Daniel Day-Lewis Goofs On Clint Eastwood's RNC Speech With Chair Stunt

Daniel Day-Lewis isn't known for his sense of humor, but the "Lincoln" star displayed some strong comedic chops during the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Britannia Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

According to THR, after accepting the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film, Day-Lewis went into an extended comedy routine that riffed on Clint Eastwood's infamous speech at the Republican National Convention.

"I have to say that I'm so extremely grateful and glad that -- taking time out of his very busy schedule, the recently reelected president of this country has made it here." He gestured to the empty chair beside him on the stage, and the crowd roared.

Day-Lewis went on to say that he wasn't mocking Eastwood's empty-chair chat, but rather giving himself a new challenge. "I have to say, when I saw him talking to a chair in front of a room full of strangers, I thought, 'I've got to try that,'" Day-Lewis said. "That's a challenge. I didn't pull it off quite as well as him, but anyhow, I've got some way to go."

Eastwood used his time during the RNC in August to berate an invisible Barack Obama, whom the 82-year-old Oscar winner said sat in an empty chair.

"What do you want me to tell Romney?" Eastwood said while gesturing at the empty chair. "I can't tell him to do that. I can't tell him to do that to himself."

In the weeks after the speech, Eastwood said that he was trying to lighten the mood. "If somebody's dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they're gonna have to take what they get," Eastwood said on "Extra." He later told Ellen DeGeneres that he was "just trying to have some fun."

For more on the event and Day-Lewis, head over to THR. The Britannia Awards will air Sunday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. EST on BBC America.

[via THR]