Chasing Daniel Day-Lewis: Spielberg Asked Him To Play 'Lincoln' Seven Years Ago & The Actor Initially Turned Him Down

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by Kevin Jagernauth
December 22, 2011 12:14 PM
5 Comments

While younger actors (like Jessica Chastain and Michael Fassbender for example) crowd up their schedules with work early on in their career to gain exposure and experience, it'll be interesting to see if any follow the eventual path taken by Daniel Day-Lewis. The acclaimed actor was certainly busier in the early stages of his career, but by the mid-90s the gaps between his films started to stretch out, and now, DDL is equally known for the dedication to his work and the lengthy breaks he takes between pictures. Currently, the actor is suiting up as Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's long gestating "Lincoln." And while Liam Neeson was long attached to the part (and eventually grew too old to play the part), it seems Spielberg got the man he wanted all along.

“I’m so excited to work with one of the greatest actors of our time,” Spielberg recently told the Chicago Sun-Times about working with DDL. “He wouldn’t say ‘yes’ for years. He even turned me down seven years ago when I asked him to play Lincoln. I think he was intimidated. You think about playing Lincoln, and it’s true that he was too great a man."

But Spielberg kept chasing his first choice, and thanks to a solid screenplay, he eventually bagged the mercurial actor. “So, Daniel said no, but I kept on going back to him. Then Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay and Daniel had never read his script. When he did read it, he understood the man.”

Not only does he understand him, as recent set photos have shown, he's a dead ringer for him too. Certainly Spielberg couldn't ask for any better actor to take on the lead role in what will be one of the biggest movies of his career, and we'll be curious to see the results. Will DDL's performance be matched by a script and movie worthy of his immersion in the part? We'll find out when "Lincoln" hits theaters in December 2012.

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More: Daniel Day-Lewis, Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

5 Comments

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bobmorton | December 22, 2011 5:26 PMReply

four score and seven years ago?
starway2001 | December 22, 2011 3:32 PMReply

Good article. I think Day Lewis is better suited to the role. I think Liam would've seemed too much like "Liam in a Lincoln costume". Whereas Day Lewis' propensity to melt into his parts will allow the audience to watch Lincoln on screen and not the actor. I'm excited about this one.
what about Liam | December 22, 2011 12:20 PMReply

...except for that whole part about getting Liam Neeson attached to the role for awhile. :-)
Mike | December 22, 2011 7:03 PM

It wasn't Spielberg that dumped Neeson, a year or two ago Neeson said he felt too old for the role and bowed out himself.
What About Liam | December 22, 2011 12:22 PM

I mean, Liam Neeson and Lewis are about the same age (you obviously mention him) so that whole thing about 'growing too old' is a cop out and Speilberg was ready to move forward and make the film with him. So I don't buy this kind of talk from him about the guy he wants all along, etc. Directors and PR folk can usually get away with that but not in this case.