Daniel Day Lewis

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As promised, here are those three Daniel Day Lewis clips -- #1, clip #2, clip #3 -- from last night's WGA discussion following a screening of There Will Be Blood. Newsweek's David Ansen moderated; costar Paul Dano and director-writer Paul Thomas Anderson also participated.

Lewis, Paul Thomas Anderson

I love the gentle British inflections in Lewis's natural speaking voice. When was the last time he used them in a film? Not recently. And not The Age of Innocence, not The Crucible, not In The Name of the Father. Was it A Room With a View? The Boxer?

I was struck by how tall and gangly Lewis is when he first walked into the WGA theatre lobby while the film was still running. I've never sensed his being this Abraham Lincoln-ish -- rain-thin and about 6' 3" -- from his appearances on film. There's also the matter of his big head. Almost all big stars have them. I thought of this as Lewis sat next to Ansen during the q & a. Lewis's face is a good 35% to 40% larger than Ansen's, and that's a conservative estimate. (It was about the same ratio as indicated in the above photo of Lewis and Anderson.)

In clip #1, Lewis explains the attitude of his Blood character, Daniel Plainview, toward Paul Dano's Eli, an evangelical huckster, to a woman in the audience.

There Will Be Blood star Daniel Day Lewis -- Monday, 11.12.07, 10:25 pm

In clip #2, he's explaining to another female questioner how Plainview comes to suspect that Kevin J. O'Connor's Henry character may not be his actual brother, as has been claimed. It's not a very smart question, but Lewis has fun with her and shows good humor. (At one point he says, "I'm so confused!") As I said to Ansen later, sometimes the dumber questions get the better answers.

And in clip #3 -- the best -- Lewis responds to that question that young actors refuse to stop asking in situations like this, which is "what advice would you have for an actor just starting out today?" Lewis's response, which mainly offers a warning and an urge to come to grips, is quite good. Gets a round of applause.

Avary again<< previous | next >>Paul Dano interview

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 13, 2007 at 8:41 PM

comment #1

scooterzz says ...

delbert mann and laraine day both passed away over the past few days and not once did this website (suppossedly dedicated to the love of movies)stop from it's incessant ass kissing of pta/ddl long enough to acknowledge the passage.....nice work.....

Posted by scooterzz at November 13, 2007 10:09 PM

comment #2

gruver1 says ...

Wells to scooterzz: I don't mean to go all Bob Clark on you, but Delbert Mann wasn't Anthony Mann...if you follow my drift. A director with a very '50s sensibility. Didn't he sign off on that awful theme song used over the credits of "Marty"? Is there one Delbert Mann film that stands up today? When was the last time you saw "Separate Tables" or "The Middle of the Night"? No disrespect to Laraine Day either, but she was no trail-blazer either. They were both presumably nice people, had good careers, got along, lived contented lives....but they just weren't Ivy League. I'm sorry -- I was ready to let well enough alone -- but since you challenged me on this I felt obliged to spit it out.

Posted by gruver1 at November 13, 2007 10:17 PM

comment #3

scooterzz says ...

with all due respect...ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS!?!...mann: 'dark at the top of the stairs', 'separate tables', great doris day fluff w/ cary grant &rock hudson AND he won an oscar for 'marty'.....yeah, real 'second tier'...you (and i for that matter) should be so talented....
as far as LARAINE DAY goes: 'dr. kildare', 'mr.lucky' and 'the high and the mighty' (and she had a tv show)...AND she was amazing looking......

Posted by scooterzz at November 13, 2007 10:29 PM

comment #4

scooterzz says ...

Posted by scooterzz at November 13, 2007 10:29 PM

comment #5

scooterzz says ...

yikes!...sorry 'bout the double post...

Posted by scooterzz at November 13, 2007 10:32 PM

comment #6

Devin Faraci says ...

I fucking hate it when people try to dictate what someone should be writing about.

Posted by Devin Faraci at November 13, 2007 10:38 PM

comment #7

Jamieson says ...

Pleeease post the full Q&A if you could Jeff. Or at least some of Dano's answers? And PTAs? Would really appreciate it!

Posted by Jamieson at November 13, 2007 10:44 PM

comment #8

scooterzz says ...

aw, devin, what you really hate is being confronted with movie refs you're too young to recognize and therefore feel a waste of time... you also love the smooch-butt op (not that there's anything wrong with that)....

Posted by scooterzz at November 13, 2007 10:46 PM

comment #9

BurmaShave says ...

Delbert Mann! I love him! He's so sexy!

Check out pics of him on DelbertMann.com !

Posted by BurmaShave at November 13, 2007 10:46 PM

comment #10

Craig Kennedy says ...

This isn't the New York Times. If Wells isn't feeling it, he doesn't have to eulogize it. I'd rather he didn't.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at November 13, 2007 10:52 PM

comment #11

scooterzz says ...

it's not a matter of 'have to'......jeeze, the guy is always talking about love of film and film history....then he is endlessly proselytizing 'twbb' and blowing off the deaths of actual players (who wells blows off as 'second tier')......

Posted by scooterzz at November 13, 2007 11:07 PM

comment #12

Noah says ...

Wouldn't it be more relevant to talk about the major things that are happening in film RIGHT NOW? I mean, I try to get a good dose of history and try to watch as many classics as possible, but the fact of the matter is that it's not like Woody Allen died, which would cause the entire industry to mourn the day. I respect Delbert Mann, but personally I'd rather read more about Jeff's feelings on There Will be Blood than on Mr. Mann.

Posted by Noah at November 13, 2007 11:24 PM

comment #13

rocco says ...

Who would figure Michael Stipe and Daniel Day Lewis share the same stylist...

It's probably a difficult subject to broach, but someone should tell DDL to fire his personal groomer (assuming he has one)...his eyebrows have been tweezed way too far apart and make him look extremely gay (obligitory: not that there;s anything wrong with that).

Posted by rocco at November 14, 2007 7:19 AM

comment #14