Daniel Day Lewis, as we all know, is fantastic at his craft and has two Best Actor Oscars and enough other awards to make a small warehouse sparkle gold...but he's also very picky about his roles. He has only been in a handful of movies and was lured out of semi-retirement (working as a cobbler in Florence) to work with Scorsese and breathe life into a character quite unlike any of his other roles: Bill the Butcher. "The Butcher" is based on an actual American gangster of 19th century New York, called William Poole (who as it happens, was a butcher). The consumate method actor stayed in character during the duration of production, and his dedication to nailing the menacing (yet principled) hoodlum comes through on the screen. Day-Lewis is simply one of the best actors of our time.
by NotableXception 4 months ago