Tommy Lee Jones Calls Daniel Day-Lewis' Portrayal Of 'Lincoln' The Best Ever

Tommy Lee Jones is not an easy man to impress. For example, on the set of Men In Black 3, Will Smith said you knew you told a really, really hilarious joke when Jones cracked the tiniest of smiles. That said, the praise he laid upon Daniel Day-Lewis, his co-star in Steven Spielberg's upcoming Lincoln, is very exciting. Jones, who is something of a history expert, said no one has ever portrayed Lincoln as well as Day-Lewis does in this film. Being as we have yet to see anything official from Lincoln, this is more than just a ringing endorsement.

In the film, which opens later this Winter, Jones plays Thaddeus Stevens. After the jump, read his full thoughts on Day-Lewis' performance and his experience on the movie.

At the press junket for Men in Black 3, I commented to Jones that we hadn't seen anything of Lincoln yet, and asked if Daniel Day-Lewis truly loses himself in the performance. Jones replied:

I don't think Daniel ever loses himself but I don't think President Lincoln has ever been portrayed as well. He's read his history, he's read his books – Daniel has – and his Lincoln is a country boy who also happens to be a brilliant lawyer and a poet. This is not a Lincoln that's just stepped off the dollar bill or just arisen from the Lincoln Monument. This is not the icon or the hero and he's not the joke of the old 'Honest Abe' nonesense. This is a real man and I don't think Lincoln has ever been done as well.

He also commented about his character, which is a relatively small part and only took three weeks of filming:

The character I play is Thaddeus Stevens. He was the head of the Ways and Means Committee in the '50s. He was a Republican, which was the left side of the political spectrum in those days. He was looked upon as a radical because it was his opnion, and he was vocal about it, that no human being should be the chattel of another and that was looked upon as crazy. I loved playing Thaddeus Stevens for that reason. But also because he had a club food and alopecia. Those are exciting things for an actor who likes manners.

With Lincoln mere months away at this point, you can all but guarantee we'll start to see stills, posters and trailers this summer. I'm excited to see the teaser poster as there are so many iconic images that could be used.

Do you think Jones would say what he did lightly?