Pic: hollywoodreporter.com

Daniel Day Lewis is bringing his Oscar nominated film, Lincoln, director Steven Spielberg and co-star Sally Field, to Dublin today. However, this was almost, never even a possibility!

When Spielberg first offered Day Lewis the role of Lincoln (a decade ago), Day Lewis, kindly rejected the offer. Who says no to Steven Spielberg and lives to tell the story? Daniel Day Lewis does. Here is what he wrote:

Dear Steven,

It was a real pleasure just to sit and talk with you. I listened very carefully to what you had to say about this compelling history, and I’ve since read the script and found it in all the detail in which it describe these monumental events and in the compassionate portraits of all the principal characters, both powerful and moving. I can’t account for how at any given moment I feel the need to explore life as opposed to another, but I do know that I can only do this work if I feel almost as if there is no choice; that a subject coincides inexplicably with a very personal need and a very specific moment in time. In this case, as fascinated as I was by Abe, it was the fascination of a grateful spectator who longed to see a story told, rather than that of a participant. That’s how I feel now in spite of myself, and though I can’t be sure that this won’t change, I couldn’t dream of encouraging you to keep it open on a mere possibility. I do hope this makes sense Steven, I’m glad you’re making the film, I wish you the strength for it, and I send both my very best wishes and my sincere gratitude to you for having considered me.”

According to thehollywoodreporter.com “Spielberg said he then had an entirely new script written, which he then sent to Day-Lewis – only to receive a similar reply. That led him to scrap that as well and turn to his Munich collaborator Tony Kushner to pen another new version. Eventually, that was whittled down from 500 pages to find the soul of the president in the small details.

The final product, a narrow and politically focused character study of a committed leader working to pass the 13th Amendment, is a completely different film than what Spielberg had first proposed to Day-Lewis in the early years of the last decade.”

So thanks to the perseverance of Spielberg to get Lincoln’s story right, and to not take no for an answer, he has produced yet another award winning masterpiece and we get to enjoy it, and the stars, on our shores!

The European Premiere of Lincoln, held in aid of The Wicklow Hospice Foundation, is in Dublin today, at the Savoy.

Walking the red carpet, from 3.30pm. with Daniel Day Lewis, Steven Spielberg, and Sally Field, will be President Michael D Higgins, Bono, The Edge, Sinead O’Connor and Katie Taylor, to name just a few stars.

Lincoln hits Irish cinemas on Friday 25th January, 2013

That’s Entertainment!
Sarina 🙂