Spielberg's Version Of Abe Lincoln Is Ready For A Peek

By Michael Musto Tue., Aug. 7 2012 at 11:45 AM

Categories: Film

170px-Abraham_Lincoln_by_Alexander_Helser,_1860-crop.jpg

Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie about Abraham Lincoln doesn't make the President look like E.T., Jaws, or something out of Jurassic Park.

In fact, it makes him look exactly like Daniel Day-Lewis, who's playing the part.

With a hint of Walter Huston.

Here's' a stirring image from the film, which has a screenplay that Tony Kushner adapted from a section of a Doris Kerns Goodwin book--one that focuses on the strategic period during which Lincoln figured how to abolish slavery.

"He thought things out," says Spielberg. "He talked things out. He argued both sides of every issue."

And he got results.

So did Spielberg--partly by calling the actors by the characters' names to keep them in the spirit of the piece.

I wonder if getting called "Mr. President' all day made Day-Lewis's head swell a little.

And if Sally Field liked being called, "Hey, Mary!"

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latenitebump topcommenter

ugh! spielberg.

BetteD

Uh, the pic looks like Daniel Day-Lewis with a beard, not Abe Lincoln. When they do these bio-pics, why can't they have someone who actually looks like who they're supposed to be? The stars of the last two or so flicks of Marilyn Monroe looked nothing like her, and remember the Howard Hughes one with what's-her-name trying to look like/be Katharine Hepburn? And then recently what's-her-other-name trying to look like/be Liz Taylor. Why bother?