IN 1976, WHEN HE WAS 19, Daniel Day-Lewis, who is British and was trained in the grand theatri al tradition

o! Sha"es#eare and the lassi s, saw $%a&i Dri'er( and, des#ite the onsidera)le weight and see*ing o)ligation o! his heritage, reali+ed that what he longed to )e was an A*eri an a tor, $It was a real ill-*ination,( Day-Lewis told *e late in A-g-st as he sat at the ro-gh wood dining ta)le o! a d-#le& a#art*ent in downtown .anhattan, where he and his wi!e, /e)e a .iller, and their two )oys stay when in New 0or", $I saw 1%a&i Dri'er2 !i'e or si& ti*es in the !irst wee", and I was astonished )y its sheer 'is eral )ea-ty, I 3-st "e#t going )a " 4 I didn2t "now A*eri a, )-t that was a gli*#se o! what A*eri a *ight )e, and I reali+ed that, ontrary to e&#e tation, I wanted to tell A*eri an stories,( It was raining hard o-tside, and Day-Lewis, who has the loo" o! an elegant 'aga)ond, was wearing lothes see*ingly hosen *any years ago !or their -tility and s-)tle details, His loose deni* 3eans were worn so!t and white )y -se and the on e-'i)rant red #laid o! his shirt had aged into a war* *aroon, Day-Lewis is tall and lean and has tattoos ir ling his lower ar*s and the #er*anently in"ed hand#rints o! his and .iller2s two sons li*)ing -# his )ody to his sho-lders, %here were gold loo#s in ea h earlo)e, and altho-gh he had le!t his st-rdy, )eat--# leather wor" )oots o-tside the !ront door and was #adding aro-nd in his so "s, Day-Lewis still had a "ind-o!-3a-nty #or"#ie hat on his head, %he hat o'ered his long )la " hair and set o!! the onto-rs o! his !a e, whi h is do*inated )y his no)le, )ashed nose,

5illian Edelstein Daniel Day-Lewis in the r-gged solit-de o! L-ggala, Ireland, /elated Daniel Day-Lewis2s All-%i*e %o# Westerns 6No'e*)er 17, 87779

%he :ld Warrior 6No'e*)er 17, 87779

%o# and enter; <ran ois D-ha*el=>ara*o-nt ?antage, A)o'e; .elinda S-e @ordon=>ara*o-nt ?antage Digging Dee#ly In his !orth o*ing !il* $%here Will Be Blood,( Day-Lewis

see"s !ort-ne, glory and oil in t-rn-o!-the- ent-ry Aali!ornia, $Where I o*e !ro*, it was a heresy to say yo- wanted to )e in *o'ies, lea'e alone A*eri an *o'ies,( Day-Lewis ontin-ed, as he ate a hi "en-salad sandwi h, $We were all en o-raged to )elie'e that the lassi s o! the theater were the !iery hoo#s thro-gh whi h yo-2d ha'e to #ass i! yo- were going to ha'e any sel!-estee* as a #er!or*er, It ne'er o -rred to *e that that was the ase, :ne o! the great #ri'ileges o! ha'ing grown -# in a *iddle- lass literary English ho-sehold, )-t ha'ing gone to s hool in the !ront lines in So-theast London, was that I )e a*e hal!-street--r hin and hal!-good-)oy at ho*e, I "new that di hoto*y was #ossi)le, England is o)sessed with where yo- a*e !ro*, and they are deter*ined to "ee# yo- in that #la e, )e it in a drawing roo* or in the g-tter, %he great tradition o! li)eralis* in England is essentially a s#onge that a)sor)s all #ossi)ility o! hange, A*eri a loo"ed di!!erent to *e; the idea o! A*eri a as a #la e o! in!inite #ossi)ilities was de!ined !or *e thro-gh the *o'ies, I2* glad I did the lassi al wor" that I did, )-t it 3-st wasn2t !or *e, I2* a little )it #er'erse, and I 3-st hate doing the thing that2s the *ost o)'io-s,(

Day-Lewis la-ghed and dran" so*e gra#e!r-it 3-i e, While he *ay a##ear a )it ro-gh, his de*eanor is o-rtly, 0o- ha'e to #ossess so*ething -tterly to #-sh it away, and whether it2s his e&tre*e good loo"s, whi h he o)s -res )eneath the tra##ings o! a )ohe*ian #irate, or his -lt-red )a "gro-nd, whi h he dis#arages, Day-Lewis has an intense attra tion to the o##osite o! whate'er he a*e )y easily, He is #arti -larly o*#elled )y the idea o! s#ontaneity, )-t there is nothing slo##y or ha#ha+ard a)o-t hi*, and that lends Day-Lewis, des#ite his areworn lothes, a B-ality o! gra e, He is *ost 'ol-)le and #assionate on the s-)3e t o! !il*, He lo'es e'en )ad *o'ies and li"es to analy+e the wor" o! a tors #ast and #resent, Day-Lewis re'eres the greats 4 Brando, DeNiro 4 )-t he is intrig-ed )y all "inds o! #er!or*an es, He disli"es 5ohn Wayne, lo'es @ary Aoo#er, #re!ers the 5i**y Stewart o! Aa#ra2s lassi #i t-res to the Stewart o! Anthony .ann2s westerns and is !as inated )y Alint Eastwood, $I -sed to go to all-night s reenings o! his *o'ies,( Day-Lewis re alled, $I2d stagger o-t at C in the *orning, trying to )e loose-li*)ed and *ean and ta it-rn,( He #a-sed, $.y lo'e !or A*eri an *o'ies was li"e a se ret that I arried aro-nd with *e, I always "new I o-ld straddle di!!erent worlds, I2d grown -# in two di!!erent worlds and i! yo- an grow -# in two di!!erent worlds, yo- an o -#y !o-r, :r si&, Why #-t a li*it on itD(

