In the world of acting, we have heard how actors immerse themselves in preparation for their roles. But there are a few who would make major emotional and physical changes to completely capture the characters they portray.
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Most of the time, actors would be so caught up in their roles that they do not realize how much toll it would take on them later on. This just goes to show how far some stars would push themselves to achieve that stellar performance.
Isabelle Adjani, Possession
Horror buffs all over the world would agree that the subway scene of the 1981 film Possession is one of the most disturbing horror movie scenes in the history of cinema. It is definitely not for the faint of heart and for those who have a weak stomach.
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Isabelle Adjani, who played the role of Anna, won the César Award but her role left her permanently traumatized. Her role was so emotionally and physically draining that it took her years of therapy to recover from it.
Drew Barrymore, Scream
The opening scene of Scream was iconic thanks to Drew Barrymore’s performance. It turned out Barrymore was really worked up behind the scenes. To capture the needed emotions, Barrymore told director Wes Craven her deepest secrets. Those secrets were used to make her cry before they took a scene.
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Barrymore wanted to be hyperventilating in every take and Craven had successfully pushed her into a sobbing and shrieking mess for the scene. Barrymore recalled that shooting the scenes was so intense that she was exhausted to the bone each time she went home.
Adrian Brody, The Pianist
Adrian Brody’s portrayal of Holocaust survivor and pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. Brody went through a huge physical and emotional transformation for the role. Szpilman was a starving pianist in the movie’s timeline so Brody went on an extreme crash diet to look the part.
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And that’s not all. Brody sold his car and apartment, disconnected all forms of communication, and moved to Europe where he lived in isolation to prepare for the role. Brody ended up suffering from depression after production was over. For him, the emotional effect of starvation was harder than the isolation part of the journey.
Marilyn Burns, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper was known to be ruthless in this film. He managed to freak out the entire cast by making an executive decision to hide Leatherface’s grotesque features until it was time to start rolling the camera.
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So, Marilyn Burns really had no idea what was coming for her during her famous dinner scene. She said the scene terrified her and it was awful to be tied to a chair with all those strange men looming over her. She found it so unnerving it took her a while to recover from shooting it.
Vanessa Cartwright, Alien
The cast had no idea about the iconic chest-bursting scene in Alien. Director Ridley Scott made the executive decision to keep everyone in the scene in the dark to capture their authentic reactions.
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He was aiming for raw, animal fear for the famous scene. Veronica Cartwright reportedly passed out as soon as she felt the “blood” hit her. It was definitely so unexpected that she has forgotten they were filming a movie.
Jim Caviezel, The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ was a controversial hit when it came out. The set was even thought to be cursed as a lot of unfortunate happenings had happened to the cast and crew but Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus, had the worst bad luck during production.
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For some unknown reason, Caviezel had his flesh torn, dislocated his shoulder, diagnosed with pneumonia, a skin infection from the makeup, severe migraines and was even struck by lightning while on set. Looks like some higher force really did not want this movie to push through.
George Clooney, Syriana
It was not highly publicized but George Clooney was badly injured while doing his own stunts on the set of Syriana. He broke his back and he had a hard time dealing with the injury and the pain that he considered committing suicide.
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Clooney was unable to move and had terrible headaches and there were times when he felt like he was about to have a stroke. It came to a point when he was thinking he could not go on living that way. Thankfully, Clooney was able to recover from the injury and the dark mood he was in.
James Cromwell, Babe
Before working on the 1995 film Babe, James Cromwell was thinking of becoming a vegetarian. Working on the film made him realize that it was not enough when he saw a piglet being placed on a patch of grass and its struggle to break free.
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Cromwell decided to go vegan instead. He became a supporter and outspoken activist of animal rights. He was even arrested multiple times because of his activism. Cromwell also developed a fondness for pigs after working on Babe.
Johnny Depp, Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas
Johnny Depp got to depict his real-life hero, Hunter S. Thompson in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. To prepare for the role, Depp learned everything he could about Thompson’s lifestyle and mannerisms. He even lived in Thompson’s basement so that he could be as close as possible to the famous journalist.
