Ooh Marie! So good to see you dear :-) At the top of the list has to be those beautiful, expressive eyes. I also love his tall, slim physique and his long, artist's hands. I agree about the eyes (I think that prominent brow has something to do with it too). How tall is he? I wouldn't mind taking another look at that Dublin photo ;-p I don't think we ever got around to having the discussion about your favorite DDL role. My Left Foot is obviously the most impressive, closely followed by In The Name Of The Father but Last of the Mohicans is the most droolworthy (personal opinion of course). Like talk to me honey...BTW, I visited that site--laughed my tail off;-D

Nan, Daniel is 6'2". I think Mohicans must be the one I love best, since I've seen it so many times. I've visited the locations in North Carolina more than once, doing what my sister called "communing with his spirit!" I forgot to say in the first post how intelligent he is. Any interview with him shows an articulate and reflective man. Libby, the reviewer for Premiere magazine, put it best: "Daniel makes American actors look like giggly junior high school boys playing Nintendo during the prom." Amen!

OH...HE'S A BIG ONE! (Marie)Nan, Daniel is 6'2". I had no idea he was that tall. May not sound like much to all you leggy women out there, but for me 6'2" is quite a climb! ;-) FAVORITE DDL MOVIE I think Mohicans must be the one I love best, since I've seen it so many times. I've visited the locations in North Carolina more than once, doing what my sister called "communing with his spirit!" What--the visit to Dublin wasn't enough communing for you? :-p You are a hoot! I haven't seen Mohicans in a couple of years so I think I'll put that on my "rent" list and watch it again soon. As I mentioned before I think it's certainly the most droolworthy of his roles (that hair alone!) but I find myself far more emotional about ITNOTF. I don't know--there is something about the injustice of that situation that gets me every time. And he is so wonderfully real in that film too. Funny, I don't remember f eling drooly though. Wonder what that means? ;-p DDL-THE PERSON I forgot to say in the first post how intelligent he is. Any interview with him shows an articulate and reflective man. He does strike me as being that way--it's what I expect. I also think there is really something to be said for someone that famous who just goes about his business. I feel that he is sincere in his desire to be an actor and really could care less about the fame (like Colin, come to think of it). I have yet to see a DDL movie in which I am disappointed by him. Though "Unbearable Lightness..." just confused me. Libby, the reviewer for Premiere magazine, put it best: "Daniel makes American actors look like giggly junior high school boys playing Nintendo during the prom." Amen! No kidding! I don't remember ever reading one of his interviews so I'll have to take your word for it. That's a great line BTW--gave me a vision ;-D

I think this topic deserves a little illustration. How about Marie and the object of her fascination...

Myretta! I knew you'd pop in with that photo sooner or later. ;-) Don't you jsut love how calm Marie looks?--like it's an everyday occurrance that she should run into DDL on the streets of Ireland. BTW, I really like that "normal-guy" windblown look he has in this photo. And I say again Marie--he's a big one!! ;-D

As for being calm, I think 'stunned' would be a better word! And happy, of course. He was every bit as wonderful as I knew he'd be, and then some! We'd been talking for a while by the time this was taken and were very comfortable in each other's company. I think it shows in the picture. What do you guys think? Myretta, a big thank-you hug for putting up the picture!..:-)

As I've said before Marie--doesn't matter what you were feeling inside because you look perfectly composed. We'd been talking for a while by the time this was taken and were very comfortable in each other's company. I think it shows in the picture. What do you guys think? I'll bet you were comfortable! I don't think you ever answered my question in chat--where exactly is your left hand in that picture missy? ;-p I just went and checked out the old DDL topic. If you haven't already seen it, it's #17. There is some really priceless stuff there about dear Daniel and one post from Cheryl (reponse #3) that had me PIMP!;-D Go take a look...

Dearest Marie! Looky what I found... He's looking so edibly scruffy ;-)....

I must say, this man is fine......can't wait to see The Boxer. He is beautiful! Loved Mohicans too......So glad you gals posted pics *drooly grin*

i am new to this board, is daniel day lewis a current topic, if so how do i get to see the newest postings???? i would love to drool with the rest of you about this particular actor.

i am new to this board, is daniel day lewis a current topic, if so how do i get to see the newest postings???? You've reached it Kathleen ;-) Unfortunately, DDL tends to be a rather slow topic and there haven't been any recent postings. However, do feel free to give some opinions about him and I'm sure you'll hear from someone (probably me or Marie). Glad you found us ;-) Have any other favorites? There are plenty to choose from. Go to: http://www.spring.com/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/all Enjoy!

i'm afraid i'm a "one" man woman, and i have chosen the "elusive" daniel day-lewis. it dosn't surprise me the topic goes slowly, i also indulge in two other ddl sites, and they are also a bit slow, but not this slow. I found the picture of Marie and Daniel to be of much interest. He looked so good, (circa ITNOTF, by the hair). What a lucky individual to have actually met him. I have 10 of his movies on tape, and it always amazes me that he can look so different. I saw My Left Foot first and was shocked to learn that it was the same actor in LOTM. Therefore, i had to check out the rest of his ventures into film. Most have been very rewarding, only a few "dogs" along the way "Eversmile, New Jersey and Stars and Bars". Although, S&B had one of the funniest funeral scenes i've ever seen. Will check in here periodically to see if anything is new and will inform those of interest if i find something new that will interest you. al

Have you all heard about the DDL chat room. It is on Wednesday evenings at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Go to Hollywood on-line back lot. Chat is for one hour every week.

yes, i have belonged to this chat room for 6 weeks now, a great group of people. it's a small group, but we have lots of fun and share a lot of news. the olympics has put a little damper in the size the past few weeks as it will do tonite, but come join us if you haven't tried it yet. also there is another ddl site on the web, you can obtain by danielday:a place for daniel day-lewis fans. the webmistress is lucy, we have some fun there too.

is anyone out there????? you said this site was a little slow, but is it really this slow or am i missing something on how to look up postings???

