Daniel Day-Lewis got in the ring to spar for The Boxer, had the cast/crew call him “Mr. President” for Lincoln and stitched a Balenciaga dress for Phantom Thread. In short, Daniel Day-Lewis knows his method acting. But in his case, it has always been designed to enhance the performance, not torment others ala Jared Leto.
On the matter of method acting, Daniel Day-Lewis recently told The New York Times that the process has come to be perceived as a negative form, with some using it as an excuse to label actors as loose cannons – or for said actors to behave as such. “I don’t really like thinking of acting in terms of craft at all. Of course, there are techniques you can learn, and I know that the Method has become an easy target these days. I’m a little cross these days to hear all kinds of people gobbling off and saying things like “gone full Method,” which I think is meant to imply that a person’s behaving like a lunatic in an extreme fashion. Everyone tends to focus on the less important details of the work, and those details always seem to involve some sort of self-flagellation or an experience that imposes upon oneself a severe discomfort or mental instability. But of course, in the life of an actor, it has to principally be about the internal work.” In other words, aspiring actors shouldn’t make a habit of flaunting dead pigs and sending co-stars used condoms…
Even his son Ronan Day-Lewis – who is directing dad Daniel in his return, Anemone – encountered the three-time Oscar winner’s method acting to a degree, finding himself calling him by his character’s name on the set. Thankfully, that didn’t extend past filming, going back to calling him “Dad” back in civilization.
Anemone marks not only DDL’s first movie since 2017’s Phantom Thread – which earned him a sixth Best Actor nomination – but the feature debut of Ronan. The two co-wrote the screenplay together. The movie is out now.
What are your top three favorite Daniel Day-Lewis performances? Give us your list in the comments section below!
