et /e)ea .iller a!ter he o*#leted the !il* 'ersion o! $%he

ri)le,( whih was )ased on the #lay written )y her !ather, Arthr .iller

Althogh she had wor"ed as an atress, .iller, who is tall with dar" hair and

)right )le eyes, had 3st written and direted her !irst !eatre !il*; $Angela,(

the story o! a tro)led yong girl .iller has a iet, intense only-girl-a*ong-

the-gys ality She and Day-Lewis, )oth hildren o! renowned writers, ha'e,

in *any ways, a shared #ast %hey also share a !asination with !il* they

wrote a o*edy together /eently, Day-Lewis and .iller attended a

sreening o! a do*entary a)ot a Laotian who i**igrated to the Knited

States a!ter the o**nist ta"eo'er o! his ontry in the 27s Ellen ras,who was the ine*atogra#her on .iller2s !irst !il*, $%he Ballad o! 5a" and

/ose,( was one o! the diretors At the end o! the !il*, Day-Lewis see*ed

#artilarly *o'ed )y the losses the *an and his !a*ily endred Al*ost

instinti'ely, .iller ran her hand throgh his hair It was a gestre o!

o*radeshi#, as well as "indness

A!ter the )irth o! their hildren, Day-Lewis see*ed in no hrry to go )a" to

wor"


15/16

%here Will Be Blood,2 I wondered why I had said yes When .artin told *e

a)ot Bill the Bther in @angs o! New 0or",2 I wanted to hange #laes with

that *an Bt e'en then, I did not say yes right away I "e#t thin"ing, I2* not

sre I an do this again(

Bease o! his o**it*ent to a harater, Day-Lewis has a 'ery di!!ilt ti*e

disengaging !ro* a #art $%here2s a terri)le sadness,( he told *e $%he last

day o! shooting is srreal 0or *ind, yor )ody, yor s#irit are not in any way

#re#ared to ae#t that this eeriene is o*ing to an end In the *onths

that !ollow the !inish o! a !il*, yo !eel #ro!ond e*#tiness 0o2'e de'oted

so *h o! yor ti*e to nleashing, in an nonsios way, so*e sort o!

s#irital tr*oil, and e'en i! it2s no*!orta)le, no #art o! yo wishes to

lea'e that harater )ehind %he sense o! )erea'e*ent is sh that it an

ta"e years )e!ore yo an #t it to rest(

Sine he o!ten a)sents hi*sel! !ro* the *o'ies !or years, the )elie! #ersists

that Day-Lewis is indi!!erent or not o*#letely o**itted to re*aining an

ator $%hat is an a*a+ing *isone#tion,( >al %ho*as Anderson told *e

$Daniel lo'es ating so *h that it )eo*es a est !or #er!etion >eo#le

don2t "now how Daniel an do this 3o) the way that he does it, and *y !eeling

is, I 3st an2t nderstand how anyone old do it any other way(

Strangely, Day-Lewis has only in!reently #layed *en o! the #resent day

Be!ore he *et .iller, she as"ed hi* to star in $%he Ballad o! 5a" and /ose,(

)t he trned it down In 8J, he agreed So*ething a)ot #laying a dying

*an who has a nearly inestos relationshi# with his 16-year-old daghter

and the !at that his wi!e was the diretor engaged hi* While *a"ing the

!il* on >rine Edward Island, Day-Lewis li'ed a#art !ro* .iller and their

hildren, dring the wee", in a little ht on the )eah $I was, as always, wary

o! ta"ing on the role,( Day-Lewis realled $%his was a *an whose sol was

torn, and one yo2'e ado#ted that "ind o! internal on!lit, it2s di!!ilt to

iet(

We !inished or tea and headed ot into the large garden otside the hotel In

so*e ways, li"e *any o! Day-Lewis2s !il*s, $%he Ballad o! 5a" and /ose( was

another !il* a)ot the attration o! the West 5a" Sla'in, Day-Lewis2s

harater, is a Sots*an who le!t his ontry in the 26s to !orge a new

identity in the #ossi)ly to#ian wilds o! A*eria $%he West has always )een


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daniel day lewis s

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