DDL is, in my opinion, one of the best actors there are today. I absolutely loved him in LOTM (not to mention Eric Schweig, who played Uncas). DDL was also great in The Crucible, and The Boxer. He looked fabulous in The Boxer; I think I prefer him with a little weight on. Anyone else agree?

i can't believe someone fell off the planet and actually posted at this site. i do agree that ddl is one of today's finest actors, but unfortunately, not enough people know who he is and are aware of just how good he is. HE DOES NOT 'ACT' ENOUGH!!!!! he takes much too long between films, as much as three years, and that can be a death sentence in "marketability" in the film industry, probably why "the boxer" has not done well at all. Yes, i thought he looked great in the film, inspite of having a broken nose. he's on the mend from making this movie, (back surgery, broken jaw, etc, etc) and now has no plans to even read scripts, so another long dry spell of "no acting" from ddl once again. another reason this site seems to be in rigor mortis, when someone isn't in the public eye very often, i guess there's nothing much to talk about. but if you have a big desire to learn more about this actor, try his homepage, they are constantly chatting about something.

As it has been generally quiet on the CF-front, I'm very curious to see whether anyone else from Drool will "drop in" - when this Topic appears with "new" on the main page - throwback to current discussions on Topic 98 - am just being cheeky, don't smack ;-) I rented some oldies but goodies of one of MODBs (My Other Dear Boys - there are 2 others - fickle me? - DDL and JN). Watched Last of the Mohicans with my 17 y.o. daughter who was recipient of Cupid's arrow at sight of DDL - whom she had not seen before. At end of film - she turns to me and says : "DDL is to me what CF is to you!" Next thing I know she's watching ITNOTF and AOI. I did a "google" search to see whether DDL has as many sites as CF has and to learn a bit more about him as I know zilch. I did not get to count how many sites there were because I was fascinated by the first one I came upon. I found out that ... 1. He is equally, if not more, elusive and publicity shy as ODB. 2 His fans group him with [quote] such great actors [unquote] as K Branagh and even Alan Rickman. It made me sad that ODB has been ignored yet again - considering that he made one of his early stage appearances in a supporting role to ODB in AC. 3 Despite his reclusive nature, great roles, scripts and directors continue to pursue him and apparently with big paycheques. How come ODB does not seem to have this fortune (but we'll never know, I know). Well, at least, we know DDL never appeared in a MB production..but ODB did!! 4 Just like ODB - enjoys Rome (and Florence) with family. 5 Recent photos in NY show how lovey-dovey he is with his wife...just like ODB and Livia too. and...on the scary bit 6 there are photos of his house in Ireland taken from all angles complete with maps of the area and a diagram of how to get there. I am sure his fans have all gone temporarily insane for DDL just like we have for ODB and like us are hungry for any bit of info on ODBs without meaning any harm or malice. But I wonder whether they realise that they are jeopardising the security and safety of their DB and family by publishing such info. I am so proud that Droleurs and most CF admirers have refrained from doing anything like this. Except for career trajectory - seems like lots of parallels between ODB and MODB! I look forward to next Northern summer when GONY opens - a drama/action movie - at about the same time as TIOBE - a romcom ;-( possibly followed by NC - yet another romcom ;-(( Oh ODB - how many candles must we light for you so you can get/accept at least one real meaty role in manner of DQ for example but for big screen????

3 Despite his reclusive nature, great roles, scripts and directors continue to pursue him and apparently with big paycheques. How come ODB does not seem to have this fortune (but we'll never know, I know) Actually, this is quite easy. ODB didn't do a My Left Foot. That's what catapulted DDL into the realm he occupies.

Karen - what I meant was - we'll never really know whether he does indeed get good offers which he prefers to mysteriously turn down. And wow - you did drop in to this farflung place! But then again - you're exluded from my experiment - you're the boss and you know how to navigate Spring ;-)

we'll never really know whether he does indeed get good offers which he prefers to mysteriously turn down. By he, you mean ODB. First, you have to mark your mark before they coming begging after you. However, in the case of DDL, we read about this and that role being offered him and how this or that director/studio wants him badly. It makes the trades.

hey Minkee! what's DDL up to just now? I used to really like him but haven't seen anything recently - or have I missed something?