Sin e 1998, when he de!tly na'igated two identities as Haw"eye, the heroi

white !rontiers*an raised as a Nati'e A*eri an, in $Last o! the .ohi ans,( Day-Lewis has #layed *any A*eri ans, I! .artin S orsese, who is, o! o-rse, the dire tor o! $%a&i Dri'er,( had not )een the one to a##roa h hi* a)o-t the role o! the 'ag-ely E-ro entri Newland Ar her in $%he Age o! Inno en e,( he wo-ld ha'e t-rned it down, $%oo English,( Day-Lewis e&#lained, $I was ho#ing he2d as" *e to do so*ething *ore ro-gh-and-t-*)le,( When S orsese did, with $@angs o! New 0or",( in 8777, Day-Lewis thrilled to the han e to #lay Bill the B-t her, a 'iolent "ing o! the ity, In his latest !il*, $%here Will Be Blood,( whi h o#ens ne&t *onth and was written and dire ted )y >a-l %ho*as Anderson, Day-Lewis #ortrays a *an who is sear hing !or his !ort-ne in oil in t-rn-o!-the- ent-ry Aali!ornia, %he hara ter is loosely )ased on Edward Doheny, who started o-t as an itinerant #ros#e tor loo"ing !or gold and sil'er and )e a*e the *illionaire who headed the >an A*eri an >etrole-* and %rans#ort Ao*#any, $%here Will Be Blood( is a)o-t the l-re o! the West, the into&i ating sense o! !reedo* and o##ort-nity that an )e !o-nd in new lands and the osts o! h-ge and s-dden s- ess, %here are shades o! -rrent #oliti s in the !il* 4 the oil and the greed still resonate 4 )-t it is, *ostly, a $Aiti+en Eane(-esB-e hara ter st-dy a)o-t the orr-#ting desire !or #ower and ri hes, %he tale it tells is, in *any ways, a story a)o-t what is right, and wrong, with A*eri a,

$I was dee#ly -nsettled )y the s ri#t,( Day-Lewis said, $<or *e, that is a s-re sign, I! yo- re*ain -nsettled )y a #ie e o! writing, it *eans yo- are not wat hing the story !ro* the o-tsideF yo-2'e already ta"en a ste# toward it, When I2* drawn to so*ething, I ta"e a resol-te ste# )a "ward, and I as" *ysel! i! I an really ser'e this story as well as it needs to )e ser'ed, I! I don2t thin" I an do that, no *atter how a##ealing, I will de line, What !inally ta"es o'er, what too" o'er with this *o'ie, is an ill-sion o! ine'ita)ility,( Day-Lewis s*iled, $I thin"; Aan this really )e tr-eD Is this ha##ening to *e againD Is there no way to a'oid thisD(

I% WAS A:..EN%S LIEE %HESE that ha'e led 5i* Sheridan, the dire tor o! three !il*s starring Daniel Day-Lewis 4 in l-ding 19G92s $.y Le!t <oot,( !or whi h he won the A ade*y Award !or Best A tor 4 to re*ar" that Day-Lewis $hates a ting,( Sheridan says he )elie'es that Day-Lewis o*#letely re3e ts the idea o! $a ting( an e*otion or *o*ent, Instead, li"e the greats he ad*ires 6Brando and De Niro, )e!ore they started wor"ing !or the *oney9, he needs to !-lly e*)ody a hara ter, %hat sort o! detailed, eng-l!ing wor" is ti*e- ons-*ing and ener'ating, Whi h #artly e&#lains why Day-Lewis has long ga#s )etween roles and has only *ade !o-r !il*s in the last 17 years,

>art o! Day-Lewis2s hesitation o*es !ro* the "nowledge that his *ethod o! wor"ing de*ands near-total i**ersion in the li!e o! his hara ter, Des#ite the !a t that he is the *ost eloB-ent o! *en, a)le to s#ea" e&te*#oraneo-sly in !lowing #aragra#hs witho-t the -se o! olloB-ialis*s, he is -nwilling to e&#ose the *e hani s o! his a ting #ro ess, $It2s not that I want to #-ll the sh-tters down,( Day-Lewis said, as he !inished his sandwi h, $It2s 3-st that #eo#le ha'e s- h a *is on e#tion a)o-t what it is I do, %hey thin" the hara ter o*es !ro* staying in the wheel hair or )eing lo "ed in the 3ail or whate'er e&tra'agant thing they hoose to !o -s their !antasies on, So*ehow, it always see*s to ha'e a sel!-!lagellatory as#e t to it, B-t that2s 3-st the s-#er!i ial st-!!, .ost o! the *o'ies that I do are leading *e toward a li!e that is -tterly *ysterio-s to *e, .y hie! goal is to !ind a way to *a"e that li!e *eaning!-l to other #eo#le,(

As a teenager, Day-Lewis st-died woodwor"ing and, tr-e to the di'ide in his nat-re, he wanted to )e o*e a ra!ts*an 4 a *a"er, rather than a designer, o! !-rnit-re, He en3oyed the tools, the wor"sho#, the onstr- tion, Be!ore he a##lied to theater s hool, the Bristol :ld ?i 6$I #i "ed 3-st one )e a-se then it wo-ld )e a sign !ro* the gods i! it was not *eant to )e,( Day-Lewis e&#lained9, he a##lied !or an a##renti eshi# with a well-"nown a)inet*a"er, When he was a e#ted at dra*a s hool, he o**itted hi*sel! !-lly to a ting, )-t Day-Lewis ne'er ga'e -# his interest in the #ro ess o! honing a s"ill, <or his !il*s, at least initially, i*agining the li!e o! his hara ters o!ten in'ol'es a "ind o! #hysi al in'ention o! their world, D-ring $Last o! the .ohi ans,( he )-ilt a anoe, learned to tra " and s"in ani*als and #er!e ted the -se o! a 18-#o-nd !lintlo " g-n, whi h he too" e'erywhere he went, e'en to a Ahrist*as dinner, He was !irst attra ted to $.y Le!t <oot,( the story o! Ahristy Brown, a *an with ere)ral #alsy who )e a*e a renowned #ainter and writer in Ireland, )y the o#ening s ene o! the s ri#t; Ahristy2s le!t !oot #-ts a re ord on a t-rnta)le, there2s a s"i# and the !oot #i "s the needle -# and then #-ts it down again, $I "new it o-ldn2t )e done,( Day-Lewis said, $and that intrig-ed *e,( A!ter wee"s o! #ra ti e and eight wee"s s#ent with ere)ral#alsy #atients, Day-Lewis *astered the s ene on the !irst ta"e, <or $%here Will )e Blood,( he st-died the histori #eriod !or nearly two years and )e a*e o*!orta)le with the tools o! Aali!ornia oil*en ir a 1977,

B-t that resear h, as well as the "it hen ta)le he )-ilt !or $Ballad o! 5a " and /ose( and the hea'y "ni'es he learned to throw !or $@angs o! New 0or"( and the s ent that he tho-ght Newland Ar her wo-ld !a'or in $%he Age o!

