Why Daniel Day-Lewis Said No To Steven Spielberg For 6 Years — Until A Legendary Phone Call Changed Everything

The story behind Daniel Day-Lewis’s long refusal of Spielberg’s Lincoln project and the phone call that finally sealed the deal.

By
Arunava Chakrabarty
- May 25, 2025 | 1:04 PM IST
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Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t sign on to a film unless he sees something worth his full immersion. So when Steven Spielberg had his heart set on him for a long-planned film about Abraham Lincoln, the path didn’t prove to be smooth. Spielberg had been circling the idea of a Lincoln biopic for years, but getting the actor to agree took far more than a simple offer.

Steven Spielberg’s Early Pitch Failed To Impress Daniel Day-Lewis

Back when the project was still finding its shape, Spielberg approached Day-Lewis with a version of the script that wasn’t yet rooted in the historical depth it would later have. It wasn’t Tony Kushner’s version, and it wasn’t based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s detailed biography. The script was completely different or in simple words, it was a less focused attempt.

The legendary director once told Deadline, “Daniel certainly had about six years to think about it.” He added, “And that was when he first turned me down to play the character based on what he freely admitted was an intimidation based on the size of the figure of Lincoln himself. I don’t think he ever forgot our encounter, though. And I don’t think he ever forgot the challenge that was offered to him.”

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Several years passed since then during which Spielberg reworked the project. He brought in Kushner’s script and grounded the film in the historical research of Team of Rivals. Even so, Day-Lewis remained distant from the idea and was reluctant to revisit it.

Leonardo DiCaprio Helped Reignite The Conversation

Eventually, the conversation shifted much to Spielberg’s pleasure. Their mutual friend Leonardo DiCaprio stepped in, not merely as a mediator but as a well-placed voice. He reached out and urged Day-Lewis to take another look.

Spielberg revealed, “ Based on Leo’s phone call to him, Daniel offered to read the Tony Kushner script, which he had never read, and also the Doris Kearns Goodwin book, which he had never read. That’s when the courtship part was over.”

Daniel Day-Lewis Accepted & Delivered A Landmark Performance

Once Day-Lewis agreed, the project moved forward with real momentum. And now, as everyone who watched the movie knows, his performance didn’t feel just like acting once he was on screen; it felt like Lincoln himself had returned. Subsequently, the Academy took notice of it and awarded him his third Oscar for Best Actor.

Spielberg, who usually backs off after a rejection, knew from the beginning that this time was different. He had seen something no one else could embody, and he wasn’t about to let it go.

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