LOL - 2 days later and only the boss, rachael and I have dropped in to see what's happening with DDL - probably because my post was really not about DDL but just an excuse to discuss more ODB. Rachael - the only thing I've seen about DDL is that it is rumoured that GONY is *definitely* his last film. Another rumour (reported in Sept 2001 by Hollywood Reporter) is that he is being courted to appear in U.S. director Michael Cimino' s "Man's Fate," a drama set in Shanghai against the backdrop of the Chinese revolution, based on French author Andre Malraux's 1933 novel "La condition humaine" (The Human Condition). To be shot in Shanghai from July 2002 - tentatively. 2 sites I visited : http://kathyddl.tripod.com/den.html http://www.dd-l.net/index.html Both have nice pics of him, his wife and son - shades of ODB playing happy family really. I know. I know. This is DDL topic not but can't get away from ODB, can I? Samples : taken in NY recently : during their wedding anniversary (kinda sweet!) and during the Sept 11 crisis (kinda brave!) This is a direct quote from http://www.dd-l.net/LINKS/SIG/SIG01.html Pax found this item at peoplenews.com. Thank you Pax. "Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who is staying in New York at the moment, immediately offered his help to the Emergency Services on Tuesday after the terrorist attacks. Day-Lewis tried to give blood but was turned away due to impossibly long queues. He then made himself useful by transporting boxes of ice to hospitals to keep the donated blood cold. He said: 'I had to help in some small way, anyway I could. This whole situation is so awful, it cannot be described in words. We hope to go back and give blood when we can. But for now this is the most useful thing I can do.'" ************** Oh no - I finally get to learn how to do fancy html tags for images etc...and who do I splurge my newfound skill on? Not the primary DB but MODB...gaahhhh!!! slaps forehead Hope these all works!

v.g. Minkee. Not your fault that the tripod site won't cooperate.

Thanks, Minkee! I wonder how long he will stay away from Tuscany? ;-)

OK! Couldn't stand it and had to post SOMETHING. Came over here from, yes you guessed it, the CF homefront. Don't post there, just enjoy reading from everyone else. At least you know that others have been here. By the way, I have to say the Last of the Mohicans was, when I viewed it, a most impressive film and for some reason I remember it as being pulse racing and , ahem, very enjoyable. Madeline Stowe was v. good too, if I am thinking coherently. Anyways, cheerio!

Oh thank you thank you - such venerable visitors! Now I need to find the source for those animations that you guys put on your lovely posts. Karen - what do you mean the tripod sites won't cooperate? Didn't the images work for you? Moon - forget Morocco next northern summer - am off to Italia instead. Was in Florence 2 years ago - no one I saw looked remotely like DDL. Am not complaining about the Romeos parading around the piazzas though ;-) Lisa - yes you remember correctly TLOTM is not for gals with high blood pressure due to, ahem, very enjoyable scenes.

Minkee - when will you be in Italy? I'm going in the summer (fingers crossed) re Last of the Mohicans - I love that film, I think the music is very stirring and really contributes to the atmosphere, especially when they're escaping. BTW Stephen Waddington who played Duncan also played one of the lovers in Carrington, along with Rufus S, and the ever adorable Sam W

..and let's not forget the always effervescent Jodhi May as Alice. How the screw turns. I like DDL too much to be annoyed at how Mohicans sexed up one of my favorite literary characters, Natty Bumppo. I suppose there was as much complaining about Nathaniel's bare chest as there was about Darcy's wet shirt. Not from us though, ladies, eh? Is DDL's wife the daughter of Arthur Miller? Just think, had she lived, Marily Monroe could have been his ex-step-mother-in-law. ;-)

I suppose there was as much complaining about Nathaniel's bare chest as there was about Darcy's wet shirt. You mean that wasn't in the book? ;-) I can't complain either, as DDL certainly got real fit to play the role.

(Karen)...as DDL certainly got real fit to play the role Yup...another parallelism to ODB. I read that as soon as DDL signed up he got a personal trainer...not same one as ODB's. But soon after had a female trainer with whom he had an affair. (Heide) Is DDL's wife the daughter of Arthur Miller Yes - she also directs feature films if I remember correctly. If DDL indeed retires - will she be able to support him in the lifestyle to which he is accustomed? ;-) Karen - when GONY publicity gets going can we have those discussions here rather than O&E? Then we'd have another DB's board active and might attract more people. whaddyathink?

Re discussion. Yes, that's fine with me. (BTW, I remember the personal trainer thing too, but DDL needed muscles for that part, not just toning, plus all the running he had to do.)

Sign me up as another LOTM lover - the movie was mucho superior to the book(s), I thought - gimmicky early-American potboilers. :) Jodhi May, Russell Means, and Eric Schweig were all great and underappreciated. So, when is GONY coming out? I normally have a moral obligation to avoid films with Leo DiCaprio in them, but I might make an exception for a Scorsese film...

