This is why some actors go insane lengths to stay in character. We’ve talked before about some of the craziest things actors have done to prepare for famous roles, but there’s just so much crazy in this well we had to dip back into it.
30. Robert De Niro
Robert De Nirohas done a number of admirable but totally unnecessary things to prepare for his roles, includingworking an entire monthas a cab driver forTaxi Driver.To get ready for his role as Vito Corleone inThe Godfather: Part II,he spent several months living in Sicily. He even learned how to play the saxophone forNew York, New York,and now we can’t stop thinking about Travis Bickle wailing on a sax. But that’s not the craziest thing he’s done.
For the chilling dramaThe Deer Hunter,De Niro insisted that a real, actual bullet be placed in the gun during the famous Russian roulette sequence. The bullet was taken out of the gun before the trigger was actually pulled, but that’s… a work hazard, to say the least.
29. Kate Winslet
We’ve talked about the lengthsKate Winsletwent to in order to took on the role of Hanna Schmitz forThe Reader– ultimately landing her the Academy Award for Best Actress. But that’s nothing compared to what she did for her breakout role.
Hard as it is to imagine, Winselt used to be a relative nobody, which was the case when she essentially stalked directorJames Cameronto convince him to cast her as Rose inTitanic.She found his private number and called him while he was driving on the freeway to lobby for the part, and sent him a pile of roses with the note “From your Rose.” Of course, like many actors, she later vowed to never work with Cameron again, because he is also a maniac.
28. Johnny Depp
Johnny Deppis many, many things, and one of those things is “bizarre madman.” We’ve already talked aboutthe decidedly unsafe thingshe did to prepare for his role inFear and Loathing in LasVegas,but did you know he based his performance inEdward Scissorhandson his childhood dog?
We can actually kind of see it, to be honest. He’s made other equally strange choices in his career, including mimickingMichael Jacksonin his role as Willy Wonka inCharlie and the Chocolate Factory,and basing his speech patterns and movement as Captain Jack Sparrow onKeith Richards.
27. Jamie Dornan
Just imagine yourself getting off at a subway stop, walking to your apartment or job, and then realizing several blocks later that someone is following you. Now imagine also realizing that the person following you is Christian Grey. Or even worse, the dude from that terrible newRobin Hoodmovie, making an extremely creepy effort to get inside the head of a character.
What we’re trying to say here is thatJamie Dornantotally admitted to stalking a woman on the street to prepare for his serial killer role inThe Fall. He followed her off the London underground and for several blocks, later noting that it “felt kind of exciting, in a really sort of dirty way”. Accounting for the aforementioned Robin Hood movie, this has to be the second-most terrible thing he’s ever done.
26. Shia LaBeouf
While certainly an underrated actor, one of the least-surprising facts aboutShia LaBeoufis that he goes insufferable lengths to get into a role. We’ve previously discussedmany delightful examples, but we’d like to go into a little more detail about that time he filmed himself on acid and then made his friends watch the video.
According to the actor himself, while preparing forThe Necessary Death of Charlie Countrymanit occurred to him that he’d never tried LSD before. And so since he was playing a character who trips on acid, he did the only logical thing and tried acid for real. Then he filmed it and sent it to his co-stars for pointers and general feedback. Because that’s clearly how acting works.
25. Jared Leto
Undoubtedly the worst form of over-the-top method acting is the kind that a) makes you look like an ass, and b) was for a terrible film. We’ve already sharedsome of the storiesofJared Leto’s Joker-prep forSuicide Squad,in which the actor famously tormented his co-workers for the sake of a half-written and pandering story. But there’s so much more.
Along with making everyone call him “Joker” on set, the actor claims he sent his costars “used condoms," an act which never improves any working relationship. The condoms were later clarified by directorDavid Ayeras being “used” in the sense of being “taken out of the packaging” – making him the annoyed parent to Leto’s edgelord teen.
24. Halle Berry
While male actors get the most buzz for insane method decisions, it’s important to remember that actresses not only a) bury themselves in their roles… but also b) are more than capable of annoying their friends and family in doing so.Halle Berrydid just that back in the 90s forSpike Lee’sJungle Fever.
When tasked with playing a crackhead for the film, Berry opted to forego bathing for roughly eight weeks – describing the results as “gnarly”. We can’t disagree with that assessment, but are thankful she didn’t go any further than that when diving into the mind of a drug addict.
23. The Cast of ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’
Considering the methods described in this list, it sure doesn’t seem like actors need much preparation for getting in the minds of the mentally troubled. That didn’t stop the cast ofOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestfrom going the extra mile and opting to spend most of their days at the Oregon State Mental Hospital.
Turns out that, along with being the subject of the novel, this specific hospital agreed to be the shooting location for the film while maintaining its actual operations – allowing the crew to use actual patients as extras. Considering what this film is about, the fact thatanyhospital would agree to this is either really brave or really stupid.
22. Angelina Jolie
The real lifeGia Carangistruggled with drug addiction and isolation, making it less-than-ideal to completely method your way through her portrayal.Angelina Joliesettled on meeting the goal halfway, hoping that the role (which she felt personally connected to) would “purge her demons” in the process.
To fully realize her character’s loneliness, the actress cut off ties with her friends and even refrained from speaking to her then-husbandJonny Lee Miller, telling him “I’m alone; I’m dying; I’m gay; I’m not going to see you for weeks.” Pretty hardcore, but also suspicious since they divorced soon after this movie.
21. Margot Robbie
Before you ask: no, they didn’t makeMargot Robbieperform all of the complicated ice skating tricks forI, Tonyabut rather put her face on a double for a lot of the film. After all, it’s not a great idea to fling your leading actress over rock-hard ice while wearing knife shoes. It’s not really a great idea for anyone to do that.
With that said – Robbie made the effort to do asmuchof the skating as she was allowed, often appearing in 30-40 seconds of each sequence. And she accomplished this by actually learning to skate – training a good five days a week for four hours a day. That’s twenty exhausting hours a week!
