Daniel Day-Lewis, “I talk like a talking goat. Also, I’m President Lincoln.” Photo: DreamWorks

Last night, Daniel Day-Lewis and Steven Spielberg held a Q&A after a screening of Lincoln, and the question on most minds: How did he come up with that voice? DDL explained:

“Well you look for the clues, as with any aspect of the work. You begin with the places that would have made a huge difference in his life. Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, and the counties that he came from … I’m inclined to think that having had a voice that was intended to be in the higher register, tended to be placed more in the head tones, that helped him reach a greater number of people in his public speaking … And beyond that, I suppose it really was just an act of imagination.”

He added, “Also, I saw this video of a talking goat once and thought to myself, Man, he sure sounds presidential.”