June

(Karen) but DDL needed muscles for that part, not just toning, plus all the running he had to do.) And let's not forget shooting a rifle in each hand while running. ;-) Funny that LOTM was just on TV last night. I watched a little of it. (Laura T) - gimmicky early-American potboilers. :) LOL! An interesting assessment of the Leatherstocking Tales. '-) Anyway, I do like DDL and he has been much missed. Glad he's a happy family man but get back on the screen, dammit.

a little something about our other DB... DDL, of course, not LdC nor MS http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,337609~1|18755~0~,00.html Tough Turf Martin Scorsese talks about his controversial saga ''Gangs of New York,'' which stars Leo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz and took 25 years to finish -- an excerpt from the Aug. 23, 2002, cover story of Entrtainment Weekly by Chris Nashawaty 'GANGS' ALL HERE DiCaprio, Diaz, and Day-Lewis, the stars of ''New York'' Martin Scorsese was 34 in 1977. Confident, talented, and seemingly unstoppable. After the gritty and dazzling one-two punch of ''Mean Streets'' and ''Taxi Driver,'' he figured it was the ideal time for his most ambitious New York story yet -- a sweeping 19th-century epic about warring immigrant groups. It would have a marquee name in the lead role of an Irish-American roughneck named Amsterdam, who'd set out on a hero's quest to avenge his father's murder at the hands of a bloodthirsty political fixer named Bill the Butcher. There'd be a love interest -- a sassy pickpocket -- and a hugely expensive battle scene at the climax. In other words, it would be big. Scorsese didn't have a script yet, but he knew it would cost a fortune. So in June 1977, with the cocksure certainty of a man on an unbroken winning streak, Scorsese took out a two-page ad in Variety trumpeting his next project: ''Gangs of New York.'' But within a few years, a string of big-budget, big-ego productions from similarly hot young auteurs like Francis Ford Coppola (''Apocalypse Now'') and Michael Cimino (''Heaven's Gate'') ran aground. Studios panicked. Checkbooks snapped shut. And mavericks like Scorsese saw their green lights turn red. ''It was the end of the power of the director,'' says Scorsese 25 years later. ''It was the end of making films that were big and provocative. There was just no way 'Gangs of New York' could get made after that.'' Scorsese is almost 60 now. And he's two weeks away from finishing postproduction on ''Gangs.'' With the help of Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz, the movie it has taken him 25 years to make is almost done. But rather than triumph, his weary eyes bring to mind the old saying ''Be careful what you wish for?.'' After all, judging from the dire dispatches from the ''Gangs'' set in Rome last year -- the out-of-control budget, the script being tapped out as they went along, the clashes with his bristling financier, Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein -- making his dream film may have at times resembled a horrific nightmare. ''All I know is I did the best I could,'' Scorsese says, shrugging. ''If people are watching the movie 20 years from now? Who knows? I'll be dead.'' When Daniel Day-Lewis showed up on the ''Gangs'' set in Italy in September 2000, he was already Bill the Butcher. He spoke with Bill's broad New York accent and already carried around Bill's rage -- a mental state he would trigger each morning by blasting Eminem while he worked out. One other thing: Everyone had to call him Bill too. ''I just met Daniel recently,'' says Cameron Diaz, more than a year after ''Gangs'' wrapped. ''The whole time he was Bill. Never Daniel. Always Bill.'' Day-Lewis lowers his head and laughs when he hears this. Then I ask if he thinks his costars were intimidated by him. ''I suppose it's a little strange. You'd have to ask them.'' Diaz: ''Yes.'' DiCaprio: ''You just become used to it after a while. I've heard stories about Method actors...and at the end of the day when the director calls 'Cut,' they're still that character and they go home and beat the s--- out of their wives. But if I had something I wanted to collaborate on, I never felt like he was going to pull a butcher's knife on me.'' Cameron Diaz remembers being terrified as she left the set of ''Charlie's Angels'' to fly to New York for her ''Gangs of New York'' audition. She knew going in that the role of Jenny Everdeane -- the street-smart love interest of DiCaprio's Amsterdam -- was being read by virtually every important young actress, even the ones like her who'd graduated past reading for parts. ''I just didn't want to make a total ass out of myself,'' Diaz says. Plus, she says that she was just looking forward to gobbling up whatever morsels of direction Scorsese would toss her way: ''I didn't care if I got the job -- I got to read for Marty Scorsese.'' Scorsese remembers being impressed by Diaz in Oliver Stone's ''Any Given Sunday'' and the few bits of ''There's Something About Mary'' he caught on TV one night. But it's what she did for DiCaprio's performance that ultimately sold him. ''When she came in, something happened. He kind of brightened up,'' Scorsese says. ''There was some sort of chemistry between the two of them, and I thought then that she could do it -- the way she was affecting him.'' Then he begins to laugh. ''None of the dialogue they were reading wound up in the script.'' Leonardo DiCaprio had no idea what ''Gangs'' was about. He just knew he wanted to be in it. He remembers being in Thailand, preparing to shoot ''The Beach,'' when he first read the script. From the title, he assumed it might involve tommy guns and Westies in Hell's Kitchen. It didn't matter, really -- he already knew he was going to say yes. DiCaprio says that he actually changed agents when he was 17, mainly because the new ones promised that they could get him a meeting with Scorsese. Today, with Scorsese sitting by his side, DiCaprio compares the physical hardships of making ''Titanic'' and ''Gangs'': Both were made under a tabloid microscope; both went over budget and had their release dates delayed; and both were pronounced DOA before anyone saw them. Then he breaks the news to Scorsese that ''Gangs''' shoot actually lasted longer than ''Titanic'''s. Scorsese turns red and sheepishly hangs his head. ''Really? My God! Sorry!'' It couldn't have been that bad. DiCaprio (whose con artist movie ''Catch Me if You Can,'' like ''Gangs,'' opens on Christmas Day) says that his next starring role will be in a Howard Hughes biopic called ''The Aviator''...to be directed by Martin Scorsese. Talking about other filmmakers, Scorsese tosses the word genius around like confetti, but when it comes to his own films, you'd think he was talking about Ed Wood. He's quick to point out that his only major hit was his 1991 remake of ''Cape Fear'' (which grossed $79 million); he talks about how films like ''Last Temptation'' (which finally got made in 1988) were compromised. And when he wonders if there's a place for him in Hollywood today, you almost want to pat him on the back and tell him it's going to be okay. ''I feel like I'm sort of hanging on. I keep getting in there and throwing my punches. I'm not that interested in the average film that comes out of Hollywood. I might see it, but what can I learn? How to make a blockbuster? I don't know if I want to. I mean, it would be nice someday, maybe.'' He continues, ''It would be nice to be able to stay in touch with an audience. To think that you've become so antiquated in your thinking...or that you're dealing with issues that don't mean anything to anybody -- that might be a funny kind of bad feeling...'' He trails off and shrugs. ''But I don't think that's the case yet.'' Then he looks at his watch and realizes it's getting late. He's due back in the editing room. After all, it may be 25 years late in coming, but he has a movie to finish. **************************** The story behind GONY delay is here, if you haven't read it yet.... http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,238185~1|18755~,00.html

