20 Things You Somehow Missed In There Will Be Blood
13. The Little Boston Speech Is Improvised
While this might fall in the category of trivia, it is such an important detail that it must be mentioned to prove how well Day-Lewis understood his character. Paul Thomas Anderson said in an interview that the speech that Plainview gave to the people of Little Boston when he was first setting up camp was improvised.
It was not in the script and Day-Lewis came up with it all on his own. It is a noticeable addition along with his other characterizations. Of the scene, PTA said, "It was delicious. It was Plainview on a platter". This is probably one of the reasons why PTA wrote the character specifically for Day-Lewis.
The British actor is so finely tuned when in character, he is a living, breathing manifestation from paper to the real world. The speech indeed proved the facetious nature of Plainview's businessman promises to the community. His exploitative hypocrisy is for all to see.