Daniel Day-Lewis Says Method Acting Criticism Is From ‘People Who Have Little or No Understanding…”

Variety ^ | Oct 2025 | Ellise Shafer, Alex Ritman

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Daniel Day-Lewis rejected misconceptions about Method acting during a wide-ranging conversation at the BFI London Film Festival…

The accomplished actor — a three-time best actor Oscar winner for “My Left Foot” (1989), “There Will Be Blood” (2007) and “Lincoln” (2012) — is known for his immersive process, devoting himself to staying in character throughout filming. Despite how it’s worked out for him, going Method has received a fair amount of pushback in recent years from those who believe it to be unhealthy — or just plain silly.

However, Day-Lewis pushed back against these notions after an audience member asked about his acting process: “All the recent commentary in the last few years about Method acting is invariably from people who have little or no understanding of what it actually involves. It’s almost as if it’s some specious science that we’re involved in, or a cult. But it’s just a way of freeing yourself so that the spontaneity, when you are working with your colleagues in front of the camera, that you are free to respond in any way that you’ll move to in that moment.”

Day-Lewis reflected on Jim Sheridan’s “My Left Foot,” which marked a pivotal moment in both his career and acting process. The film saw Day-Lewis play celebrated Irish writer and painter Christy Brown, whose cerebral palsy meant he could only work with the toes of one foot.

The months of preparation he was afforded as finances were put together, actually gave birth to his style of acting. He spent that time immersing himself in the world of his character, getting used to living in a wheelchair and writing and painting solely with his foot.

Day-Lewis officially returned to acting last month after an eight-year break with “Anemone,” a psychological drama directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.

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TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: acting; actors; danieldaylewis; film; getajob; hollywood; movies

[ichabod1]

The Deerslayer...

[aspasia]

He was a nasty crank in My Left Foot. Did he push a stereotype?

[Williams]

L of the M possibly his greatest movie.

[No name given]

So did I.

[No name given]

That was actually a pretty good movie.

[Secret Agent Man]

Method acting doesn’t require total immersion and not breaking character the entire time including when you are not on stage/camera. It is reasonable to say some/many people say thats a bit excessive and doesn’t really help things much in the end. How does it help in off-screen real world dealings? It doesn’t.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I looked it up. He worked with Hoffman on a movie called La Brava that never got made because he rewrote the script a dozen times and everytime he met with him he had a new director and changed his mind. Finally he told Hoffman that he’d been working for six months and never got paid. Hoffman told him he’d get paid later. Leonard’s agent laughed his Obama off when he heard that. That was the end of the project.

Get Shorty had a character that Hoffman thought was based on him and most certainly was.

[Secret Agent Man]

I think you can learn using immersion techniques, for sure. Like wearing a fat suit, or being in a wheelchair, or doing a flight simulator, etc.

However I don’t think it requires days and weeks to get what you need out of it and not breaking character all that time. At least I don’t believe I would need days and weeks of it. Maybe the typical actor/actress may require days and weeks but I believe I wouldn’t need that much time.

[stanne]

It was great

[Impy]

I heard Jared Leto It’s a real psycho with it, especially when he was playing the Joker.

[Alberta's Child]

There was one movie where it made total sense to immerse the actors in their characters, and because of the unique nature of the movie it probably wouldn’t have worked any other way.

It was “Miracle,” and the approach they used for casting the movie dictated that they had to manage the cast differently than any other movie. Basically, the director and casting crew knew early on that they couldn’t possibly teach actors how to play hockey … so they used hockey players for those roles and gave them all a crash course in acting.

Kurt Russell said in an interview that the only way to make that work was to have the young actors completely adopt the names and personalities of the Team USA players from 1980.

[Redmen4ever]

In my one and only appearance in a play in college, I didn’t memorize my lines. So, I method acted my lines. Fortunately the one person with whom I acted wasn’t upset by me.

The director thought I was a talent. Maybe a Marlin Brando. That guy Brando was great. But, he became insufferable. You put up with him because of his greatness.

Brando’s performance in Apocalypse Now was amazing. But so were the performances of many others in that movie. The movie is one of the greatest movies ever made because of the collaboration of many as well as the story line and cinematography. The method actor risks upsetting the dynamic of a movie or other production.

Speaking only as a viewer, Daniel Day Lewis appeared to combine method acting well with interacting with others. Good for him. But, most directors would prefer that their performers know their lines.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Fun fact indeed! 🎭

I should hope emotional truth/spontaneity AND having the lines down - aren’t mutually exclusive.

Daniel Day Lewis is Irish and trained at drama school in England. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to be exact. Classical training definitely prioritizes things like text, diction, voice — no toleration for Brando style American mumbling…

THAT being said, Marlon Brando totally held his own tackling Shakespeare as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar and puts to rest any notion that Americans aren’t as cut out for it as the Brits.

https://youtu.be/101sKhH-lMQ?si=BprigG4VGAUn95pZ

[jerod]

He’s apparently a pretty good Cobbler during his off time... Making shoes by hand is an art that is seldom practiced in todays society, but it was a well respected trade back in the 19th century... Day-Lewis is a pretty strange dude.

[Neanderthal]

"We learned New York History back in the day. I should get that one correct."

***************************************************

The Yorker Club

[central_va]

Gangs of NY showcased the truth about how unpopular both Lincoln and the war was in the North. Truth hurts so people reject it.

[central_va]

Lincoln was a butcher and a hated goon.

[moviefan8]

Krik Lazrus (Robert Downey Jr.) in Tropic Thunder was totally immersed in character.

[21twelve]

I recall an interview with some famous actor that started off with method acting. He said it got to the point where he didn’t want to talk with his wife or kids (or be with them) while he was shooting a film.

Then some other, more famous actor, told him a similar thing - to just become a better actor and act. He had to work hard at it, but got it.

“We’d be doing a scene and my wife would call and leave a message. There would be a short break in the filming and I’d return her call and talk about whatever it was she needed. 10 minutes later I’m doing the scene where I’m shooting the guy. The director couldn’t believe it.”

[21twelve]

“that never got made because he rewrote the script a dozen times”

Gene Hackman said the movie “Unforgiven” didn’t have ANY edits in the original screen play. He said usually the script has all different colors of typing to tell the actors what has changed. Nothing.

When Clint asked Gene to do the movie, Gene told him no. He wasn’t doing Westerns or other movies like that because they are too violent. “Just do me a favor and read the script Gene.”