Inno en e,( is all 3-st a #reli*inary inB-iry into what, !inally, e*erges on s reen, !-lly drawn, %hose details, howe'er interesting, are li"e *ood lighting 4 they set the stage !or sed- tion, )-t they do not e&#lain how Day-Lewis *elds with the hara ters he on3-res,

$%his wor" reB-ires an -n-s-al o*)ination o! B-alities,( Day-Lewis said, He #i "ed -# a olander !-ll o! washed herries and headed into a s*all o+y den o!! the large re tang-lar li'ing roo*, %he a#art*ent was s#arsely de orated with o*!orta)le hairs and a well-worn #ale )l-e so!a, %he o- h was #iled with !olded )edding 4 his yo-nger son, Aashel, had le!t his )ed -#stairs and sle#t there, $He wanted to )e nearer to -s,( Day-Lewis re*ar"ed, %here was a large, #er!e tly reali+ed *odel sail)oat #la ed on a low ta)le, $%hat was a gi!t !ro* /e)e a,( Day-Lewis said, $:ne o! the !ew things I did with *y dad was sail a )oat in the ro-nd #ond at Hyde >ar",( A )ea-ti!-l )lea hed-wood grand!ather lo " stood against the "it hen wall, and a large #ainting o! a 'i'id garden h-ng in the entry to the *aster )edroo*, $I did that one,( Day-Lewis said, as he sat on a low des" hair, Strewn on the !loor aro-nd hi* were se'eral *otor y le *aga+ines; one o! Day-Lewis2s #assions is .oto@>, the o*#etiti'e )i"e to-rna*ent, whi h is #o#-lar e'erywhere 6altho-gh so*ewhat less so in A*eri a9, %his s-**er, he )orrowed a @SH/ 1777 )i"e and rode at 187 *,#,h, !ro* Los Angeles to Lag-na Se a to heer on his hero, the legendary ha*#ion ?alentino /ossi, When Day-Lewis s#o"e a)o-t /ossi, it was in the sa*e ad-latory tones he reser'ed !or De Niro, Brando and .ontgo*ery Ali!t, $I2* a gro-#ie,( he said, $/ossi is a geni-s, %here are so*e #arallels )etween what he does and what those a tors do 4 his wor" reB-ires )oth a great deal o! dis i#line and a wildness o! s#irit, With a ting, there is always that intangi)le as#e t that goes )eyond the #ra ti al !ra*ewor", Brando had that 4 the !reedo* that he had was *ore the instin ti'e !reedo* o! an ani*al at ti*es than a h-*an, And De NiroI %he world he o!!ered in his #er!or*an es had a #al#a)le h-*anity, I was -tterly s-re that he was that *an in 1%a&i Dri'er,2 I ha'e no idea )y what *eans he arri'ed at that )-t, I dare say, at so*e #oint, he on'in ed hi*sel! that he was that *an too,(

>art o! what Day-Lewis ad*ires so *- h a)o-t A*eri an *o'ies is their la " o! insisten e on the "ind o! )rilliant dialog-e that hara teri+es *- h o! the theater, He dis#arages the idea o! le'er tal", or the British gi!t !or lang-age, Day-Lewis )ristled when I *entioned, ad*iringly, that he was so arti -late, $I a* *ore greatly *o'ed )y #eo#le who str-ggle to e&#ress the*sel'es,( he said, so-nding a little *is-nderstood, $.ay)e it2s a *iddle- lass British hang-#, )-t I #re!er the a)stra t on e#t o! in oheren e in the !a e o! great

!eeling to )ea-ti!-l, !-ll senten es that on'ey little e*otion,(

Day-Lewis #a-sed and ate a !ew herries, $It was always ass-*ed that the lassi s were a good line o! wor" !or *e )e a-se I had a de ent 'oi e and the right nose, B-t any)ody who o*es !ro* an essentially yni al E-ro#ean so iety is going to )e )ewit hed )y the sheer enth-sias* o! the New World, And in A*eri a, the arti -late -se o! lang-age is o!ten regarded with s-s#i ion, Es#e ially in the West, Loo" at the #resident, He o-ld tal" li"e an ed- ated New Englander i! he hose to, Instead, he holds his hands li"e a *an who swings an a&, B-sh -nderstands, 'ery ast-tely, that *any o! the #eo#le who are going to 'ote !or hi* wo-ld regard hi* less highly i! he "new how to #-t words together, He wo-ld no longer )e one o! the*, In E-ro#e, the tradition is one o! oratory, B-t in A*eri a, a *an2s *an is ne'er s#endthri!t with words,( Day-Lewis s*iled, $%his, o! o-rse, is *- h *ore a##ealing in the *o'ies than it is in #oliti s,(

WHEN DANIEL DA0-LEWIS agreed to star in $%here Will Be Blood,( the writerdire tor >a-l %ho*as Anderson s-ggested he wat h a n-*)er o! !il*s, in l-ding $%he %reas-re o! the Sierra .adre,( whi h is a "ind o! e&istential western, %he 19JG !il*, whi h stars H-*#hrey Bogart, !ollows three A*eri ans as they h-nt !or gold and !ind wealth in .e&i o, Li"e *any westerns, the *o'ie is *oralisti at heart; the hara ter o! the *en is tested )y their s-dden good !ort-ne and, to B-ote !ro* the !il*2s dire tor 5ohn H-ston, they $stew in their own 3-i e,(