I saw the preview for Gangs last night and was not impressed. :-( Everyone looked very cartoonish (it would be the right word, does it exist?)

Oh - that's a pity Moon. How did MODB fare? Cartoonish - was it overstaged then?

From the Sunday Observer: Age of experience He's spent the last five years chopping trees, making shoes and not making movies. But then Martin Scorsese made him an offer he couldn't refuse. In a rare interview, Daniel Day-Lewis tells Burhan Wazir why he's back in front of the cameras Sunday December 8, 2002 Over the course of a drizzly afternoon, in a room in Dublin's Clarence Hotel, Daniel Day-Lewis leaves his chair on only four occasions. He briefly visits the bathroom; orders a tomato sandwich; opens the door to room service; and answers the telephone. In all, the stoppages take no more than five minutes. But for most of the afternoon, Day-Lewis, dressed simply in a dark pullover, black trousers and combat boots, displays unending reserves of quiet steeliness. His head is cleanly shaven; his muscular features lend him the appearance of a boxer preparing for a bout. His dark, deep-set eyes look ever attentive. They flash wildly when, occasionally, he laughs. His concentration never drops below an unnerving intensity. And by the end of our three hours together, I am astounded by his composure and single-mindedness. It's all too easy to forget that Day-Lewis is one of the most prodigiously talented actors of his generation. He remains easy to overlook since he is notoriously work-shy: he has only managed 15 movies in 20 years of professional acting. His last big-budget role was eight years ago in The Age of Innocence. And since then, apart from his split with the French actress Isabelle Adjani, and his subsequent marriage to Rebecca Miller, the daughter of American playwright Arthur Miller, whom he met while filming The Crucible, he has kept himself out of the press and shielded himself from the film industry. His stage career ended 12 years ago when during his performance of Hamlet he walked off the stage claiming to have seen an apparition of his father, the late poet laureate Cecil Day Lewis. He is an acting enigma: someone who won a Best Actor Oscar, and has seemingly never recovered from the experience. Day-Lewis, 45, who won the Oscar in 1989's My Left Foot, is giving a rare interview to promote his first film in more than five years. A method actor - a technique also used by Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman - Day-Lewis is regarded as perhaps the finest of his generation. He avoids all contact with the press; this interview has been months in the arranging. This afternoon, however, he has left his home in County Wicklow, Ireland, to discuss Martin Scorsese's much-delayed and much-troubled period piece, Gangs of New York. For Scorsese, the lavish $97.5m venture, based on Herbert Asbury's acclaimed 1927 book, Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld, has taken a decade to bring to the screen. Throughout its protracted making, there were rumours of bust-ups and difficulties on set, and so far the movie hasn't been screened to the press - a sign of the distributor's nervousness about its critical reception. But while Scorsese, Harvey Weinstein - the garrulous and larger-than-life boss of Miramax films - and the film's financier Graham King have been doing some light firefighting, Day-Lewis has been keeping himself to himself, enjoying the Irish countryside. 'The filmmakers have me over a barrel,' Day-Lewis laughs. 'I feel sorry for the other actors in the film. Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Liam Neeson. They'll have to take the brunt of the questioning. I can pretty much get away with just doing a few things. Although I do realise that the interest in this film will go on for some time.' Does he enjoy any part of the film industry? 'Not really, no,' he admits. 'I know this is part of what we have to do. But I really have to be forced. I just want people to go and see the film. And I hope that they like it. I have done my part. And once I'm finished, I always feel a little empty inside. "Is that all there was to it?" I always think. So, to be honest, I'm not sure it's something I'd like to do again in the near future. I certainly have no plans to work in a film at any point soon. I've managed to avoid it for the past five years.' A five-year break from acting would be considered career suicide by most actors. Day-Lewis, however, has shown a selfish approach to his natural talent for most of his professional life. His last film was The Boxer, directed by Jim Sheridan in 1997. After that film's box-office failure, Day-Lewis - then deemed a talent at the height of his acting powers - abruptly threw in the towel, despite a long run of critically acclaimed performances in My Beautiful Laundrette, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Last of the Mohicans and My Left Foot. As an actor, he specialises in roles of tortured intensity - outsiders and outcasts. But after The Boxer, he abandoned it all and moved to Florence with his then new wife, Rebecca Miller. Stories emerged of him spending his days cobbling. While he never admitted he'd retired, Day-Lewis showed few intentions of returning to the film industry. When not in Italy, he spent his days chopping down trees near his other house in Ireland. 'I didn't really want to be involved with films,' he says now. 'I just wanted some time away from it all. I need that quite often. And I have felt like that ever since I got into acting. When I was younger, I made some decisions that I shouldn't have. And, in hindsight, I've almost always been wrong when I haven't listened to myself. I have quite a strong feeling about when I should work and when I shouldn't.' There were, of course, offers of work. He was touted for roles in Philadelphia, The Lord of the Rings and Steven Soderbergh's upcoming Solaris. But Day-Lewis wasn't looking for suitable scripts. He says that he would have waited another 10 years to find the right acting vehicle. 