The actors that changed Steven Spielberg’s life
Few directors have a reputation as illustrious as Steven Spielberg. Over his lengthy near-50-year career, Spielberg has seen it all, witnessing the ebb and flow of cinematic trends and working with the most iconic actors Hollywood has to offer. These luminaries, from Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep to Matt Damon and Liam Neeson, have imprinted themselves on the canvas of cinema.
Immersing themselves in roles, they convince audiences of their characters and often transcend their own identities, dissolving into an entirely new person that can compel, engage and move audiences in profoundly different ways. Some, however, have such a powerful command of their craft that they even influence the lives of their directors. Amidst this constellation of stars that he’s worked with, Spielberg highlighted two actors that he believes working with was “life-changing”.
Spielberg clarified the joys of directing actors during an insightful interview with The Irish Examiner. “I have worked with many fine, wonderful actors who all bring different values to their characters,” he mused. But it was his subsequent nod to two prominent stars that caught our attention: “Everybody has a different technique… But I will say that I think Daniel Day-Lewis and Tom Hanks are the two actors who I have had life-changing experiences with as a director,” Spielberg revealed.
As audiences know, Hanks isn’t just a name on Spielberg’s list; he’s a recurring collaborator. Their joint ventures in Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, and Bridge of Spies attest to a symbiotic relationship. Spielberg’s fondness for Hanks goes beyond mere professional admiration. He once shared with The Tech, “One of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had with Tom was on this last film, Bridge of Spies. Tom is an honest actor… If he understands the character, he exists in the persona of that character without having to work very hard.”
In contrast, Spielberg’s bond with Daniel Day-Lewis solidified over a single masterpiece: Lincoln. This film was so intertwined with Day-Lewis’ involvement that Spielberg admitted he’d have pivoted the project without him. “I would probably have turned the script over to HBO and done a mini-series,” he confessed.
But casting Day-Lewis wasn’t straightforward. Spielberg recounted, “The timeline was simply — I approached Daniel first to play Lincoln eight, nine years ago… He turned me down,” a decision that saw Liam Neeson considered for the role before Spielberg ultimately circled back to Day-Lewis.
Day-Lewis himself ended up seeking Neeson’s guidance, explaining, “I was undecided about whether I should do it. [Nesson] gave me encouragement towards that decision as well.”
Hanks and Day-Lewis are, in their own right, humungous stars. But if they are the princes of Hollywood, then surely Spielberg is king. Whether it was Jaws in 1975 or the blockbuster-defining Jurassic Park in 1993, the man single-handedly shaped the landscape of cinema. So, if these two actors really changed his life… just imagine what being directed by Spielberg did for theirs.
