Retired English actor Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the greatest actors in cinema’s history. Although picky,  the actor won numerous accolades throughout his career. Most of his performances, if not all, have been critically acclaimed. The proof of this fact is that he has three Academy Awards, making him the actor with the most Academy Awards for Best Actor.

Back to the part about him being picky, Day-Lewis has rejected roles in some great movies. For instance, he rejected the lead role in 1993’s Philadelphia and the role of the vampire Lestat in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire. 

Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot
Another such role that Day-Lewis reportedly rejected was Batman. Zack Snyder once approached the actor for a role in Man of Steel, and it was not until much later that he revealed which role it was.

Zack Snyder on the Role He Had Written for Daniel Day-Lewis

Michael Shannon as General Zod in Man of Steel
Zack Snyder has helmed some of the best movies to date. He is most popularly known for helming films for the superhero franchise DC. The first superhero movie he directed was Man of Steel, in which Henry Cavill finally debuted as Superman after being slashed out of a previous project about the same superhero.

SUGGESTED

“We’ve come up with a script”: Martin Scorsese Reveals His Jesus Movie Update That Might Bring Back Daniel Day-Lewis Out of Retirement

In an interview with MTV News, when interviewer Josh Horowitz asked Snyder about the rumor regarding Daniel Day-Lewis’ casting as General Zod in Man of Steel, the latter said:

“You can talk about Daniel Day-Lewis as an actor and he can play any part he wants. If Daniel Day-Lewis called you up and said, like, ‘I want to be in your movie. So, I want to be Lois Lane.’ You’d be, like… ‘Yeah, ok. It’s a take I wasn’t prepared for, but yes.’”

Horowitz then asked the Rebel Moon director if he had talked to Day-Lewis about the movie by any means, to which Zack Snyder said:

“Yeah, we did talk. We had hoped that Daniel Day-Lewis would be interested in the movie.”

SUGGESTED

Katharine Hepburn to Daniel Day-Lewis: 5 Actors With Astonishing Oscar Records That Might Never Be Beaten Anytime Soon

Man of Steel, a reboot of the Superman film series, was written by David Goyer and produced by The Dark Knight Trilogy director Christopher Nolan. The film, directed by Zack Snyder, was a critical and commercial success. The role of General Zod eventually went to Michael Shannon.

General Zod is Not the Only DC Role That Daniel Day-Lewis Rejected

Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread
This was not the first time the A Room with a View actor had rejected a role in a comic book movie as he had reportedly (via Screen Rant) also rejected the role of the DC superhero Batman in the 1995 movie Batman Forever. 

SUGGESTED

Daniel Day-Lewis Builds a Reputation For Himself Outside of Acting in Another Industry With His Rare and Eclectic Taste

After Michael Keaton stepped down from the role of Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman, Day-Lewis was reportedly considered for the role, but he rejected it. The role eventually went to Val Kilmer, which probably makes the In the Name of the Father star one of the few actors in Hollywood who have not appeared in a comic book movie.