15 Method Actors That Took Things a Little Too Far

Method acting is a way for actors to, allegedly, get better performances by understanding how their characters think. The way it works is by never leaving character during their time on the set. Meaning, even when the cameras aren’t rolling, they’re still on character.

This is all well and good when playing someone who’s nice, well meaning and good hearted. Oddly enough, that isn’t the character type most often associated with method acting. Here are just some of the world famous method actors that, perhaps, took things a little too far.

Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot

To portray Christy Brown, a man with cerebral palsy, Day-Lewis never left his wheelchair on set. Crew members had to feed him, and his commitment was so intense he ended up cracking two ribs from maintaining the character’s posture.

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

De Niro first got into fighting shape and competed in three real boxing matches for the film. Then, production paused for four months so he could gain 60 pounds to play the older, washed-up version of Jake LaMotta.

Adrien Brody in The Pianist

To understand the loss his character experienced, Brody didn’t stop at losing 30 pounds. He sold his apartment and his car, broke up with his girlfriend, and isolated himself to practice piano for four hours every single day.

Shia LaBeouf in Fury

To get into the mindset of a WWII tank crewman, LaBeouf reportedly refused to shower for weeks. He also had a dentist pull a tooth and repeatedly cut his own face to make his character’s wounds look authentic.

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

To prepare for his legendary role as the Joker, Ledger isolated himself in a hotel room for weeks. He kept a character diary and experimented with different voices and mannerisms, developing the chilling performance that won him a posthumous Oscar.

Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Portman trained like a real ballerina for over a year, often for six hours a day, six days a week, until her feet bled. She believed that putting her body through that extreme pain was essential for the character’s mindset.

Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry

To prepare for her role as Brandon Teena, Swank lived as a man for a month. She bound her chest and fooled her own neighbors into thinking her ‘brother’ was visiting. Her commitment won her an Academy Award.

Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon

Carrey stayed in character as either Andy Kaufman or his obnoxious alter ego Tony Clifton for the entire production. He even stuffed Limburger cheese into his clothes and got into a real physical fight with Jerry “The King” Lawler.

Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables

Hathaway lost 25 pounds on an extreme diet and had her long hair chopped off on camera for the role of Fantine. She later said the experience was so intense it caused a “break with reality” that took her weeks to recover from.

Jamie Foxx in Ray

To play Ray Charles, Foxx wore prosthetic eyelids that glued his eyes shut, causing him to suffer panic attacks on set. He also lost nearly 30 pounds to match the musician’s slender frame, earning him an Oscar.

Nicolas Cage in Birdy

For his role as an injured Vietnam veteran, Cage had two of his teeth pulled without any anesthetic to feel his character’s pain. He also wore bandages on his face for five straight weeks, even sleeping in them.

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Rourke gained nearly 30 pounds of muscle for the role, admitting to using steroids to achieve the look. He also trained extensively with pro wrestlers to learn the moves and make the scenes feel painfully real.

Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club

McConaughey lost a staggering 50 pounds to play Ron Woodroof. He and co-star Jared Leto both stayed in character for the entire shoot, and they didn’t properly meet as themselves until after the movie had wrapped.

Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman

To play a blind Army veteran, Pacino trained to perform daily tasks without sight, from pouring a drink to lighting a cigar. He reportedly stayed in character off-camera, using a cane and never making eye contact with other actors.

Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour

Oldman spent over 200 hours in the makeup chair to become Winston Churchill. He also smoked over 400 of Churchill’s favorite cigars during filming, which added up to a bill of around $20,000 for the production.