Daniel Day-Lewis is recognised as one of the greatest actors of all time. The Englishman has won three Academy Awards for Best Actor for his performances in My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln.
One of his most iconic performances outwith those Best Actor wins remains his outing as William 'Bill the Butcher' Cutting in Martin Scorsese's historical epic, Gangs of New York.
Day-Lewis was nominated for Gangs of New York, but lost out to Adrien Brody for The Pianist.
Within Scorsese's movie, Bill the Butcher attempts to maintain his stranglehold over the New York underworld while fighting against the onslaught of rival gangs, as well as the emergence of Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) who has revenge on his mind after the death of his father.
Day-Lewis, clearly, is having a magnificent time as the scene-stealing Cutting as he embraces his gesticulations and stares down those around him with ferocious eyes, well one normal eye and one glass eye.
He has clearly been given carte blanche to mould the character as he sees fit, and although there obviously would have been direction from Scorsese, Bill the Butcher is very much a Day-Lewis creation, even if he is based on a real man in William Poole.
What makes Day-Lewis' performance as Bill the Butcher so good?
A method actor, Day-Lewis immerses himself in any role he takes on months before the camera starts rolling. To prepare for the role, he allegedly took lessons in butchery and knife-throwing.
During the production, Day-Lewis kept himself in character even when the camera was off and this involved refusing any kind of modern food, equipment, or healthcare. He caught pneumonia on the cold set after refusing warmer clothes and medical attention, but eventually accepted help as his health worsened.
It takes a lot to make a psychopathic murderer somehow charming, but Day-Lewis manages to pull this off to the point where DiCaprio's Amsterdam undoubtedly respects the man who killed his father.
His aggressive stance on immigration is just as relevant today as it was when the movie was set, as Cutting attempts to stamp down on any emerging groups, most notably the Irish in Gangs of New York.
Cutting is a leader of men and commands not just through fear but also respect. He is in cahoots with the lowest of the low as well as men in power, and each of those who do his bidding, politician or not, must bow to his aura.
Even in the face of those with more alleged power, he commands, and demands, respect.
What have people said about Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York?
DiCaprio previously revealed how Day-Lewis did not speak to him away from scenes for the nine-month production of the movie, though he respects his fellow actor's process.
“I’ve done that to a certain degree, myself, but I think, ‘To each his own,’” DiCaprio said of the method acting.
“And I think that his level of commitment is just so absolute, and he goes home in character. … To a certain degree, I’m sure he has to kiss his child and his wife and go to bed, but that kind of level of commitment was inspiring again for me.
“I think as an actor, being able to witness that, and seeing the sort of heights of commitment like that was another stage of learning for me."
Cameron Diaz, another star of the movie, told E!: “I only knew him as Bill the entire six months we were together. He assumes his persona that maybe isn’t exactly his character, when he’s not in costume at work, but I think he always holds part of it with him in a way that is unique to his process. There’s only one Daniel Day-Lewis.”
What is Day-Lewis' best scene?
In Bill's own words, he describes to Amsterdam just how he has managed to stay alive for so long:
"Fear, the spectacle of fearsome acts"
Watch the scene below:
Did Day-Lewis win any awards for his performance?
Day-Lewis won a BAFTA and a Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor, among others, for his performance in Gangs of New York.
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