Dillon Freasier

Dillon Freasier
File:Blood Freasier.jpg Dillon Freasier (left) in There Will Be Blood
Occupation(s)	Film actor, student
Years active	2007–present

Dillon Freasier (born 1996) is an American actor known for his role as H.W. Plainview alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood.

Biography

Career

Born and raised in the West Texas town of Fort Davis, Freasier was not an actor when chosen for the role, nor did he have any prior acting experience. Casting Director Cassandra Kulukundis, after several unsuccessful attempts to cast established Hollywood child actors, began searching for potential actors in rural schools located around Marfa, Texas, the film's primary filming location. At a Fort Davis school with "maybe eight boys of the right age", Freasier was singled out by his Principal. Kulukundis said, "...he just stayed in my mind, so I called [his mother] at home and asked if it was all right if I could come over that night." While racing to another school to see more boys, Kulkundis was pulled over by a traffic cop, who happened to be Freasier's mother, and was let off with a warning. According to The New York Times, Director Paul Thomas Anderson "...really wanted a kid who’d grown up around ranches and horses rather than someone coming in and trying to fake that." In an inteview, Day-Lewis told the story of what happened when Freasier's mother researched the past roles of the man who would be playing alongside her son, "She thought she better check out this bunch of people taking care of her son. So she got Gangs of New York. Absolutely appalled! She thought she was releasing her dear child to this monster. And so there was a flurry of phone calls and somebody sent a copy of The Age of Innocence."

In the Los Angeles Times, Daniel Day-Lewis spoke about his concerns of how Freasier would react to the more serious scenes, “I started to worry a little bit because we were very close, and I thought, ‘Man, how’s he going to feel when I start treating him harshly?’ So I kind of sat him down. I created this sort of atmosphere…portentous atmosphere. ‘Dillon, you know how I feel about you and there are going to be moments … I’m not going to treat you nicely. I want you to understand that I love you.’ He looked at me like I was insane.” Christy Lemire, the movie critic for the Associated Press, praised Freasier as a "confident newcomer", in addition, the LA Times labeled him "a budding star". American political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain, in a film review published in Christianity Today, called Freasier's performance "astonishing". During his Academy Award acceptance speech for Best Actor, Day-Lewis said, "I wish my son and my partner H.W. Plainview were up here with me, the mighty Dillon Freasier." Freasier, who had decided to skip the Oscars, was asleep at the time. Freasier was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2007 for his role in as H.W.

Personal life

Freasier currently lives in Albany, Texas near Abilene, where he attends Moran Junior High School and plays football. He is also a rodeo enthusiast, who competes in roping horses, winning numerous medals for his ranching skills. Moving to Albany in January 2007 with his mother, Regina Freasier, a state trooper, and his two sisters, Brittney and Chelsi, he is unsure about pursing acting in the future. Since There Will Be Blood, Freasier has looked at two roles, but ultimately chose not to pursue them.

External links

• Dillon Freasier at IMDb

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