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By the time filming began, Depp was fully immersed in Thompson’s character. In fact, Depp had remained in character for almost a year after production ended. Depp and Thompson remained to be close friends. When Thompson passed, it was rumored that Depp paid $3 million to shoot Thompson’s remains from a cannon.
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
The Revenant was the film that earned Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited and long-deserved Oscar Award. He was fully committed in his role that he really slept inside a dead animal carcass, ate raw bison meat, and swam in frozen lakes.
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And the result was a breath-taking performance that was as real as a film could get. Now we finally get to see an end to the running joke about how Leo would never get to win an Oscar each year.
Heather Donahue, The Blair witch Project
The cast was dumped in the woods and tormented by the crew for eight days straight. To get an authentic reaction, the directors did not tell them what to expect. They also provided less food so the cast would become delirious.
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Heather Donahue had to pretend to be dead as part of the film’s marketing strategy. Her obituary was actually published in the papers. This complicated things for her career as she was very much alive and eager to work on other projects.
Shelley Duvall, The Shining
The Shining is known to be one of the best films of its genre. Shelley Duvall’s experience on the set was a nightmare. The director was too rough on her, berating her endlessly and criticizing her every move.
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Duvall was forced to cry frequently and to great lengths that a water bottle had to be kept near her all the time for her to stay hydrated. She was so stressed that her hair had started to fall out in clumps.
Vera Farmiga, The Conjuring
The Conjuring follows the stories of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. When Vera accepted the role, she knew little about Lorraine’s story so she had to do some research about her work investigating high-profile hauntings.
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One night, she opened her laptop and saw three digital claw marks from the upper right going down diagonally to the lower left of her screen. The day after she finished shooting, Farmiga woke up to find a similar mark on her thigh.
Mia Farrow, Rosemary’s Baby
Mia Farrow had to suffer through one particular scene while filming Rosemary’s Baby. Farrow was a vegetarian and she was forced to eat a piece of the raw liver by director Roman Polanski for the scene.
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A raw piece of meat is gross enough for meat-eaters – what more to a vegetarian? She did not only have to do it once. Farrow was forced to eat the raw liver over and over again until Polanski was satisfied with the shot.
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
To completely portray George VI, Colin Firth studied recordings and worked with a vocal coach so that he could mimic the future King of England’s mannerisms, speech patterns, and nervous tics.
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George VI is known to have a stutter and by portraying him, Firth almost developed one himself. A year after the movie’s premiere, Firth admitted that the role left him with a minor speech impediment. Fortunately, he was able to have worked it off.
Isla Fisher, Now You See Me
Isla Fisher almost drowned for real while shooting an actual drowning scene. “My chain got stuck,” Fisher revealed. “I had to swim to the bottom; I couldn’t get up. Everyone thought I was acting fabulously. I was actually drowning. No one realized I was actually struggling.”
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It took a while for the crew to realize that something was wrong. It turned out that the chain was really stuck and the struggle was real. Thankfully, the crew were able to release the safety latch just in time.
Jodi Foster, The Silence of the Lambs
Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter creeped out everyone who has watched the film. Jodie Foster was not immune to it. She was so scared of Hopkins that she refused to say a word to him off-camera while they were filming.
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On the final day of shooting, Hopkins approached Foster and she confessed that she had been avoiding him the whole time because she was scared of him. Hopkins reportedly replied that he was scared of her too.
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
When Kit Harington bagged the role of Jon Snow, he had no idea how big Game of Thrones was going to be. As his character evolved to be one of the most important ones in the story, the more pressure Harrington felt. He was not able to enjoy his success.
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When the final season was over, Harington had checked himself into a wellness retreat citing that he had to work on personal issues. The actor was actually seeking help for alcohol abuse, stress, and exhaustion.
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Anne Hathaway spent the majority of filming Les Misérables in a state of psychological torment. She lost a lot of weight for her role by eating an extreme diet of only dried oatmeal paste.
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She also banished her husband to the US while production was ongoing so that she could fully envelop her character’s dark mental space. The result? A tear-jerking rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” and an Academy Award nomination.
