3. Daniel Day-Lewis Broke Ribs Because He Wouldn't Get Out Of The Wheelchair For My Left Foot
As Eddie Redmayne would go on to discover, acting in a wheelchair can lead to 'complications', but the actor who set the precedent for methoding yourself into injury in order to play someone confined to a wheelchair was, obviously, Daniel Day-Lewis. For his first Best Actor Oscar, Day-Lewis got himself typically deeply involved in the role of Christy Brown, an Irish artist who had cerebral palsy, leading to a standard Day-Lewis broken bone or two. To play Brown, Day-Lewis learned how to paint with his foot and remained in-character throughout the production, refusing to leave his wheelchair and requiring people to spoon-feed him during visits to the canteen. The result of Day-Lewis staying in his hunched-up position for such a lengthy period of time was that the actor ended up with two broken ribs.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