'Part of this is that as an actor you learn, you learn, you learn; you shoot and shoot for a long time; and then you're dog meat. And then you realise that you learnt nothing. And that's a difficult thing to live with. That is the prevailing sensation of films. You just feel scooped out, having given everything. I'm not sure you learn anything on film sets.' This kind of agonising is typical of Day-Lewis. He picks and chooses his words with care, and is often deliberately obtuse. He was, however, eventually coaxed back in front of the camera last year by Scorsese and Weinstein. Weinstein's initial overture has been widely retold in the press. According to the legend, he and DiCaprio journeyed to Ireland and begged him for his participation in the film, only to be told to 'Fuck off!' 'That's Harvey's hogwash,' exclaims Day-Lewis. 'Nothing like that happened. Harvey just likes to spin the press.' The truth, says Day-Lewis, was that Scorsese and he had worked successfully together before, on The Age of Innocence. The opportunity of a new collaboration with the director was immediately tempting. 'Marty is just such a great storyteller,' he says. 'He is it; an outstanding filmmaker and artist. And as a person you have to travel the world to avoid him. So when he started to tell me this great story about the gangs that ran New York in the 19th century - well, I was hooked.' Filming, on the mile-long set that brought 19th-century New York to Rome's Cinecitt� studio, was beset with problems from the start. As the budget spiralled out of control, Scorsese and the backers were forced to give defensive interviews explaining the delays. Gangs of New York was initially to be delivered to cinemas last Christmas. And the situation was further aggravated by the initial edit: Scorsese was eventually persuaded by the studio to trim the story down to two hours and 45 minutes. Day-Lewis's character, Bill the Butcher, is based on the life of Bill Poole - a mid-19th century meat cutter, fighter and notorious gang leader from Lower Manhattan's violent Five Points district. Day-Lewis's performance - judging by the 20 minutes of footage I have had access to - provides the menacing core of Scorsese's ambitious history of New York. He gives a particularly distinguished demonstration of coiled fury. 'Martin's sets are places where you want to be,' says Day-Lewis. 'This was something he wanted to do. And that makes a big difference to the nature of the set. The atmosphere was like a work place - there's something sacred about his sets. I like it when the workplace is treated as a sacred thing.' But after such a long absence from the screen, he was plagued by doubts. And for the first time in his life he had a family in tow - his wife and child (she has since given birth to a second son) - lived with him. 'And that means your priorities change,' he says. 'So you start to have doubts. I suppose those come to everyone. Because you see them lurking in the shadows n the set. It's not an even keel. That causes you to question everything in your whole life. Because it's a life in miniature. You keep thinking, "I'm not up to this." So you try and immerse yourself in the details.' Day-Lewis's attempts to take on the physical and emotional aspects of his characters knows few limitations. As Christy Brown in My Left Foot, the actor remained in a wheelchair off the set, teaching himself how paint with a knife between his toes. Preparing for The Last of the Mohicans, he spent weeks hunting, tracking and skinning animals. He slept with his rifle, which he could eventually load and fire while running. And two months before filming began on The Crucible, Day-Lewis built the house in which his character would live. In Gangs of New York, he says he was drawn to the character's infinite capacity for violence. According to Asbury's text, Poole was an irresistible blend of violence and black humour. 'He makes no apologies for what he is,' says Day-Lewis. 'In a broader sense, it's not about anger: it's about an ulcerating resentment. Something cancerous. He hates the people who are arriving in his land. I thought that was at his core. And betrayal. I felt no doubts about playing him. I thought he was someone I'd like to live with for a while.' The book depicts Poole as an expert knife-thrower, a 'champion fighter and eye-gouger'. In his preparation, before filming, Day-Lewis went to extremes to research the role. He employed two circus performers to travel to his home in Wicklow to teach him how to throw the thin, sharp daggers his character uses. The actor also went to work in a butcher's shop for several weeks: learning how to meticulously incise and gut carcasses. 'With all those things, though, you're trying to learn them sufficiently well enough to make as if you've known them for a lifetime,' says Day-Lewis. 'It's not a blind search - you do have some signposts. It's like raking stuff off the shelves. Or like those people who get five minutes in a supermarket when they win a game show. They try and grab everything. But the way I do it, eventually you lose all the rubbish. And you distil the character all down to an essence.' Most other actors, of course, would find such a long, drawn-out and deliberate metamorphosis exhausting. And during the afternoon, as he reveals his dedicated approach to preparing for a film role, I find myself increasingly worried by his methodology. His roles have forced him, time and time again, to put himself through traumatic physical and psychological changes. And he admits that the character of Bill the Butcher hasn't completely left him. 