$It2s *y !a'orite *o'ie,( Anderson told *e one a!ternoon in early : to)er, %he writer-dire tor o! $Boogie Nights( and $>-n h Dr-n" Lo'e,( a*ong other !il*s, Anderson has always see*ed interested in how !ate interse ts with hara ter, es#e ially in the o#enness o! Aali!ornia, $All o! li!e2s B-estions and answers are in 1%he %reas-re o! Sierra .adre,2 ( he said, $It2s a)o-t greed and a*)ition and #aranoia and loo"ing at the worst #arts o! yo-rsel!, When I was writing 1%here Will Be Blood,2 I wo-ld #-t 1%he %reas-re o! the Sierra .adre2 on )e!ore I went to )ed at night, 3-st to !all aslee# to it,(

Anderson )egan writing the s ri#t when he a*e a ross the *- "ra"ing no'el $:ilI( )y K#ton Sin lair, in a )oo"store in London, $I was ho*esi ",( he re alled, $and the )oo" had a #ainting o! Aali!ornia on the o'er,( He ended -# ada#ting only the !irst 1C7 #ages o! $:ilI( whose *ain hara ter was a

o*#osite o! *any *en, a*ong the* Edward Doheny, $A!ter a !ew tri#s to Ba"ers!ield, where they ha'e *-se-*s de'oted to the early oil*en, I started to get a sense o! the !il*, %he *-se-*s are largely trailers with a lot o! oil eB-i#*ent lying aro-nd the yard, Ba " in the day, eno-gh #eo#le had a*eras, and they too" a lot o! #i t-res, :il !ields were an interesting thing to #hotogra#h, and that resear h *ade it easy to #-t the #ie es o! their ti*es together,(

%he *o'ie on entrates on the !inan ial as ent and s#irit-al de line o! a Doheny-li"e !ig-re, $Doheny set o-t !ro* the East Aoast at the tail end o! the wild, wild West,( Anderson ontin-ed, $.en !ro* all o'er the o-ntry were o*ing o-t to the New .e&i o territory to *a"e their !ort-ne, And they started loo"ing !or oil -sing *any o! the sa*e te hniB-es that they had -sed to loo" !or sil'er,( Day-Lewis was str- " )y their +eal, $I read a lot o! orres#onden e dating !ro* that #eriod,( he told *e in his a#art*ent, $De ent *iddle- lass li'es with wi'es and hildren were a)andoned to #-rs-e this el-si'e #ossi)ility, %hey were )an" ler"s and shi##ing agents and tea hers, %hey all !led West !or a sni!! o! hea# *oney, And they *ade it -# as they went along, No one "new how to drill !or oil, Initially, they s oo#ed it o-t o! the gro-nd in sa- e#ans, It was *an at his *ost ani*alisti , si!ting thro-gh !ilth to !ind )right, s#ar"ly things,(

$%here Will )e Blood( #resents a B-intessentially A*eri an story o! *ani!est destiny twinned with the lessons o! a #ara)le, $Ba " then,( Day-Lewis said, $*en wo-ld get the !e'er, %hey wo-ld "ee# digging, always with the idea that ne&t ti*e they2ll throw the di e and the *oney will !all o-t o! the s"y, It "illed a lot o! *en, it )ro"e others, still *ore were red- ed to des#air and #o'erty, )-t they still )elie'ed in the #ro*ise o! the West,( In the *o'ie wor" he hooses to a e#t, Day-Lewis is o!ten drawn to the #-sh-#-ll o! a*)itio-s drea*s and their onseB-en es, as re!le ted in a "ind o! !rontiers*an, Daniel >lain'iew, in $%here Will Be Blood,( is in ertain ways a -rdled 'ersion o! the *an #laying hi*; the !e'er an gri# an a tor too,

It was di!!i -lt to raise the *oney !or $%here Will Be Blood,( whi h ga'e DayLewis al*ost two years to #re#are !or the role, He s#ent nearly all that ti*e in Ireland, where he and his !a*ily li'e !or *- h o! the year in a ho*e in the o-ntryside o-tside D-)lin, $I li"e to learn a)o-t things,( Day-Lewis said, $It was 3-st a great ti*e trying to on ei'e o! the i*#ossi)ility o! that thing, I didn2t "now anything a)o-t *ining at the t-rn o! the ent-ry in A*eri a, .y

)oarding s hool in Eent didn2t e&a tly tea h that,(

When !il*ing started in 5-ne 8776 on a ran h in .ar!a, %e&,, Day-Lewis arri'ed in the hara ter o! Daniel >lain'iew, Anderson tried to shoot the s ri#t in seB-en e and *ost o! the sets 6with the nota)le e& e#tion o! the real Doheny *ansion, whi h has an in-ho-se )owling alley and whi h is lo ated in Be'erly Hills9 were within the on!ines o! the 'ast ran h, $%he ran h,( DayLewis re alled, $allowed yo- to ha'e the ill-sion o! an ad'ent-re that2s shared to the e& l-sion o! all other things and #eo#le, We were drilling !or oil, and that was that,(

Hal!way thro-gh the 67-day shoot, Anderson reali+ed that the se ond lead a tor, who #lays >lain'iew2s ne*esis, was not strong eno-gh, He was re#la ed )y the 'ersatile yo-ng a tor >a-l Dano, )-t three wee"s o! s enes with Day-Lewis needed to )e reshot, D-ring $@angs o! New 0or",( Day-Lewis wo-ld stay in hara ter and deli)erately glare at his o-star, Leonardo DiAa#rio, *irroring the ontentio-s dyna*i that these *en had in the !il*, While DiAa#rio withstood the #ress-re 6and Dano thri'ed on it9 there are re#orts that the !irst a tor s-!!ered !ro* inti*idation, $It 3-st wasn2t the right !it,( Anderson e&#lained di#lo*ati ally,

$In the )eginning on 1%here Will Be Blood,2 ( Day-Lewis re alled, $we were str-ggling,( He loo"ed al*ost glee!-l, $It2s always what doesn2t wor" that is *ost -se!-l,( :! o-rse, this so-nds *ore li"e a Brit than an A*eri an, %here2s a s-)tlety in Day-Lewis2s #er!or*an e in this *o'ie that *ay ste* !ro* his o-tsiderness, He grew -# on Sha"es#eare, not westerns, and as a res-lt, he is not stee#ed in li hLs a)o-t oil )arons, #ros#e tors and their il", Knli"e an A*eri an a tor who *ight ha'e a##roa hed the #ro3e t with )ig ar hety#es in *ind, Day-Lewis in'ented the hara ter, Whi h is *ore or less what the West has always allowed,

