Meaty role for butcher
He is more used to serving the meat eaters of south London than dealing with Hollywood celebrities. But master butcher John Dell is now an honorary member of the glitterati after teaching Daniel Day-Lewis how to slaughter a beast and prepare it for the table in his latest movie Gangs of New York.
Mr Dell, who has wielded cleavers for 40 years, was whisked away to Rome and the multi-million dollar set being used for the gangster epic, which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz.
In the film Day-Lewis plays the aptly-named William Cutting, also known as Bill The Butcher, a violent 19th century gang leader. To bring added authenticity to the role, Mr Dell was tasked with training Day-Lewis to kill a pig and cut it up.
"Daniel is a charming man and very dedicated," Mr Dell said. "I didn't really know much about him, although I did enjoy him in The Last Of The Mohicans. I'm not a film buff, but my three children were going absolutely crazy.
"He has the makings of a fine butcher. I've never seen anyone pick it up so quickly. He was particularly good at sharpening knives and he had a natural feel for cutting meat."
The 58-year-old, who runs W Head & Co in Peckham, added: "I gave Daniel a Victorian Sheffield steak knife he uses in the film, and they changed the script after I pointed out the correct way to kill a pig."
Critics have tipped Day-Lewis to win an Oscar - he already has one for My Left Foot - in Martin Scorsese's new £70 million epic. The film is set in 1860s New York when the city exploded into riots and gang violence amid poverty, corruption and the ongoing Civil War. Day-Lewis's
character is based on a real life gang leader of the period, Bill Poole.
At one point Cutting uses a pig carcass to show Leonardo DiCaprio's character - young Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon - how he can kill a man with a butcher's knife.
Mr Dell was recommended to the actor by the film's consultant David Parfitt - a long-time customer. "Daniel plays a
Victorian butcher and needed an expert in older techniques. He takes his preparation very seriously," said Mr Parfitt.
"I've been a customer of John's for years - he's an old-fashioned, proper butcher - so I rang him and he agreed to join us there.
"We got them a room in the back of a butcher's shop where they could work with pig carcasses. They got on incredibly well."
Mr Dell made three visits to Rome and Day-Lewis asked him to stay on. "They wanted me out there for the whole shoot but I just couldn't leave the shop," said Mr Dell.
"We had a couple of meals together. We had a couple of steaks he cut himself. I was introduced to Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio, who were both charming. He thoroughly spoiled me.
"We had our picture taken in Rome in our costumes with the knife. The interpreter was worried the police would come." Mr Dell had to sadly decline an invitation to the movie's private screening last Friday. "I'm too busy with the Christmas turkeys and gammon," he said.
"But it would be nice to go along to the London premiere with my wife Linda. Daniel deserves an Oscar from what I've seen. I have some trepidation though - I don't normally like violent films."
