BEYOND THE SCRIPT
Ten actors who totally lost themselves in their roles
Published on December 24, 2024
Credit: Avel Chuklanov
Sometimes actors take their jobs very seriously, even perhaps too seriously, going above and beyond the requirements of their role. Long after the cameras stopped rolling, these performers might still refuse to break character in order to be able to bring a sense of authenticity to the silver screen.
From committed method actors to those who just can't seem to shake off their on-screen personas, here are ten actors who took their performances to the extreme.
Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman
Credit: Noemi Nuñez, CC BY-SA 2.0
In "Man on the Moon," the 1999 biopic on eccentric comedian Andy Kaufman, Jim Carrey portrayed the titular role with such commitment to the part that, to the amusement (and mild annoyance) of everyone on set, he found he couldn’t quite shake the character off even long after the cameras stopped rolling. The immersive experience marked the actor so deeply that, on many occasions, he referred to "knowing" Kaufman, despite never having met him while still alive.
Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow
Credit: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Johnny Depp is another actor famous for always taking his commitment to the role a bit too far, and his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow was no exception.
In fact, the Sparrow persona blended so perfectly with his own personality that other cast members found it difficult to tell Depp’s acting from his being serious. One of his former security guards claimed that even outside of the set, he was "basically Jack Sparrow all the time."
Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev
Credit: teh_defiance, CC BY-SA 2.0
To the chagrin of everyone involved - unwillingly, more often than not - in one of his many eccentric skits, Sacha Baron Cohen's portrayal of the bumbling and politically incorrect journalist Borat is mind-bogglingly intense. His immersive acting has a purpose though, and that is to catch people off guard and induce them to act in a genuine manner.
However, as his humor often treads dangerously close to the edge of social acceptability, Baron Cohen has confessed that another reason he never breaks character is because things can go very wrong if the thin veil of disbelief is lifted, "someone might even call the police."
Anne Hathaway as Fantine
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In "Les Misérables," Anne Hathaway gives a haunting portrayal of Fantine, a poor factory worker forced into desperate means to support her daughter. Hathaway took the role perhaps too seriously, as she cut off all of her hair and embarked on a "starvation" diet that led her to lose a ton of weight.
To make matters worse, she reportedly had an identity crisis during filming, likely exacerbated by the demanding transformation process she underwent for the movie.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie
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In Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," Leonardo DiCaprio took on the role of Calvin Candie, a ruthless plantation owner. Well-known for his painstaking dedication to his craft, DiCaprio fully embraced the sinister persona of Candie, reportedly even holding back real pain when he cut his hand with broken glass during a particularly emotionally charged scene.
Of course, the director Quentin Tarantino kept the broken glass take in the movie, making the portrayal of this terrifying character even more chilling.
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
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In Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Viggo Mortensen portrayed Aragorn, the reluctant hero and rightful heir to the throne of Gondor. Although he was not the first pick for the role, both the director and producers felt he was perfect for the role as soon as he arrived on set.
Mortensen's commitment went beyond mere acting; he learned to speak Elvish, trained in sword fighting, hiked to some of the film's most remote locations, and performed many of his own stunts, even though most of this was not actually required to play the part.
Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz
Credit: Andrea Raffin, CC BY-SA 3.0
In "The Reader," Kate Winslet delivered a powerful performance as Hanna Schmitz, a former Nazi prison guard with a dark secret. Winslet immersed herself in the complexities of her character, capturing both Hanna's own vulnerability and her capacity for cruelty.
To pull off a perfect German accent, she kept talking like her character even behind cameras, to the point where her children regularly complained and asked her to stop making "funny voices."
Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher
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In Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York," Daniel Day-Lewis delivered a tour de force performance as Bill the Butcher, a ruthless gang leader in 19th-century New York City. One of the most acclaimed method actors in the world, Day-Lewis reportedly spent months researching the time period and even learned how to speak in a 19th-century New York accent.
He was so committed to authenticity that he refused to wear anything else than his period-accurate - and not very toasty - clothes while filming in the midst of winter, leading him to contract pneumonia, for which he also refused treatment with modern medicine. Later, he said that taking these risks is important for his process and that he considers it sort of an "occupational hazard."
Christian Bale as Trevor Reznik
Credit: Lance Cpl. Hope Straley, Public domain
In "The Machinist," Christian Bale underwent a shocking physical transformation to portray Trevor Reznik, an insomniac factory worker plagued by guilt and paranoia. Bale famously lost over 60 pounds for the role, reducing himself to a skeletal figure.
To achieve this, his diet reportedly consisted of only an apple, water, coffee, and the occasional whiskey, equivalent to roughly 100 calories per day. His intense commitment to the character's downward spiral into madness is evident in every haunting scene, making "The Machinist" a visceral and unforgettable cinematic experience.
Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald
Credit: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0
Hilary Swank earned an Academy Award for Best Actress for her magnetic portrayal of Maggie Fitzgerald, a young woman who defies all odds to pursue her dream of becoming a professional boxer.
To fit into the part, she trained just like an aspiring professional boxer would, gaining nearly 20 pounds of muscle in the process. Swank was so immersed in the role that she didn’t notice a blister on her foot developing into a dangerous staph infection that required immediate medical intervention.
