Tim Blake Nelson recalls the extreme nature of working on Steven Spielberg’sLincoln. Nelson is an actor who is best known for his roles in films such asThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs,O Brother, Where Art Thou, andThe Incredible Hulk,and he played Richard Schell inLincoln.TheSpielberg moviefeatures a leading cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Tommy Lee Jones.
Speaking withThe Hollywood Reporter, Nelson explains how intense working onLincolnwas. According to Nelson, lead actor Day-Lewis managed to “commit not only himself, but the entire production to a work ethic and to esthetic principles in terms of the process.” What this means is that"there were never any anachronisms on set,“affecting everything from how people dressed to what they were allowed to bring on set. Check out the full explanation from Nelson below:
Then working with Daniel Day Lewis [on Lincoln] was another extreme, and how he was able to commit not only himself, but the entire production to a work ethic and to esthetic principles in terms of the process that just heightened, not only what he was up to, but what everyone around him was up to as well. Just the fact that on Lincoln, nobody was allowed to wear T-shirts with logos on them. There were never any anachronisms on set.
You couldn’t have a paper coffee cup. You had to have something that was made of materials that would have been available in the late 19th century. So no shorts. No sneakers. Steven [Spielberg] wore a blazer every day to direct, and a button-down shirt. No iPhones, did I mention that? It just brought everything up a level. And then of course all the stuff everyone knows about him: That he stays in character, that he could only be addressed as Lincoln. And that he accomplished this in a way that somehow didn’t annoy anyone — it certainly didn’t annoy me — and it made the set a more disciplined place in a really good way. Which I think shows in the film.
Now when I direct, do I make similar demands? No, I wouldn’t dare. But I would if an actor wanted that and it felt reasonable and doable. But I loved the process. I loved being a part of that. And it just made me better. It made me take what I do more seriously. Every movie I’ve done has some version of that. I’m here In Hungary right now [on a Mona Fastvold film] and the privation and the seriousness of the crew and the gratitude of the crew here, that the production is here instead of somewhere else, the language barrier, all of it makes for it’s own unique agglutination of approaches and forces that we bring to telling our story.
Daniel Day-Lewis Is Known To Be A Method Actor
The full list of requirements for theLincolnset was extensive, and Nelson mentions that Day-Lewis was a key driving factor in this set decision.Theactor is known for doing Method Acting, which sees him try to fully transform into roles by staying in character even when cameras are not rolling. Nelson references this in his quote, saying that Day-Lewis “could only be addressed as Lincoln.” As such, the actor was using his more typical Method Acting ways on set, but this time projecting that strategy onto his castmates.
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Though it sounds likeLincolnwas one of the most all-encompassing examples,Day-Lewis has used his Method Acting strategieson a number of other famous films. This included his 2017 filmPhantom Thread, whereinhe spent years learning how to make dresses from scratch in order to better capture his role as an obsessive costume designer. To play John Proctor inThe Crucible, he lived a 17th century farming lifestyle two months before filming, and forIn the Name of the Father, he locked himself in solitary confinement.
Do Daniel Day Lewis' Methods Pay Off?
Lincoln Was Well-Received
Though Day-Lewis' requirements for theLincolnset were a bit extreme, they paid off for the film. I am not alone in saying that Day-Lewis sold me in his performance as the 16th President of the United States;Lincolnwas critically acclaimed, with praise especially commending the leading performance.Day-Lewis won an Oscar for Best Actor for Lincoln, and the film was nominated for multiple other awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor. As extreme as the set was,Lincolnremains one of the most talked about films inDay-Lewis' careertoday.
$65 million
$275 million
90%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
80%
BeyondLincoln,Day-Lewis has also won Oscars forThere Will Be BloodandMy Left Foot, and the latterwas yet another example of the actor taking his Method to the extreme. According to reports, Lewis began immersing himself into the role by visiting a clinic for people with cerebral palsy. He ended up taking things even further, however, when he forced the crew to feed him his food and carry him between sets, as his real-life character was. He also used his wheelchair outside the set, including at restaurants and more.
In addition to his Oscar wins forMy Left Foot,There Will Be Blood, andLincoln, Daniel Day-Lewis was also nominated for Oscars forIn the Name of the Father,Gangs of New York, andPhantom Thread.
Looking back at Day-Lewis' career,I cannot help but wonder if all of these Method Acting examples were completely necessary.It is one thing for the actor to go to great lengths for his roles, but quite another for him to involve castmates or other crew members so heavily in this process. Whatever I or anyone else can say about the actor, however, one thing is clear: Day-Lewis is a great performer. Whether he is banning iPhones on the set ofLincolnor being spoon-fed forMy Left Foot, these immersive experiences have led Day-Lewis well in his career.
Lincoln
Cast
From director Steven Spielberg, Lincoln stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the titular 16th president of the United States. The film portrays the final months of Lincoln’s life and focuses on his attempts to get the 13th amendment passed by the US Congress in order to abolish slavery in the aftermath of the Civil War. Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tommy Lee Jones also star.
