10 Genius Ways Directors Got The Actor They Wanted

10. Martin Scorsese Sends Leonardo DiCaprio In To Convince Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs Of New York

Despite unquestionably acting as one of the most captivating and routinely mesmerising performers of his generation, Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't half have a habit of calling it quits.

And it was because of his self-imposed retirement from show-business to focus on being a cobbler, nearly two decades before his latest decision to kiss goodbye to the acting world, that Martin Scorsese had to call in a favour from arguably the most famous thespian on the planet at the time.

With the iconic director just about beginning his eventually fruitful partnership with Leonardo DiCaprio heading into his 2002 staggering feat of cinema by the name of Gangs of New York, Scorsese actually nudged his new leading man into trying to get Day-Lewis out of retirement to play the part of Bill "The Butcher" Cutting.

As Leo would confess to The Screen Actors Guild Association:

“Scorsese had actually said to me, ‘I’m not sure how Daniel feels, if he’s ready to work or not... You should have a conversation with him and suss it out.'”

A not at all awkward walk through Central Park eventually led to DiCaprio finally convincing Day-Lewis to join the crew on the back of himself and pal Tobey Maguire talking him into the eventually Academy-Award-nominated role over dinner.