Daniel Day-Lewis transforms into Abraham Lincoln in first official picture from Spielberg's biopic



Daniel Day-Lewis is famous for immersing himself completely in character for his film roles.

And on the set of the new Abraham Lincoln biopic, the British actor was even called 'Mr President' by director Steven Spielberg and his fellow cast and crew.

'I was calling [all] the actors by their character names,' Spielberg said, as Dreamworks released its first official image from the upcoming historical drama, Lincoln.



Method actor: Daniel Day-Lewis plays the role of Abraham Lincoln in the new Steven Spielberg biopic Lincoln



Emancipator: The 16th President of the United States



'That was something I felt was important to establish a little authenticity, maybe even more for me than for them,' Spielberg to ld Entertainment Weekly .

Day-Lewis is British, and of Anglo-Irish descent, leaving some Lincoln fans believing the role would be better rendered by an American native.

It seems their sacred cow is safe, however, if images from the film set are anything to go by.

In the photograph, released by the studio yesterday, Daniel Day-Lewis is a dead ringer for the 16th President of the United States as he sits pensively staring into the distance.



Striking an uncanny resemblance to the Civil War leader, the 55-year-old actor is dressed in a three-piece suit and wears his hair and beard in the iconic Lincoln style.

In demand: The British actor won an Academy Award for his performance in the 2008 film There Will Be Blood



Selective: Day-Lewis has starred in only five films since 1997, with as many as five years between roles

The two-time Oscar winner is known as one of the most selective actors in the film industry, having starred in only five films since 1997, with as many as five years between roles.

The movie, which will be in cinemas on November 9, focuses on the last four months of the president’s life.

It covers the political manoeuvering Lincoln undertook in the final stages of the Civil War to ensure that slavery would be outlawed.



'Our movie is really about a working leader who must make tough decisions and get things done in the face of overwhelming opposition, Spielberg told EW.

Spielberg made the decision roughly a decade ago to optioned the rights to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, Team of Rivals, about Lincoln and his combative cabinet, when she was still just researching it.



The screenplay has been adapted by Angels in America playwright Tony Kushner from the 2005 best-seller.

The film will also star Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens and John Hawkes as Robert Latham.



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