'I got into some scrapes in parking spots - short-fuse stuff,' he laughs. 'I'm sure my wife is rather concerned. She probably finds it all very odd. I suppose there is something quite shocking in somebody discovering that they have a capacity for great violence. I hope that is never put to the test.' As a young actor, training at the Old Vic in Bristol, he built his reputation by his astounding preparation for roles. 'I don't torture myself,' he says, rather unconvincingly. 'And I do the work because of the pleasure involved. I'm satisfying a compulsion I find nigh-on irresistible. It's not necessarily because of the work itself. I just feel the need for a period of regeneration afterwards. Like leaving a field fallow when you've grazed too much on it. I feel depleted.' 'Daniel has an ability to concentrate on a role like nobody else,' director Jim Sheridan tells me. 'Normally, Daniel never says more than two words. And the second one is usually "off".' Sheridan, the director of the forthcoming film Coming to America, has worked with Day-Lewis on three pictures: My Left Foot, In The Name Of The Father and The Boxer. 'Daniel is just incredibly reserved,' he says, laughing. 'Jesus, if the man even drops a hint, you take it as something concrete. I'm a chaotic director. That's the way I work; I try to manage the chaos. Daniel is the extreme opposite of that. He likes everything to be controlled. He reminds me of De Niro. But where De Niro has an almost lion-in-the-wild quality, Daniel is more refined and graceful - like a panther. And part of that comes down to his meticulous preparation for his role. It takes over everything.' He talks about how Day-Lewis set about perfecting Gerry Conlon's accent for his role in In The Name of The Father. 'Daniel wanted to know everything that Conlon had been through. So he spent a few nights sleeping in a prison cell. By the time he turned up on the set, he was, literally, a man on the verge of a breakdown. And I was worried about him. But here's the interesting thing. We stopped filming. But even six months later, Daniel was still speaking in Conlon's accent. He hadn't come back to being Daniel yet. It was as if he couldn't let it go. Imagine how exhausting that can be. You simply can't do that too many times.' Throughout the afternoon, Day-Lewis sits opposite me, rapt in his own words. At one point, he says, 'It must be hard interviewing actors.' And while he is pleasantly candid, there is, I sense, an impenetrable shield to his character. He has faithfully guarded his privacy over the years. Day-Lewis doesn't own a mobile phone, has never used the internet and has no email address. He says little of what he discovered about himself in self-imposed exile from the screen - only that 'the months seemed to go by quite quickly', and 'I love outdoor work'. Before filming began on Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly told him: 'I look up to you. I want to work with somebody I respect.' What lessons, I wonder, would the young actor have gleaned from his experience with Day-Lewis? 'I don't know,' he says. 'I'm not even sure about what I learnt from this film. Or any film before it. Probably one of the reasons why I stay away from it, for long periods of time, is because I am still idealistic about acting - even though I have seen all the filth and the trash around it. I sometimes think it's potentially noble. But the truth is most things can be noble if you want them to be. After a while, you can pretty much convince yourself of anything. So I guess it's just me being stubborn.' He laughs and then adds, 'On the other hand, if you think something's noble, I guess you've lost already.' Day-Lewis grows silent, perhaps defeated and thinking to himself. Perhaps he is mulling over the past five years. Certainly, the spells between movie making are getting longer and longer. Is he looking for the on-set perfection that still eludes him? His father, Cecil Day Lewis, died when Daniel was 15 years old. And while he never talks about him in interviews, his memory, according to Jim Sheridan, overshadows everything he does. 'What I learnt from my father was dignity,' he says, 'and the ability to be true to myself. I look at his example and I remember that I shouldn't ever waste my talent. If that means I don't work too often, then so be it.' He warms to the theme and slowly opens up, rolling himself a cigarette. This man of few words, this wrapped-up presence, is consumed by troubling doubts about his own abilities. It explains the extraordinary lengths he often goes to as an actor in his research for a role. And why he is agonising over those decisions now. 'Actor? I don't know if I ever was one,' he says. 'I have always had a problem with that word. I've always asked myself that question, ever since I went to college. There was a time when I was quite proud of the tag. It gave a sense of identity. But I was young then. And then there was another time when I thought it was quite pejorative.' He looks relieved as I go downstairs with him. In the lift, he holds a current copy of a music monthly - Keith Richards on the cover. 'I love the Stones,' he says. 'Keith is my favourite.' He offers me a lift back to my hotel and expresses delight when I tell him I'm hoping to meet Jim Sheridan. 'Jim! He's a great guy. You'll love talking to him. He's hard to grab a hold of though; you might have difficulty pinning him down. He lives quite a chaotic lifestyle.' And with that, he climbs into his car. 'Hopefully we'll catch up soon,' he says, shaking my hand. Later that evening, Sheridan asks me how my interview went. 'I'd say that I found him complicated,' I admit. He laughs: 'Christ, that was only after three hours. You should try making a film with him.' http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,855789,00.html

