Daniel Day-Lewis Refuses to Take Responsibility for Jeremy Strong
While Daniel Day-Lewis was temporarily absent from acting, much speculation arose about his approach to the craft. Brian Cox, who is critical of Method acting, suggested that Day-Lewis’ intense devotion to it contributed to his early retirement. Cox also remarked that his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong modeled his Method acting style after Day-Lewis, who was once his boss and idol.
Day-Lewis Responds to the Speculation
Day-Lewis distanced himself from this debate. In an interview with Big Issue magazine, he said:
“Listen, I worked with Brian Cox once and got somehow drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently. Brian is a very fine actor who’s done extraordinary work. As a result, he’s been given a soapbox… which he shows no sign of climbing down from. Any time he wants to talk about it, I’m easy to find.”
He added that he would be upset if he believed he had interfered with Cox’s process but saw no evidence of that:
“If I thought during our work together I’d interfered with his working process, I’d be appalled. But I don’t think it was like that. So I don’t know where the fuck that came from.”
On Jeremy Strong and Method Acting
Regarding Strong, Day-Lewis said:
“Jeremy Strong is a very fine actor, I don’t know how he goes about things, but I don’t feel responsible in any way for that.”
Day-Lewis has emphasized before that Method acting is not a cult he has drawn others into, nor does he believe it deeply affects his colleagues. Strong has echoed this sentiment, describing the technique as “a very solitary thing.”
Summary
Daniel Day-Lewis rejects responsibility for Jeremy Strong’s acting style and dismisses speculation about Method acting influencing his retirement or others’ performances.
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