Sean Penn just joined a tiny group of actors with three Oscars. Daniel Day-Lewis was already there—and his performances hit people hard, especially Steven Spielberg.

An Elite Circle of Three-Time Oscar Winners

Penn secured his third acting Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "One Battle After Another" at the 98th Academy Awards. That puts Penn in rare company with Day-Lewis and a handful of others who've won three acting Oscars. Day-Lewis earned his three Best Actor statuettes for his roles in 1989's "My Left Foot," 2007's "There Will Be Blood" (directed by Paul Thomas Anderson), and 2012's "Lincoln" (directed by Steven Spielberg).

Other male actors in this rarified company include Jack Nicholson, who won for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest," "Terms of Endearment," and "As Good as It Gets." Walter Brennan also holds three Oscars for his work in "Come and Get It," "Kentucky," and "The Westerner."

Women have cracked this club as well. Meryl Streep has won for "Kramer vs. Kramer," "Sophie’s Choice," and "The Iron Lady." Ingrid Bergman was honored for "Gaslight," "Anastasia," and "Murder on the Orient Express." More recently, Frances McDormand joined the ranks with wins for "Fargo," "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and "Nomadland." But the ultimate record for most acting Oscar victories still belongs to Katharine Hepburn, who earned four statues for "Morning Glory," "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner," "The Lion in Winter," and "On Golden Pond." Day-Lewis belongs in that conversation.

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The Performance That Brought a Director to Tears

Day-Lewis's Lincoln was so powerful it made Spielberg cry on set. Spielberg talked about filming "Lincoln" when he spoke at South By Southwest in Austin. The film follows Lincoln as he tries to end the Civil War and get the 13th Amendment passed to abolish slavery.

Spielberg remembered a four-minute scene where Lincoln tries to convince his cabinet they need to pass the 13th Amendment. "To this day, talking to you about it, I've never gotten over that scene, or how he played Lincoln," Spielberg stated. The camera moves through two shots, cuts once to David Strathairn as Secretary of State Seward, then closes in on Day-Lewis.

Spielberg spent years trying to convince Day-Lewis to play Lincoln. That persistence paid off—not just in what ended up on screen, but in something that happened on set. After the first take, Spielberg was so overwhelmed he had to walk off the set. He went to another room and cried.

Day-Lewis stayed in character the whole shoot—he insisted people call him Mr. Lincoln or Mr. President. He noticed Spielberg was gone. He asked a producer where the skipper was. When he found out Spielberg was crying in the other room, Day-Lewis walked in—still as Lincoln. He sat down next to Spielberg and put his arms around him.

A Career Defined by Immersive Acting

That story shows how committed Day-Lewis is to his roles—it's what he's known for. He's famous for method acting—he basically lives as his character for months before and during filming. That's how he pulls off characters like Lincoln, the brutal Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood," or Christy Brown in "My Left Foot"—with a level of authenticity most actors can't touch.

His obsessive prep work creates performances that stick with people—audiences and filmmakers both. Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Anderson have worked together multiple times, and Anderson also directed Penn's Oscar-winning role in "One Battle After Another"—both directors clearly value actors who go all-in.

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Spielberg's story proves what Day-Lewis can do—he's not just an Oscar winner, he's an actor who can move people to tears.

This article was created with AI assistance.