Tippi Hedren, The Birds
During the final scene of The Birds, Tippi Hedren is attacked by a drove of birds and her performance was lauded because it was so convincing. Turns out that director Alfred Hitchcock really launched a dozen birds at her to record her authentic reaction.
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Hedren was expecting mechanical birds but Hitchock released actual birds that battered and pecked on her for real. Hedren later shared that she felt like Hitchock had put her in a mental prison while filming the movie.
Bob Hoskin, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Bob Hoskin’s most iconic role was his portrayal of private investigator Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But shooting the film was hard. Hoskins had spent long hours talking to imaginary co-stars every day for eight months and it took a toll on his psyche.
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When production was over, Hoskin would find himself hallucinating Roger Rabbit and people would find him speaking to himself in empty rooms. Hoskins was advised by his doctor to take a break from acting to reorient himself.
Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther
In the billion-dollar box office hit Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan got to play one of Marvel’s most memorable villains, Erik Killmonger. The role happened to take a toll on Jordan, who was not used to playing a villain.
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He never had to play a dark, lonely, and angry character for a long time and when production ended, he had a hard time letting go of the character. He went around with a gloomy and depressing mindset that he had to see a therapist to break out of it.
Val Kilmer, The Doors
When Val Kilmer bagged the role of rock legend Jim Morrison for The Doors, he did some serious research. He spent hours studying performances and interviews with Morrison. He even made the effort of learning all his songs.
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While taping, Kilmer requested the cast and crew to refer to him as Jim. Kilmer had thrown himself into the role that when production ended, he had to see a therapist to disconnect from the character.
Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Keira Knightley was only 17 years old when she joined the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The movie immediately launched her to stardom. But the teenager was not ready for the spotlight yet. Being hounded by the paparazzi was something she did not take well.
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She ended up trying to lie low and removing herself from the public eye for over a year, living like a recluse and not leaving her house. When Knightley returned to work, she was diagnosed with PTSD. She even went through hypnotherapy to help prevent panic attacks.
Heather Langenkamp, A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced one of the most iconic antagonists in cinema. Heather Langenkamp bagged the role of Nancy Thompson and she was not prepared for the horrifying scenes on the set. The bathtub scene was the hardest scene for her to film.
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When they were shooting, a man in a scuba suit was under Langenkamp the whole time to make it appear that Freddy Krueger’s hand was emerging between her legs. Shooting the scene had been a terrifying experience for her.
Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Playing Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games franchise was Jennifer Lawrence’s claim to fame. But she almost died while filming The Hunger Games. This happened in a scene where her character was sprinting through a tunnel.
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One of the fog machines had malfunctioned and unexpectedly filled the tunnel with heavy smoke. As a result, Lawrence almost suffocated to death. Thankfully, there was no bad blood and Lawrence came back to reprise her role for the rest of the franchise.
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger pushed himself hard to immerse in the character of Joker when he landed the role for The Dark Knight. Before filming, Ledger locked himself in a hotel room for weeks and lived in isolation. He kept a disturbing diary pretending to be a psychopath.
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Ledger had won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor but he never got to claim the award as he passed away in 2008. It was speculated that the physical and mental exhaustion of preparing for the role had contributed to his demise.
Janet Leigh, Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock is notorious for being a terror director in his films and his tactics have helped him revolutionize the horror industry. In the classic Psycho, Janet Leigh was left deeply traumatized by the famous shower scene.
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After the film, Leigh developed a phobia of taking showers because of the stabbing scene. She only took baths, made sure that the curtains were drawn back, and faced the door at all times.
Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange
During the iconic brainwashing scene in A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell really had to keep his eyes open for every single take. Unfortunately, the device scratched his cornea in one of the takes.
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This incident caused him to go blind temporarily. And this was not the only damage McDowell had to go through while filming A Clockwork Orange. His ribs were also cracked during the scene with the humiliating stage show.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Possession
Jeffrey Dean Morgan had his first taste of the paranormal when he filmed The Possession. The cast was disturbed by the real story of the dybbuk box that “Don’t mock the box” was their mantra during the production.
