CATEGORY: PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
INTERVIEW WITH: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
FILM: "THERE WILL BE BLOOD"
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A. This is like an auction.
Q. Congratulations. Based on the role and the success of it, have you been offered complimentary milkshakes at restaurants and/or do you expect to now?
A. I'm very much looking forward to all milkshakes I can drink for the next 25 years or so, yeah.
Q. How are you? Firstly, congratulations, well done, mate.
A. Thanks.
Q. You've done a range of things over the years, and we see you as a fairly serious bloke from Australia. What do you do for a laugh? How do you have fun? How do you unwind after inhabiting all these characters?
A. Well, the great thing is that I don't have to talk about that, I can just do it. I'm not telling you.
Q. Why not?
A. Because it's none of your f business, that's why.
Q. Michael, I know you want to share a few secrets.
A. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Q. Hi, Daniel, right over here. Can you talk a little bit about what goes into your thought process in selecting a role? I know that you've been offered some other commercial roles in the past that you've turned down. Do you think that's something that you'll continue to do now or how is that with you now?
A. Well, in a way there is no thought process, I suppose is the easiest way to answer that. If you're thinking, you're already you know, in some way you're already outside of it and, therefore, you can admire it from a distance and you can imagine somebody else doing it or imagine, you know, that you would like to see that thing done. But when it happens that you're drawn in spite of yourself into the orbit of another world, there is no thinking and that's I suppose... I mean, it's true that sometimes you try and kid yourself like maybe, you know, if you could change this or perhaps I'd find my way into that. But you're already gone and you can't be a part of that thing that's that needs thought, you can only be part of that thing that needs no thought at all, I think.
Q. Daniel, over here. I'm going to go back to the milkshake theme. Are you aware of just how much how this has grown, this phrase, how the Internet is full of websites that do parodies of that scene, and how Saturday Night Live just last night, did hysterical parody of you and your son in the movie? Are you aware of this?
A. I am completely aware of it, yeah.
Q. What do you think of this?
A. I think it's fantastic. I think it's fantastic, yeah. I mean, if people absorb something that you've done, or whatever your reasons are, it's not relevant, but that gets absorbed into the culture in such a way that people make something else somebody can make something else out of it, that's delightful to me, I think. You know, and I come from a culture, two cultures, England and Ireland, where there's a long tradition, in fact, it's an art form, and we call it slagging in Ireland and taking a piss in England. But if you can offer up something that people will slag you for, they're always grateful for that.
Q. Right in front of you. And so you did something great after you won. I don't remember if you remember, you kissed George Clooney. Can you tell me what inspired that and how was that?
A. George Henry Clooney. Because George has been there for me. Because George is well, apart from anything else he was the nearest fellow nominee, and I have to say, and I didn't say it at the time, that I was very proud to be included in that group of actors on this occasion. And, in fact, I think there were quite a number of actors that weren't included in the nominations this year who gave wonderful performances, Emile Hirsch and Ryan Gosling and Frank Langella, Benicio Del Toro, who is always wonderful, so...
But also, George is just he's just so incredibly generous, you know, and the last few weeks people have kind of mentioned things that George has been saying and about this whole circus that we're involved in. And I've always felt it was far more indicative of George's generosity as a man more than anything else. He's just a great guy. I had to kiss someone. I kissed my wife, and in the interest of parity, I kissed George.
Q. Right by the camera, right by the camera.
A. Hi.
Q. Two of the big films this year, both your film and No Country For Old Men, were shot in the same town in Texas.
A. Yes.
Q. How did that help inform your role and how did that inform your performance?
A. In absolutely no way whatsoever.
Q. Hi there. Just to your left. Congratulations.
A. Thanks.
Q. It's the first time in 44 years that every all performing actors and actresses have been non U.S., and Javier Bardem was talking about there being no barriers in this profession. I'm just wondering if you can reflect on that, the fact that the four Europeans did win the main acting prizes.
A. I don't know what to say really. I don't know what to say except for the fact that, yes, you know, we have these beautiful things and so we're talking to you. But the roles of wonderful performances by American actors could equally as well have been recognized by nominations, some weren't recognized by the nominations. So I suppose it's a phenomenon, but I don't know if it kind of serves any purpose to focus on that really. Who do you write for?
Q. For Reuters.
A. Okay.
Q. Hi, Daniel. Congratulations.
A. Thanks. So I told you before I went in I felt like a cold British Rail sandwich.
Q. I was going to ask you about that. Tell me, why did you felt like a cold British Rail sandwich?
A. Well, you know what the sandwiches are like, right?
Q. Yeah, pretty edible.
A. Only because I feel like we've been involved, and it's been a wonderful thing. But since November we've been on the trail. You know, you make a film and you just hope beyond hope that that film may have a chance to speak for itself and, of course, that's not the way it works. You then have to kind of run a popularity contest and go on a campaign trail. And as George said, you can go around kissing babies and you're not feeling like a complete fraud. But I did feel somehow this, you know, because so many people, friends and family and people at home and so on, have expectations. I thought, well, how awful will it be to disappoint all those people? And the Academy likes surprises. There were a few surprises tonight. And I think they always get a rousing cheer. Everyone likes a nice surprise. So anyway, I felt like a sandwich.
Q. Daniel, I know you're from Ireland these days.
A. If it's a bit too much, if you'll excuse me.
Q. Champagne?
A. Well, amongst other things, yes.
Q. Will all the craic continue?
A. The craic will continue, I think. I mean, yes, it will, yes, to be honest.
Q. Daniel, to your left. Just to be serious for a second, you're infamous for your acting style, the way you prepare for your roles.
A. Yes.
Q. How do you finally put those characters to rest once you're finished with them?
A. They put me to rest. I don't really have to do anything at all. I think the main thing I would say about feel about that idea is that, you know, more than anything else, it's not because you need to undergo some kind of exorcism because the house is haunted when somebody says it's time to go home. It's more you've unleashed a curiosity that's more or less insatiable. And therefore, in that moment, when the job's done, that curiosity doesn't just lie down and leave you alone. So it takes time, it takes time, because you, you know I know this might seem bizarre to you, but I actually was happy exploring Plainview's life; therefore, I was reluctant to stop doing it. But, yeah, time, a little bit of time. And plus, life distracts you in the most wonderful way.
Q. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.
Q. Now, forgive me, because I know you're a modest man. But you've now won this; you've been here. To what extent does it matter to you that you won this tonight, and what opportunities does this give you as an artist?
A. Well, it'll take me to get over it for a while. I'm absolutely delighted and I'm thrilled about it. And I'm thrilled because if one ever can separate one experience from another and quantify the importance of that experience, it may be that this is just the most recent one; therefore, it's in the forefront of my thoughts and feelings. But it was a very important time in my life.
And my working partnership with Paul is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. In fact, I really miss the day, and we speak a lot on the phone, but we don't have any excuse to. It's just shooting the breeze. We don't have anything to say anymore, but I just miss working with him every days, so it's a lovely thing to have this. And it may just mean that we can you know, we have to begin to think about the fact that life goes on and we've been reluctant to acknowledge that.
Q. Thank you, and congratulations.
A. Thanks very much.
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