:N AN KNKSKALL0 WA/. and )right day in Se#te*)er, Day-Lewis was dri'ing his )la ", )eat--# B.W thro-gh the narrow o-ntry roads in the gorgeo-s, -nde'elo#ed tree- o'ered *o-ntains so-th o! D-)lin, We too" a rossroad alled Sally @a#, heading -# a stee# li*) toward a s#ot alled L-ggala, where the 'iew, Day-Lewis hinted, wo-ld, in so*e !-nda*ental way, e&#lain all that he lo'ed a)o-t this o-ntry, He )egan 'isiting Ireland with his !ather, Ae il Day-Lewis, the #oet la-reate o! England, when he was J, Ae il,

li"e Daniel, o -#ied *any worlds; he was )orn in Ireland, and e'ery s-**er, Daniel and his older sister, %a*asin, were ta"en to li'e in o-ntry inns along its western oast, $It was glorio-s,( Day-Lewis said, He was wearing a )-rg-ndy ord-roy shirt, #ants in a !aded *-stard he " and a )elted oli'e green rain 3a "et that was so weather)eaten the thi " otton had so!tened to s-ede, He learly lo'ed the road and was an e& ellent dri'er, $<ro* the day we arri'ed here,( Day-Lewis ontin-ed, $*y sense o! Ireland2s i*#ortan e has ne'er di*inished, E'erything here see*ed e&oti to -s, 5-st the so-nd o! the west o! Ireland in a #erson2s 'oi e an a!!e t *e dee#ly,( In 199M, a!ter s#ending *- h o! his ti*e there, Day-Lewis also o)tained an Irish #ass#ort and now holds d-al iti+enshi#, $I dare say it was still onsidered to )e an a)andon*ent o! England,( he re*ar"ed, as he neatly #assed a B-i "ly on o*ing ar, $A )etrayalI A heresyI It is not e&#e ted that so*eone !ro* *y )a "gro-nd will lea'e England, B-t I2'e o**itted so *any heresies that there2s no sense in not *a"ing the !inal gest-re,(

Ae il Day-Lewis was also dee#ly drawn to Ireland and wrote $%he Whis#ering /oots and :ther >oe*s,( whi h -nders ored his an estral ties to the o-ntry, When Daniel was )orn, his !ather anno-n ed his )irth )y #-)lishing a #oe* entitled $%he New)orn,( In #art, it reads; $We ti*e-worn !ol" renew=:-rsel'es at yo-r en hanted s#ring,=As tho-gh *an"ind2s )eg-n=Again in yo-,=%his is yo-r )irthday and o-r than"sgi'ing,(

At the ti*e o! Daniel2s )irth, Ae il Day-Lewis was CM, He had wor"ed as a translator and had written #-l# no'els -nder an alias, :ne, $%he S*iler With the Eni!e,( a s#y thriller with a #oliti al the*e, was ada#ted !or the *o'ies )y :rson Welles, )-t the !il* was ne'er *ade, Ae il Day-Lewis was a Ao**-nist in his M7s and was lose to W, H, A-den and Ste#hen S#ender, Daniel2s *other, 5ill Bal on, was his !ather2s se ond wi!e and an a tress whose !ather, Sir .i hael Bal on, was the head o! Ealing St-dios, one o! England2s #redo*inant !il* st-dios, Ae il, li"e a good so ialist, sent Daniel to a #-)li s hool in So-th London rather than a #osh a ade*y, When his #arents reali+ed that Daniel was not )eing #ro#erly ed- ated, they enrolled hi* in )oarding s hool, where he was *isera)le, <inally, Daniel attended a #rogressi'e s hool alled Bedales, Day-Lewis2s a ade*i tra'ails introd- ed hi* to a wide range o! British so iety, $I a*e !ro* the ed- ated *iddle lass,( Day-Lewis said, $)-t I identi!ied with the wor"ing lasses, %hose were the #eo#le I loo"ed -# to, %he lads whose !athers wor"ed on the do "s or in shi##ing yards or were sho#"ee#ers, I "new that I wasn2t #art o! that world, )-t I was intrig-ed )y it, %hey had a di!!erent way o! o**-ni ating, >eo#le who delight in on'ersation are o!ten -sing that as a *eans to not say what

is on their *inds, When I )e a*e interested in theater, the wor" I ad*ired was )eing done )y wor"ing- lass writers, It was o!ten a)o-t the inarti -late, I later saw that sa*e thing in De Niro2s early wor" 4 it was the *ost s-)li*e str-ggle o! a *an trying to e&#ress hi*sel!, %here was s- h #oetry in that !or *e,(

When he was in his early teens, Day-Lewis #er!or*ed a one-)oy 'ersion o! Harold >inter2s $D-*) Waiter,( and he was an e&tra in the !il* $S-nday Bloody S-nday,( $I was 3-st a lo al "id,( he said, as he whi++ed #ast a )-sload o! to-rists o-t to see the o-ntryside, $I got to o*e o-t o! the h-r h, the sa*e h-r h where I sang in the hoir, and s rat h -# a row o! ars 4 a 5ag, a Bentley 4 #ar"ed in !ront, I tho-ght, I get #aid !or thisI 0ears later, I saw the dire tor, 5ohn S hlesinger, at the Edin)-rgh !esti'al, where we were showing 1.y Bea-ti!-l La-ndrette,2 I #lay a hooligan #-n" in that too, I said to S hlesinger, I g-ess I ha'en2t #rogressed *- h,(

In 197C, he re'ised his #er!or*an e in $%he D-*) Waiter( and a-ditioned !or the Bristol theater s hool, $I tho-ght *y heart wo-ld )rea" i! I didn2t get in,( he told *e, At s hool, Day-Lewis i**ediately )ristled at )eing )o&ed into the lassi s 6$:ne tea her was always trying to throw a loa" aro-nd *e(9 )-t too" re!-ge in the wor" o! Barrie Eee!e, a %hat her-era #laywright, who wrote 'i'id dis#at hes !ro* wor"ing- lass li!e,

