10 Actors Who Originally Turned Down Their Most Iconic Roles
7. Daniel Day-Lewis Thought His Playing Lincoln Was "Preposterous" - Lincoln
"It's preposterous."
Those were the words uttered by the man who is Oscar-bait incarnate, Daniel Day-Lewis, upon hearing that Steven Spielberg wanted him to play Abraham Lincoln. Deeming himself to be totally and utterly wrong for the part in every way, the legendary actor turned down the world's most famous director (not something that happens every day, I'm sure) and went on his merry way.
For a while, Liam Neeson, who had worked with Spielberg on Schindler's List to great success, was a forerunner for the part, but Neeson drifted from the project as the years went by and ultimately bailed out when he figured he was too old to play the 19th century President.
When he began mounting the project again in 2009, Spielberg once again went back to Day-Lewis, who, once again, said no. It was at this point that Spielberg decided to enlist the help of a friend - some guy named Leonardo DiCaprio - who, himself having worked with Spielberg on Catch Me If You Can, proceeded to call up Day-Lewis and convince him that he was making a huge mistake.
The rest, as they say, is history. Literally. 'Cause it's a period piece.