“He’s a cobbler”: how Leonardo DiCaprio brought Daniel Day-Lewis out of retirement
It’s always painful for fans when their favourite actors retire, but it’s been an especially difficult journey for admirers of Daniel Day-Lewis. Over the course of his illustrious career, the incredibly gifted Hollywood icon has announced his departure from the industry on more than one occasion. Although his last such announcement might seem final, there was a time when Leonardo DiCaprio managed to bring him back.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have forged a remarkable creative partnership over the years, with the most recent example being Killers of the Flower Moon. Although it was massively snubbed at the Oscars, Scorsese created one of the most powerful projects of 2023 based on the harrowing experiences of the members of the Osage Nation who were ruthlessly exploited and murdered in Oklahoma during the 1920s.
This excellent run of films, which includes the likes of The Departed and The Wolf of Wall Street, all started with the 2002 historical epic Gangs of New York. An incredibly personal project for Scorsese, who grew up near many of the locations featured in the film, Gangs of New York might not be his best, but it was elevated to a completely different level by the stellar cast.
At the centre of that lineup was Daniel Day-Lewis, who was considered to have quit the movie business for good at the time. During an interview, DiCaprio revealed: “We were talking about who was going to play this incredible role of ‘Bill the Butcher’, and a few names came up, and somebody said, maybe Marty said, ‘What about Daniel?’. People immediately said, ‘Well, he’s retired. He’s a cobbler. He’s making shoes in Italy.'”
It was Scorsese who assigned DiCaprio with the task of recruiting Day-Lewis, even though the two had already worked together on The Age of Innocence. While such an assignment could daunt anybody, DiCaprio readily accepted the challenge and came out of the encounter, having learned many important lessons.
DiCaprio added: “It was actually my job to go speak with him… Scorsese actually said to me, ‘Look, I’m not sure how Daniel feels, if he’s ready to work or not. You know, you’re another actor. You should, you know, have a conversation with him and sus it out.’ I’ll never forget meeting him in New York…”
When he showed up at Day-Lewis’ doorstep, the veteran asked the burgeoning star to take a walk with him through Central Park. They walked in complete silence for ten minutes, with DiCaprio deciding not to say anything until Day-Lewis mentioned something. After they found a bench in the middle of Central Park, they finally got down to business.
DiCaprio did not waste any time and immediately started pitching the project, claiming that the complex role of ‘Bill the Butcher’ would be perfect for somebody of Day-Lewis’ calibre. Surprisingly, the actor told DiCaprio that he wasn’t hesitant because he was unsure of the project. Instead, he was scared about disappointing Scorsese.
Day-Lewis explained that Scorsese was the reason why he became an actor, singling out his groundbreaking early work Mean Streets as a singular influence on his approach to the craft. Knowing that it was Scorsese who wanted Day-Lewis the most, DiCaprio told the My Left Foot star that he had nothing to worry about at all.
Watch the interview below.