Day-Lewis also st-died a !or* o! a ting rooted in the Stanisla's"y Syste*, $It was li"e ha##ening on -to#ia,( he said, as we ontin-ed -# the *o-ntain, $%he thing that Stanisla's"y lays o-t is how yo- do the thing the !irst ti*e e'ery ti*e 4 1,777 ti*es, %hat2s the idea yo-2re always sear hing !or,( Sir La-ren e :li'ier !a*o-sly dis*issed Stanisla's"y2s tea hingsF the te hniB-e was *- h *ore a e#ted )y A*eri an a tors, $:li'ier *ight ha'e )een a *- h )etter a tor on !il* i! he hadn2t had that !li##ant attit-de,( Day-Lewis said with annoyan e, $:li'ier was a re*ar"a)le a tor, )-t he was entirely *issing the #oint onsistently, He !elt that !il* was an in!erior !or*,( DayLewis #a-sed, $<or a !ew years at s hool I tried to #lay the roles they wanted *e to #lay, )-t it )e a*e less and less interesting to #on e aro-nd the #la e, E'en now, when I so*eti*es thin" o! doing a #lay, I thin" o! rehearsal roo*s and #eo#le h-gging and e'eryone tal"ing o'er -#s o! o!!ee )e a-se they are ner'o-s, It2s )oth 'ery to- hing and it *a"es *e a little na-seo-s and la-stro#ho)i , %oo *- h tal", I don2t rehearse at all in !il* i! I an hel# it, In tal"ing a hara ter thro-gh, yo- de!ine it, And i! yo- de!ine it, yo- "ill it

dead,( Day-Lewis #a-sed, $I2'e *anaged to reate a sense o! )anish*ent in so *any di!!erent areas o! *y li!e, I li'e in Ireland, not England, I *a"e !il*s in A*eri a, And now I2* )anished !ro* the theater )e a-se I2'e slagged it o!! so *- h, And I did the -ns#ea"a)le thing o! !leeing !ro* 1Ha*let,2 (

His 'oi e trailed o!!, %he last ti*e he was onstage was d-ring a 19G9 #rod- tion o! $Ha*let( at the National %heatre in London, Day-Lewis had already )eg-n a##earing in !il*s, and $.y Le!t <oot( was a)o-t to win hi* an :s ar, D-ring the #lay, he had a strange sensation that he was tal"ing to his !ather, who died o! #an reati an er when Day-Lewis was 1C, Knner'ed, he wal"ed o!! the stage and ne'er ret-rned to that stage or, to date, to any other, %hose lose to Day-Lewis warned *e not to )ring -# the $Ha*let( in ident, and I didn2t, )-t it learly was a *o*ent o! de*ar ation; he reali+ed his #la e was elsewhere,

$Eno-gh tal",( Day-Lewis said as we roared *ore B-i "ly -# the *o-ntain, He slid a AD o! Irish !ol" *-si )y the )and >lan&ty into the so-nd syste*, and the ar was !illed with layers o! *andolins and g-itars, $Nothing I say will )e *ore eloB-ent than this *-si ,( Day-Lewis said, %he so-ndtra " was a #er!e t a o*#ani*ent to the endless gray s"y, whi h see*ed to ollide with the )rilliant green o! the trees, A!ter !i'e *in-tes o! *-si and nat-re and in reasingly stee#, narrow roads, Day-Lewis neatly #ar"ed the ar near the )ri* o! a li!!, %he 'iew was *agni!i ent, He got o-t o! the ar and stood in the wind, staring o-t at the o-ntryside, $It2s easy to lo'e h-*anity when yo-2re this !ar away !ro* it,( he hal!-3o"ed, $B-t, tr-ly, there2s a B-ality o! wildness that e&ists in Ireland that oin ides with -tter solit-de, %his #la e has always ontained the s#ell !or *e,(

BE<:/E HE BE@AN telling A*eri an stories, Day-Lewis wanted to tell Irish stories, In 19GC, a!ter his )rea"thro-gh role as the gay street #-n" in $.y Bea-ti!-l La-ndrette( and a s-)seB-ent #art in .er hant-I'ory2s $A /oo* With A ?iew,( Day-Lewis resisted the idea o! #laying English *en in English *o'ies, $Why wo-ld I want to #lay *iddle-aged *iddle- lass English*enD( Day-Lewis re*ar"ed as we sat in H-nter2s Hotel in a town alled /athnew, %he s*all roo* was o+y, with hint+- o'ered hairs, and a !ire was )-rning, $It2s a )og !ire,( Day-Lewis e&#lained, $It has the s*ell o! earth,( Day-Lewis ordered tea and s ones and re*o'ed his tweed a#, When he was yo-nger, the #ro#rietor s olded Daniel and a dr-n" !riend, who threw -# in the !ire#la e, #-tting o-t the !la*es, $She said, 1Se'eral generations o! g-ests in

#ro#er attire ha'e )een o*ing here,2 ( Day-Lewis re alled, $ 1I ho#e yo-2re not going to lower the tone,2 ( He la-ghed at the *e*ory, %here is so*ething a)o-t Ireland that reass-res and )olsters his re)ellio-s s#irit, In England, #erha#s he !eared he wo-ld )e sB-el hed, *ade ordinary, old, He intentionally hose to #lay the #riggish, sno))ish Ae il ?yse in $A /oo* With A ?iew,( he said, in order to $-nderstand what it is to )e that *an and there)y a'oid the #ossi)ility o! e'er )e o*ing hi*,( And that sealed it 4 he too" his areer to Ireland and A*eri a,

D-ring the *a"ing o! $.y Le!t <oot,( Day-Lewis !o-nd a slow, *eti -lo-s way that he o-ld wor", $I needed 4 and I still need 4 to reate a #arti -lar en'iron*ent,( he said as the tea was #la ed on a low )rass ta)le, $I need to !ind the right "ind o! silen e or light or noise, Whate'er is ne essary 4 and it is always di!!erent, I "now it so-nds a little !-ssy and a little ridi -lo-s, )-t !inding yo-r own rhyth* is one o! the *ost i*#ortant things yo- an dis o'er a)o-t yo-rsel!, And yo- ha'e to o)ser'e it, As a tors, we2re all en o-raged to !eel that ea h 3o) is the last 3o), %hey #lant so*e little ele trode in yo-r head at an early stage and yo- thin", Be grate!-l, )e grate!-l, )e grate!-l, So, it2s not witho-t a sense o! gratit-de that I wor", B-t I o-ldn2t do this wor" at all -nless I did it in *y own rhyth*, It )e a*e a hoi e )etween sto##ing and ta"ing the ti*e I needed,(

