Day-Lewis Finds his Voice as Spielberg's 'Lincoln'

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES
A towering figure such as Abraham Lincoln, who stood 6 feet 4 and was one of history’s master orators, must have had a booming voice to match, right? Not in Daniel Day-Lewis’ interpretation.

Day-Lewis, who plays the 16th president in Steven Spielberg’s epic film biography “Lincoln,” which goes into wide release this weekend, settled on a higher, softer voice, saying it’s more true to descriptions of how the man actually spoke.

The soft, reedy voice of his Lincoln grew out of that preparation.

Lincoln himself likely learned to use his voice to his advantage depending on the situation, Day-Lewis said.