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Several unexplained happenings happened like lightbulbs exploding on the set for no reason. When someone offered to bring the real dybbuk box to their set, Morgan immediately refused. He was not willing to risk anything.
Dylan O’Brien, The Maze Runner
While filming The Maze Runner, Dylan O’Brien went through a horrifying accident that could have meant the end of his career. O’Brien was doing his own stunts and there was a scene when he was thrown from one car and got accidentally hit by another.
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The actor suffered from a concussion and a severe facial fracture. It took 6 months for the actor to fully recover. Thankfully, the incident did not discourage O’Brien from coming back to reprise his role in the Maze Runner franchise.
Natalie Portman, The Black Swan
The Black Swan won Natalie Portman an Oscar for her performance. But it all came at a great cost. Just like the ballerina she portrayed, Portman was a perfectionist. She pushed herself to go on a punishing training regimen to learn ballet.
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She lost 20 pounds by only eating carrots and almonds. During one of her 8-hour daily rehearsals, she dislocated a rib while trying to achieve perfection in her dance number. “There were some nights that I thought I literally was going to die,” she said.
Keanu Reeves, The Matrix
The set of The Matrix was rumored to be cursed. The cast and crew went through deaths and Keanu Reeves was not an exception. Reeves went through a series of unfortunate events while filming.
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His girlfriend at the time gave birth to a stillborn, then died in a car accident right after production wrapped up. Reeve’s sister also battled leukemia. The movie was close to shutting down and Reeves had to invest $24 million of his own money to keep it going.
Ryan Reynolds, The Amityville Horror
The set of the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror was said to be cursed. There were a series of bizarre occurrences that had slowed down its production. Someone died on the very first day of shooting.
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Most of the cast and crew woke up at 3:15 AM every day, which is the time the Amityville murders happened. Ryan Reynolds hated everything about the Amityville house. He found it terrifying and upsetting at the same time. And he got the chills every time he walked up to it.
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
In I, Tonya, Margot Robbie portrayed figure skater Tonya Harding. Robbie suffered a physical injury on set and she ended up having to do MRI scans weekly. But what happened to her emotional state was worse.
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She genuinely believed that she was Tonya and Sebastian Stan was her husband. The abusive relationship between Tonya and her husband had traumatized her emotionally so Robbie attacked Sebastian while running away from the set.
Bill Skarsgård, It
When Bill Skarsgård bagged the role of Pennywise, the terrifying clown created by Stephen King, he had a hard time immersing himself in the character. In fact, he had been relieved when production wrapped up.
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But Skarsgård found Pennywise lingered with him. Skarsgård started having very strange and vivid nightmares about Pennywise. Regardless of this strange experience and his love-hate relationship with the character, Skarsgård came back to reprise the role.
Liv Tyler, The Strangers
The Strangers had mixed reviews but it turned out to be a box office hit with a profit nine times its budget. Liv Tyler’s performance was lauded for truly encapturing what panic felt like in every hue.
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But according to Tyler, the panic was real. It turned out that she was not informed of the creepy masks that the torturers would be wearing. The director wanted Tyler’s reaction to being as genuine as possible.
JoBeth Williams, Poltergeist
The set of Poltergeist was considered to be one of the most haunted movie sets in cinema history. This is probably because Steven Spielberg insisted on using real human cadavers as props for the film. Jobeth Williams found out after shooting the scene that the remains were real.
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Williams also believed that the bad juju from the set followed her home after shooting. This was because all the paintings on her walls were crooked. She’d like to think it was just her imagination but the fact that she had to put them back in place every night says otherwise.
Patrick Wilson, Conjuring 2
Patrick Wilson experienced a real scare while shooting Conjuring 2. In one scene, a heavy floor-to-ceiling curtain had started moving violently without wind in the room. The incident scared the crew so much that they asked a priest to come and bless the set.
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When he was done shooting for the film, Wilson came home and started thinking his own house was haunted. Wilson shared in an interview with The Independent that people on two different occasions have heard kids laughing in his house in the middle of the night.