I'm not a fan of DDL, but I do respect his enormous talent. GoNY showcases this talent in spades. His portrayal of Bill the Butcher is a marvel.I did not realize he was a real person before I read the article above; I thought the character was a composite.One reviewer called the character "Shakespearan in tone". I would have to agree and only a classically trained actor could make it happen. The NY accent: I found it distracting. He seemed to give it more of a nudge at times...uneven. And if everyone in Five Points was supposed to talk like that how come he is the only one.The other actors spoke in a more subdued NY accent. I have not seen the films of the other GG nominees, but this guy would be difficult to beat. Last night Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman were interviewed on the Larry King show.To the question: Which actor would you like to work with the most...they both answered DDL.

Not everyone even in his gang was native born, as he was. He took in immigrants as well. McGoin (?), played by the Scot Gary Lewis, was one of his gang.

This was moved her from the old server: Topic 60 of 172: 'Daniel Day-Lewis' Resp 42 of 42: Karen (KarenR) Thu, Jan 2, 2003 (10:30) 39 lines Moved from 168 and posted by Murph: And this from USA Today.... Day-Lewis inhabits his roles -- Andy Seiler USA TODAY NEW YORK -- Daniel Day-Lewis (news), whose murderous William ''Bill the Butcher'' Cutting is the most memorable performance in Martin Scorsese (news)'s Gangs of New York, took five years off from acting before taking on the role. And for good reason: When the Oscar winner accepts a part, it's full time, for months on end. Scorsese and the cast were instructed to refer to Day-Lewis as ''Bill.'' Never stepping out of character, he didn't socialize with co-star Leonardo DiCaprio (news). ''We had an unspoken understanding between us that the work demanded that we maintain a certain distance, which we did,'' says Day-Lewis, who plays a gang leader in 19th-century New York who brutally murders DiCaprio's father. The work paid off: Day-Lewis has won the best-actor awards from the New York and Los Angeles (in a tie) film critics. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe and is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. According to Gangs cast member John C. Reilly (news) (who plays Happy Jack), Day-Lewis got quite sick at one point during the shooting in Italy, refusing to trade his character's threadbare coat for a warmer coat. The warmer coat would not have existed in the 19th century, he explained. Finally, doctors forced Day-Lewis to take antibiotics, O'Reilly says. When asked about that, the notoriously private Day-Lewis makes a face that indicates the tale is preposterous. Told Reilly was the source, he changes his tune. ''Maybe I did take antibiotics,'' he says. ''I got very sick at one time.'' But wait! Surely taking antibiotics was out of character? ''You got me!'' he says with a laugh. The actor, 45, won't confirm reports that he studied how to make shoes from a master cobbler in Italy during his screen absence. He will say that the only way he can act is if he takes long breaks, and that this happened to be the longest break yet. ''I didn't intend to stay away this long,'' says Day-Lewis, whose previous film was The Boxer. ''People keep reminding me it was five years, but I've got a very loose understanding of the passage of time. It passes, and I'm not aware of it.'' The actor, who describes himself as ''a lifelong study of evasion,'' says he is ''so bloody-minded'' that he never reveals anything accidentally to anyone, especially journalists. Case in point: He eloped with Rebecca Miller, playwright Arthur Miller's filmmaking daughter (Personal Velocity), days after doing interviews for The Crucible in 1996. Since he didn't tell reporters about the impending nuptials, most of them had to throw away their suddenly obsolete notes. "Nobody knew we were getting married," says Day-Lewis, who had previously been romantically linked with many women and has a son by French star Isabelle Adjani (news). (He also has two sons with Miller.) When asked to guarantee that he will not divorce, remarry or do anything else drastic before this article appears, Day-Lewis says there are no plans in his future except one. ''I can say that, this summertime, Rebecca will be making another film,'' says Day-Lewis, who lives with Miller in Ireland and also has a place in New York City. ''So our lives will be taken up with that for a few months. Beyond that, I don't know.'' In other words, don't be surprised if we have to wait another five years to see the actor on screen again.

I just love DDL. Until reading this board, I had forgotten how many of his films I have enjoyed. While I found LOTM to be the most visually droolworthy, I can't help melting every time I hear him say "take off your clothes" in TULOB. When I was managing the Ziegfeld, we hosted the premier for AOI. Most of the principals attended. Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder and even Joanne Woodward looked lovely. But my heart almost stopped when DDL entered the foyer. He was dressed in a dark green velvet vest and trousers and a white "blousey" top. (if memory serves) Has anybody got any pics from that premier? I'd love to see those long legs clad in those velvet trousers again. :o)

If you look at www.wireimage.com or one of the other photo sites, you might find some pictures from that premiere. When I saw him at a Q&A a year and a half ago for Gangs of NY, he had his head shaved and kind of looked like a thug...though the multicolored sweater he had on kinda softened that look a bit. ;-)