He has had )l-e #eriods 4 de#ressions and retreats, e'en a!ter the s- ess o! the early *o'ies, A!ter the !il*ing o! .ilan E-ndera2s no'el $%he Kn)eara)le Lightness o! Being,( in whi h he #layed %o*Ns, a wo*ani+ing A+e h s-rgeon rel- tantly drawn into the o-ntry2s #oliti s, Day-Lewis onsidered gi'ing -# a ting, $I was ho#elessly at sea,( he told *e, )-ttering a s one, $I was e&tre*ely -nha##y *ost o! the ti*e, I thin" I #ro)a)ly !elt I2d *ade a !-nda*ental error in agreeing to do that *o'ie e'en tho-gh it was the #art and the !il* that e'eryone wanted to do, And @od hel# -s, that is, in itsel!, a reason not to do so*ething,(

A!ter the *o'ie was o*#leted, Day-Lewis and Hani! E-reishi, the writer o! $.y Bea-ti!-l La-ndrette,( wo-ld tele#hone ea h other and share dar" #assages !ro* .ilton, Day-Lewis e'ent-ally too" o!! and wandered tho-gh E-ro#e with a s*all water olor "it, In 19G9 or so, he )egan a ro*an e with the <ren h a tress Isa)elle Ad3ani 6another to#i I was instr- ted not to *ention9, and they had a son, @a)riel, in 199C, She was a B-ddhist, and he too" to wearing a red ord aro-nd his ne " that had )een )lessed )y the

Dalai La*a, B-t the relationshi# with Ad3ani was t-*-lt-o-sF @a)riel li'es with his *other, and Day-Lewis did not s#ea" to *e a)o-t hi*, He is learly de'oted to his two yo-ng sons with .iller, He re#eatedly *ar'eled at their a)ilities; /onan 6who is 99 draws )ea-ti!-lly and has a de'astating right ross #-n hF Aashel 6who is C9 has a #otent i*aginationF they )oth lo'ed %e&as, and ea h #er!e ted their !ather2s a ent in $%here Will )e Blood,(

Be!ore his *arriage to .iller and the )irth o! their hildren, Day-Lewis wo-ld a ti'ely try to re*o'e hi*sel! !ro* what was !a*iliar, going where'er his wor" or hara ter too" hi*, With the role o! Ahristy Brown in $.y Le!t <oot,( he !o-nd a "ind o! re!-ge, $I learned how to so-nd#roo! *ysel!,( he said, ta"ing a )ite o! s one, $>laying the #art o! Ahristy Brown le!t *e with a sense o! setting *ysel! on a o-rse, o! trying to a hie'e so*ething that was -tterly o-t o! rea h,(

He e'ent-ally *ade two *ore Irish !il*s with 5i* Sheridan, the dire tor o! $.y Le!t <oot,( <or $In the Na*e o! the <ather,( the story o! @erry Aonlon, who was i*#risoned !or an a t o! terroris* he ne'er o**itted, Day-Lewis s#ent ti*e in #risons and, !or an interrogation s ene, went three days witho-t slee#, <or $%he Bo&er,( he learned to )o& to #lay the *ain hara ter, another Irish*an a-ght -# in the %ro-)les in Bel!ast, $I wanted to see i! I lo'ed the s#ort, )e a-se i! I didn2t lo'e the s#ort, I wo-ldn2t want to tell the story,( DayLewis said, He !o-nd ertain #arallels )etween )o&ing and a ting, $At its )est, )o&ing is 'ery #-re, It reB-ires resilien e and heart and sel!-)elie! e'en a!ter it2s )een "no "ed o-t o! yo-, It2s a ertain "ind o! a test, And it2s hard; the training alone will "ill yo-, And that2s )e!ore #eo#le start gi'ing yo- a dig,(

In 1991, Day-Lewis was o!!ered $Last o! the .ohi ans,( whi h reB-ired hi* to ill-strate the history o! a o-ntry he "new al*ost nothing a)o-t, Day-Lewis had )arely 'isited A*eri a 6the !irst ti*e was on a day tri# to Seattle !or $.y Bea-ti!-l La-ndrette( when he was in his 87s9, and he had ne'er st-died the o-ntry in any detail, What he "new o! A*eri a a*e largely !ro* the *o'ies, $ 1Last o! the .ohi ans2 see*ed i*#ossi)le,( Day-Lewis told *e, $It s ared the li!e o-t o! *e,( <or the !irst ti*e, Day-Lewis was also )eing #a "aged and sold )y a *a3or Hollywood st-dio, >osters !or $Last o! the .ohi ans( sho-ted, $the !irst A*eri an hero,( with a lose--# o! Day-Lewis2s !a e, $%hat was, and will always )e, di!!i -lt !or *e,( Day-Lewis said tightly, $%he wor" itsel! is ne'er anything )-t #-re #leas-re, )-t there2s an aw!-l lot o! #eri#heral st-!! that I !ind it hard to )e s-rro-nded )y, I li"e things to )e

swi!t, )e a-se the energy yo- ha'e is on entrated and an )e !leeting, %he great *a hinery o! !il* an wor" against that, I ha'e ne'er had a #ositi'e rea tion to all the st-!! that s-##osedly #ro*otes the !il*, %he tho-ght o! it will *a"e *e hesitate to do any !il*s at all,(

And yet, there were those he yearned to wor" with, Day-Lewis *et .artin S orsese when the dire tor was #lanning to dire t $S hindler2s List,( $I tho-ght that wo-ld )e so*ething 'ery interesting to do,( Day-Lewis said, as he #o-red a -# o! tea !or *e, $B-t then the #ro3e t went to S#iel)erg, When I *et .artin at the Be'erly Wilshire Hotel, I wanted to #i " hi* -# and -ddle hi*, He is a *ighty *an, and when he as"s yo- to do so*ething, yo- want to do it, I was str-ggling to es a#e !ro* English drawing roo*s, )-t )e a-se o! .artin, I a e#ted the role in 1%he Age o! Inno en e,2 (

