A little tidbit about the off screen pursuits of DDL:
Imagine one of the most sought-after film stars, a millionaire several times over, sitting on a wooden bench in Florence, carefully gluing together pieces of leather and then nailing them in place to create a masterpiece in footwear. After doing a couple of films in 1996 and 1997, Daniel Day-Lewis, the Oscar-winning actor, disappeared from public view for almost five years. It was during this self-imposed exile that he reportedly took up a new passion: to learn the art of shoemaking.
The story goes that the then 42-year-old took a summer vacation from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to become an ‘ordinary mortal’ and get down and dirty in an Italian cobbler’s shop in Florence.The London-born actor, his wife Rebecca, and their son stayed in Florence that summer and Day-Lewis spent most of it in the shoe factory. Apparently, he was already acquainted with master craftsman Stefano Bemer, whose hand-made shoes are legendary; his bespoke creations sell from $500 (Rs 20,000) upwards.
“They met the preceding winter when Daniel's shoemaker in London sent him over for a personal fitting,” a friend of Day-Lewis, who revealed the secret, told The Enquirer. The art of shoemaking fascinated Day-Lewis, so he asked Bemer to teach him the skills of cutting, shaping, gluing, nailing and fitting shoes. The star spent hours there sitting on a bench making shoes. So, if you do happen to bump into Day-Lewis while on a visit to Wicklow mountains in Ireland one day, you can try your luck and come back with a shoe made by the superstar himself!
Imagine one of the most sought-after film stars, a millionaire several times over, sitting on a wooden bench in Florence, carefully gluing together pieces of leather and then nailing them in place to create a masterpiece in footwear. After doing a couple of films in 1996 and 1997, Daniel Day-Lewis, the Oscar-winning actor, disappeared from public view for almost five years. It was during this self-imposed exile that he reportedly took up a new passion: to learn the art of shoemaking.
The story goes that the then 42-year-old took a summer vacation from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to become an ‘ordinary mortal’ and get down and dirty in an Italian cobbler’s shop in Florence.The London-born actor, his wife Rebecca, and their son stayed in Florence that summer and Day-Lewis spent most of it in the shoe factory. Apparently, he was already acquainted with master craftsman Stefano Bemer, whose hand-made shoes are legendary; his bespoke creations sell from $500 (Rs 20,000) upwards.
“They met the preceding winter when Daniel's shoemaker in London sent him over for a personal fitting,” a friend of Day-Lewis, who revealed the secret, told The Enquirer. The art of shoemaking fascinated Day-Lewis, so he asked Bemer to teach him the skills of cutting, shaping, gluing, nailing and fitting shoes. The star spent hours there sitting on a bench making shoes. So, if you do happen to bump into Day-Lewis while on a visit to Wicklow mountains in Ireland one day, you can try your luck and come back with a shoe made by the superstar himself!
