Brow Beat

The 2012 Republican National Convention may seem like a long time ago, and Clint Eastwood’s much mocked chair routine rather picked over at this point, but Daniel Day-Lewis breathed some new life into “Eastwooding” at the BAFTA Brittania Awards yesterday. After his Lincoln director Steven Spielberg presented him with the Stanley Kurbick Award for Excellence in Film, the actor finished off his acceptance speech by having some impromptu fun at the expense of his fellow thespian.

Glancing at an empty chair that happened to be on stage with him, Day-Lewis quipped, “I have to say that I’m so extremely grateful and glad that—taking time out of his very busy schedule, the recently re-elected president of this country has made it here.” He added, “I know as an Englishman it's absolutely none of my business, but I'm just so very grateful it was you!” The Oscar-winner then attempted to make clear that he has a great deal of respect for Eastwood, and saw in his maligned RNC bit a great artistic “challenge.” “I didn't pull it off quite as well as him,” he claimed. “I’ve got some way to go.”