Daniel Day-Lewis won this year's Best Actor Oscar and in the process became the first actor ever to win the award for three different roles (following There Will Be Blood and My Left Foot). The actor accepted his role with typical grace and a touch of humour:
"I don't know how any of this happened. I've received more than my fair share of good fortune. It's a strange thing because three years ago, before we decided to do a straight swap, I'd committed to playing Margaret Thatcher - and Meryl was Steven's first choice for Lincoln. I'd have like to see that version. I had to persuade Steven that Lincoln shouldn't be a musical. When we got married 16 years ago, my wife has lived with some very strange men, but luckily she's been the perfect companion to all of them."
Despite some strong performances in the category, some will suggest that Day-Lewis was a sure-fire winner as soon as he accepted the role, taking over from Liam Neeson. But that fails to acknowledge quite how impressive and hugely powerful Day-Lewis' performance was in itself - yes it was a politically loaded role, and the subject matter was certainly the kind that would invariably attract this kind of attention, but in the hands of another actor, everything may have been different. As with his other Oscar winning roles, Day-Lewis inhabited the role, and his performance was one of the chief reasons Spielberg's film stands as one of the finest biopics of all time. Did Daniel Day-Lewis deserve to win? Share your thoughts below.