I am sure most of you saw, or at least heard about, Daniel Day-Lewis' acceptance speech at the SAG awards this past weekend. I immediately thought of this class and wondered what you guys would have to say about it. I posted the YouTube video below if you haven't had the chance to see it or want to see it again (you should also take a look at the viewer comments and constant use of the terms "respect" and "class" toward Day-Lewis). Anyway, I thought it was an interesting clip because it gives us a glimpse into the inter-celebrity world (their impact on each other) and simultaneously seems to infer a distinction between the fame of an actor and the persona as a star. We don't often think of one acting star (especially one as reclusive from Hollywood as Day-Lewis) as being impacted and touched by another's work. Sometimes it is easy to think that all celebrities know each other or are above being "star-struck" or even fans, so I think a moment like this, when they are humbled by another, reminds us of their humanity. They too have idols and inspirations in their life pursuits, even if they serve as a star the world. It is particularly touching in this situation, where an actor as prestigious as Day-Lewis cites Heath Ledger (a Hollywood star) as an inspiration.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
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2 comments:
I wondered how Daniel Day-Lewis came to be the way he is - soft-spoken and incredibly articulate, clearly thinking about every word before he speaks. After a wee bit of imdb research, I discovered that his father was the poet laureate of England. Consider it explained.
What spurred my research was this SAG speech (when I originally saw it on cnbc).
I thought that this was a very nice, genuine moment of one actor appreciating and paying homage to another. I think that, with the constant attention on stars, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that they are (or should be) in the public eye because of the quality of their work. Day Lewis has mentioned that he has never met Ledger, which is why it's so nice to see how profoundly he seems to have been affected. He could have talked about anything in his speech, and it was nice to something as earnest and genuine as this.
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