Movies - TV
Gangs Of New York Pushed Leonardo DiCaprio And Daniel Day-Lewis To
The Limit
By SHAE SENNETT
Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis are known for their back-breaking commitment to roles, and their performances in Martin Scorsese’s "Gangs Of New York" are no exception. While their respective characters, Amsterdam Vallon and Bill the Butcher, went head-to-head on-screen, the two actors also pushed and provoked each other on set.
In an interview, the film’s producer recalled how Day-Lewis said he didn’t need a stunt man, then asked DiCaprio, "Leo, do you want a stunt man? [...] I'm sure Leo probably wanted a stunt man." DiCaprio replied, "Of course not," and the rivalry heated up from there; one day, the crew even found the two stars exchanging blows before filming began.
Also, according to DiCaprio, he and Day-Lewis only spoke to each other in-character during the nine months of filming "Gangs of New York." Even after all that strife, DiCaprio expressed his admiration for Day-Lewis’s “commitment” in an interview with The Cheat Sheet, saying that his co-star "was another huge influence on [me] as an actor."