In 1996, he *et /e)e a .iller a!ter he o*#leted the !il* 'ersion o! $%he Ar- i)le,( whi h was )ased on the #lay written )y her !ather, Arth-r .iller, Altho-gh she had wor"ed as an a tress, .iller, who is tall with dar" hair and )right )l-e eyes, had 3-st written and dire ted her !irst !eat-re !il*; $Angela,( the story o! a tro-)led yo-ng girl, .iller has a B-iet, intense only-girl-a*ongthe-g-ys B-ality, She and Day-Lewis, )oth hildren o! renowned writers, ha'e, in *any ways, a shared #ast, %hey also share a !as ination with !il* 6they wrote a o*edy together9, /e ently, Day-Lewis and .iller attended a s reening o! a do -*entary a)o-t a Laotian who i**igrated to the Knited States a!ter the Ao**-nist ta"eo'er o! his o-ntry in the 277s, 6Ellen E-ras, who was the ine*atogra#her on .iller2s !irst !il*, $%he Ballad o! 5a " and /ose,( was one o! the dire tors,9 At the end o! the !il*, Day-Lewis see*ed #arti -larly *o'ed )y the losses the *an and his !a*ily end-red, Al*ost instin ti'ely, .iller ran her hand thro-gh his hair, It was a gest-re o! o*radeshi#, as well as "indness,

A!ter the )irth o! their hildren, Day-Lewis see*ed in no h-rry to go )a " to wor", <or !i'e years, he #-rs-ed 'ario-s interests; he e'en )rie!ly a##renti ed as a o))ler in Italy 6at the .anolo Blahni" store in New 0or", Day-Lewis has )een "nown to s#end an ho-r st-dying the onstr- tion and design o! the shoes9, $I was not thin"ing a)o-t going )a " to wor",( Day-Lewis said now, $I was in dread when I "new .artin was loo"ing !or *e, I was in dread o! the thing that I2d )een *ost ho#ing !or, And that2s how it wor"s,( He #a-sed, $Be!ore I start a !il*,( he ontin-ed, $there is always a #eriod where I thin", I2* not s-re I an do this again, I re*e*)er that )e!ore I was going to start

1%here Will Be Blood,2 I wondered why I had said yes, When .artin told *e a)o-t Bill the B-t her in 1@angs o! New 0or",2 I wanted to hange #la es with that *an, B-t e'en then, I did not say yes right away, I "e#t thin"ing, I2* not s-re I an do this again,(

Be a-se o! his o**it*ent to a hara ter, Day-Lewis has a 'ery di!!i -lt ti*e disengaging !ro* a #art, $%here2s a terri)le sadness,( he told *e, $%he last day o! shooting is s-rreal, 0o-r *ind, yo-r )ody, yo-r s#irit are not in any way #re#ared to a e#t that this e&#erien e is o*ing to an end, In the *onths that !ollow the !inish o! a !il*, yo- !eel #ro!o-nd e*#tiness, 0o-2'e de'oted so *- h o! yo-r ti*e to -nleashing, in an -n ons io-s way, so*e sort o! s#irit-al t-r*oil, and e'en i! it2s -n o*!orta)le, no #art o! yo- wishes to lea'e that hara ter )ehind, %he sense o! )erea'e*ent is s- h that it an ta"e years )e!ore yo- an #-t it to rest,(

Sin e he o!ten a)sents hi*sel! !ro* the *o'ies !or years, the )elie! #ersists that Day-Lewis is indi!!erent or not o*#letely o**itted to re*aining an a tor, $%hat is an a*a+ing *is on e#tion,( >a-l %ho*as Anderson told *e, $Daniel lo'es a ting so *- h that it )e o*es a B-est !or #er!e tion, >eo#le don2t "now how Daniel an do this 3o) the way that he does it, and *y !eeling is, I 3-st an2t -nderstand how anyone o-ld do it any other way,(

Strangely, Day-Lewis has only in!reB-ently #layed *en o! the #resent day, Be!ore he *et .iller, she as"ed hi* to star in $%he Ballad o! 5a " and /ose,( )-t he t-rned it down, In 877J, he agreed, So*ething a)o-t #laying a dying *an who has a nearly in est-o-s relationshi# with his 16-year-old da-ghter 6and the !a t that his wi!e was the dire tor9 engaged hi*, While *a"ing the !il* on >rin e Edward Island, Day-Lewis li'ed a#art !ro* .iller and their hildren, d-ring the wee", in a little h-t on the )ea h, $I was, as always, wary o! ta"ing on the role,( Day-Lewis re alled, $%his was a *an whose so-l was torn, and on e yo-2'e ado#ted that "ind o! internal on!li t, it2s di!!i -lt to B-iet,(

We !inished o-r tea and headed o-t into the large garden o-tside the hotel, In so*e ways, li"e *any o! Day-Lewis2s !il*s, $%he Ballad o! 5a " and /ose( was another !il* a)o-t the attra tion o! the West, 5a " Sla'in, Day-Lewis2s hara ter, is a S ots*an who le!t his o-ntry in the 267s to !orge a new identity in the #ossi)ly -to#ian wilds o! A*eri a, $%he West has always )een

the e#i enter o! #ossi)ility,( Day-Lewis said as he strolled thro-gh the garden #ointing o-t its 'irt-es, $:ne o! the ways we !orge against *ortality is to head west, It2s to do with at hing the s-n )e!ore it sli#s )ehind the hori+on,( He gest-red toward the s"y, It was C #,*,, and the day was dar"ening, $We all "ee# *o'ing toward the s-n, wishing to get the last ray o! ho#e )e!ore it sets,( I as"ed hi* i! he loo"ed !or that B-ality in the hara ters he #lays, DayLewis s*iled enig*ati ally, $Li!e o*es !irst,( he said !inally, $What I see in the hara ters, I !irst try to see in li!e,(

Lynn Hirs h)erg is editor at large !or the *aga+ine, Her last arti le was a)o-t the stylist /a hel Ooe,