Daniel Day-Lewis can teach everyone passion

I really, truly like and admire passionate people. There is something about a person being excited about/dedicating themselves fully to an idea, a craft, a person, a whatever, that to me is one of the purest traits that we as humans have. In my eyes, passion is truly one of the doorways to experiencing the best life has to offer.

So what does this have to do with Daniel Day-Lewis (DDL for the rest of this post)? Everything. I wasn't really made aware of DDL until I saw the Scorsese flick "Gangs of New York" and was blown away by the character Bill the Butcher. Their was an electricity in his cruelty that was simply undeniable and unforgettable to me. Soon afterwards, I rented "My left foot" and was sold on his commitment to his craft forever. For those who have not seen the movie, he plays a man that has cerebral palsy and had you not known he was an actor, you would have guessed that DDL was stricken with that in real life. Just as some examples of how far DDL takes his craft:

"My Left Foot":
Playing a severely paralyzed character on screen, off screen Day-Lewis had to be wheeled around the set in his wheelchair, and crew members would curse at having to lift him over camera and lighting wires, all so that he might gain insight into all aspects of Brown's life, including the embarrassments. He broke two ribs during filming from assuming a hunched-over position in his wheelchair for so many weeks.

"Last of the Mohican's":
he reportedly underwent rigorous weight training and learned to live off the land and forest where his character lived, camping, hunting and fishing. He even carried a Kentucky Rifle at all times during filming in order to remain in character and learned how to skin animals.

"In the Name of the Father":
He lost a substantial amount of weight for the part, kept his Northern Irish accent on and off the set for the entire shooting schedule, and spent stretches of time in a prison cell. He also insisted that crew members throw cold water at him and verbally abuse him.

Now as I was reading the above examples, I know I must come off as fucking insane to some. "Raph, you expect me to break my ribs and have bitches yell at me and shit for a job??? Mutha fucka you need ta...." and it goes on and on. The answer, no. But I do believe that everyone can benefit from doing what they enjoy and doing it well. While I was still working at the-job-that shall-not-be-named, I often found my refuge at Barnes and Noble and there was one employee in particular that amazed me. She was this much older french lady with a slight hunch, interesting teeth, big glasses, and so-so english; every time she rang someone up, she just seemed to be happy and in turn made the customer happy and it was in these moments she was just as potent as academy award nominated acting.

So basically what I'm trying to say is find something you can dedicate yourself to and go DDL style

links:
DDL's wikipedia page











p.s. - like everything in life, passion can be a double edged sword, but this particular sword for some is potentially the most dangerous of character traits.