Entertainment

He’s a total Abe

Joseph Gordon-Levitt worked with Daniel Day-Lewis for weeks on the set of “Lincoln” and, strangely, never once ran across his co-star.

“I never met him, never met Daniel in person,” Gordon-Levitt tells The Post. “I only ever met the president, only ever heard his voice, the president’s voice. I called him ‘sir,’ he called me ‘Robert.’ ”

Friday’s “Lincoln” has quite a pedigree. It chronicles the 16th president’s final months as he helps broker a deal to pass a constitutional amendment banning slavery. It’s directed by Steven Spielberg. The supporting cast includes names such as Tommy Lee Jones as congressman Thaddeus Stevens, John Hawkes and James Spader as Republican operatives, and Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln’s eldest son, Robert.

But because “Lincoln” is a Day-Lewis movie, all anyone is likely to be talking about is the enigmatic actor’s infamous way of going way, way method for his projects, including staying in character for months.

“Lincoln” was apparently no different. The British-Irish actor completely devoted himself to becoming the president, including losing weight and developing a higher-pitched, nasally speaking voice that he never seemed to drop during the whole of production.

Sally Field, who plays first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, says that Day-Lewis began texting her in character seven months before filming began.

“It was very difficult to do because you had to figure out how to say what you wanted to say within the vernacular of the time,” she tells The Post. “Many times I wanted to call him up and say, ‘How would I say this?’ It was very hard to do.”

As he’s done on his previous movies, Day-Lewis insisted on living the part even off the set.

“I understand that he rented a 200-year-old home in Richmond, Virginia [where the movie was shot], and it was getting late in the year, and it wasn’t centrally heated, and he basically lived with heat from a stove,” says Robert Nelson, a Virginia actor who did background and stand-in work.

On the set, Spielberg did everything he could to create a historical bubble for his star. Actors and the crew from the UK were reportedly told not to use their natural accents around Day-Lewis, lest his Lincoln voice get corrupted. Production assistants and other members of the crew wore period jackets, hats and other clothing, as did Spielberg. All of the actors were addressed by their character’s names on set, and the call sheet — a daily accounting of the cast’s schedule — listed “A. Lincoln” instead of the actor’s name.

“Daniel and I, to this day, call each other Mrs. L or Molly,” Field says. “Many times I still address him as Mr. Lincoln.”

Woe to you if you don’t.

“One morning, I happened to walk by him on the way from craft services,” Nelson recalls, “and I said, ‘Good morning, Mr. Lewis,’ and he went, ‘Grr,’ like, ‘Don’t bother me, I’m in character.’ ”

Day-Lewis doesn’t like to discuss his methods, and in the few interviews he does give, he tends to deflect questions about his unique process with a bit of Irish charm.

“I’m just sort of reflecting a little bit on my entire life,” he says, referencing his roles in “The Crucible,” “Gangs of New York” and “Lincoln.” “And I’m thinking that I’ve spent a certain amount of time in 17th-century America, quite a bit of time in 18th-century America, and so much time in 19th-century America that I don’t know if I’ll ever get out to join the modern world.”

The closest we might get to an explanation of his motives comes from Emily Watson, his co-star in 1997’s “The Boxer.”

“I remember asking at the very end [of filming], ‘Why do you work like that?’ ” she told Time. “And he said — it was very sweet — ‘Well, I don’t think I’m a good enough actor to be able to not do it this way.’ ”

Daniel Day-Lewis’ Greatest Method Hits

“The Boxer,” 1997

Day-Lewis trained so hard that coach Barry McGuigan said he could go pro.

“My Left Foot,” 1989

Playing a paralyzed painter, Day-Lewis refused to leave his wheelchair between scenes, forcing the disgruntled crew to carry him over wires and equipment. He also broke two ribs from continuously sitting in the character’s hunched position.

“The Last of the Mohicans,” 1992

He lived in the wild for six months, learning to track and skin animals, throw tomahawks and use a flintlock rifle, which he could load and fire while running.

“In the Name of the Father,” 1993

To play IRA prisoner Gerry Conlon, the actor spent 48 hours locked in a prison, eating gruel, being interrogated by real policemen and having buckets of ice water thrown over him.

“The Age of Innocence,” 1993

He reportedly spent months walking the streets of New York in period clothing, doused in cologne, as was the fashion of the Victorian period.

“The Crucible,” 1996

Insisted on building the wooden house his character would live in. Also got a

real tattoo for the role.

“Gangs of New York,” 2002

To play 19th-century gangster Billy the Butcher, the actor took an apprenticeship with a real butcher. He also shunned modern winter clothing, causing him to catch pneumonia on-set.

“Nine,” 2009

He wrote love letters to co-star Fergie in character and on the stationery of Guido Contini, the hot-blooded Italian director he portrayed. He reportedly still spoke in the character’s accent six months after filming wrapped.