15 incredible examples of movie stars living in their roles

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Sometimes actors, in order to get used to a new role, have to radically change their habits and even their way of life. And some film actors do go to extremes in order to maximally correspond to the image invented by the authors of the film.

1. The film "The Pianist" (2002)

Brody lost 13 kilograms to play Holocaust survivor Spielman in The Pianist, and actually learned to play the piano, practicing for four hours every day.

But this seemed to him not enough. Brody decided that he needed to feel disconnected from his entire previous life, as Spielman had done. As a result, the actor abandoned his apartment, sold his car, turned off his phones, took two bags and moved to Europe (no wonder his disappointed girlfriend dumped Brody). His sacrifices paid off in 2003 in the form of an Oscar for Best Actor.

2. The film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975)

The actors who starred in this magnificent film, including Jack Nicholson, lived for a while in the psychiatric ward, where the film was filmed. At the same time, they contacted real patients and underwent group therapy sessions. Some scenes were filmed by the director Milos Forman without their knowledge.

3. The film "Rocky 4" (1985)

During the filming of Rocky IV, Stallone asked Dolph Lundgren (who played Ivan Drago) to try to "actually" knock him out. This was a bad idea. As Stallone later recalled, “the same night my blood pressure rose to 260, I went to the hospital, they put me on a plane and urgently sent me to America. The next thing I remember is the walls of the intensive care unit, where I lay for five days "He hit me in the chest so hard that my heart hit my ribs. The doctors thought I was in an accident and I was hit by a truck."

4. The film "The Machinist" (2004)

Bale dropped 27 kilograms to play the protagonist exhausted by insomnia in this psychological thriller. For this, the actor had to go on a strict diet for 4 months. Even more incredible, after that, in 6 weeks, Bale regained the weight lost for filming "Batman Begins" and another 18 kg during filming.

5. The film "Sharpened Blade" (1996)

Thornton used an unusual and painful method to naturally limp, which was required of his protagonist. He poured broken glass inside his boots. The suffering was not in vain: he received an Oscar nomination for his role.

6. The Doors movie (1991)

To play the role of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors, Kilmer spent thousands of dollars. Kilmer learned 50 The Doors songs, and allegedly wore Morrison's clothes and frequented his favorite Hollywood hangouts. The actor also spent hundreds of hours talking to Paul Rothschild, the iconic rock band's producer and film consultant.

At the end of filming, Rothschild stated that Kilmer "knows Jim Morrison better than Jim has ever known himself." Moreover, Val learned to copy Morrison's voice in songs in such a way that no one could tell the difference between a rock star or an actor singing.

7. The film "Bird" (1984)

In order to physically feel the pain that his character (a Vietnam veteran) was going through, Cage removed several teeth without anesthesia. He also spent five weeks with his face bandaged.

8. The film "Taxi Driver" (1976)

De Niro actually got his license and worked as a taxi driver while preparing for his role in the Martin Scorsese film. The Academy Award winner worked several 12-hour shifts, driving passengers around New York during filming breaks.

9. The film "Tropical Fever" (1991)

Berry took the role of a drug addict in Spike Lee's 1991 film very responsibly. The actress visited several drug dens and did not wash for two weeks.

10. The film "Collapse" (2013)

Dornan, who played a serial killer on the Netflix series, wanted to understand the thrill of stalking a victim. To do this, he tried to chase a random woman for several blocks.

11. and 12. Films "The Inevitable Death of Charlie Countryman" (2013) and "Rage" (2014)

When Labeouf heard that his character Charlie Countryman was taking LSD in one of the scenes, he wanted to portray it on the big screen as realistically as possible. To do this, Shia LaBeouf took LSD, filmed his trip and gave the recording to the director. The day after LaBeouf was cast as a WWII soldier in Rage, he joined the National Guard and spent a month at Forward Operating Base.

13. 14. and 15. Films "Torture" (1996), "Gangs of New York" (2002), Lincoln (2012)

While filming "The Crucible," Day-Lewis aimed to live on a set that was a replica of a colonial village, which meant it had no electricity or running water. In addition, he built his own 17th century home using only tools that were available to American settlers at the time.

Taking part in the filming of the Oscar-winning film Scorsese nearly cost Day-Lewis' health. The actor refused to wear a modern winter coat on set and fell ill with pneumonia. When the actor was filming Lincoln, he tried to fully get into the role. Day-Lewis walked, talked, and even corresponded like the legendary president of the United States.

It remains to be noted that movie heroes and their prototypes are far from always in full agreement. To be convinced of this, it is enough to know who the machine gunner Anka really was.