Over the years, many actors have starred in movies based on real-life stories, called biopics. They told us the incredible stories of celebrities on screen. Luckily, many actors met famous people whom they portrayed in real life and those moments are memorable.
Although actors decided to star in biopics, amongst a roster of things to consider, they have to ensure the story is spot on and are ready to face some kind of backlash that can put them in a “bad light”. To fulfill perfectly their roles, actors tried their best to portray them as realistically as possible. After movies’ successes, their encounters can become emotional and each actor becomes an admirer of that person.
Below are 15 celebrities who played famous people and met their characters in real life. Click
here and here to see more. #1 Christian Bale met Dicky Eklund
Source: © AP / East News
In “The Fighter”, Christian Bale embodied former boxer Dicky Eklund. At the 2011 SAG Awards, they had a surprising encounter. The actor didn’t expect to meet him at the event where he won an award for his performance.
#2 James Franco met Aron Ralston
Source: Kevin Winter
“127 Hours” is a biographical psychological survival drama film, based on real events. Aron Ralston, the main character played by James Franco, is a real person and they were interviewed together. While the actor shared his challenge during filming, Ralston praised him because James Franco reflected that key moment in his life.
#3 O’Shea Jackson Jr. met Ice Cube
Source: © Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP / East News
O’Shea Jackson Jr. appeared as Ice Cube in “Straight Outta Compton”m playing him in his early days as a rapper. In a chat between the 2, the actor shared he was so nervous when taking on this role while the singer could not imagine anyone else who could play him and considered Jackson Jr. for the role.
#4 AnnaSophia Robb met Bethany Hamilton
Source: © East News
“Soul Surfer” is the story of a teenage surfer suffering a terrible accident but kept pursuing her dream. The movie was inspired by Hamilton’s life and AnnaSophia Robb took on this role. In an interview, both shared their thought about the movie. The actress was so grateful when Hamilton guided her to learn how to surf. On the other hand, the surfer said she liked how the film was able to reflect what she went through in that stage of her life.
#5 Eddie Redmayne met Stephen Hawking
Source: © Joel Ryan / Invision / AP / East News
Stephen Hawking is a famous astrophysicist and his life inspired director James Marsh to make the movie. In the film, Eddie Redmayne portrayed the astrophysicist and had a chance to meet Stephen Hawking a few days before filming. For his part, Hawking felt honored to be represented in such a movie and praised Eddie Redmayne because of his great performance.
#6 Will Smith met Muhammad Ali
Source: © East News
Muhammad Ali used to guide Will Smith in his work during filming “Ali” telling the boxer’s life. Smith went through a tough process, as he had to gain muscle mass and faithfully represent Ali within his biopic. The actor was so grateful when getting to know Ali and calling him a friend and mentor.
#7 Kristen Stewart met Joan Jett
Source: Lester Cohen
Kristen Stewart recalled the process she was practicing to play rock singer Joan Jett in the movie “The Runaways”. When Stewart met her in person, she asked to trust her, even though she experienced many difficulties during filming. The actress was honored when played the singer on-screen.
#8 Reese Witherspoon met Cheryl Strayed
Source: © Todd Williamson / Invision / AP / East News
Like Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon encountered many difficulties when playing Cheryl Strayed, a woman who went on a long journey of self-discovery to heal the wounds of her life. Fortunately, she met Strayed and they hit it off and discovered that they had more in common than they thought.
#9 Mark Ruffalo met Michael Rezendes
Source: © Jonathan Short / Invision / AP / East News
Mark Ruffalo asked journalist Michael Rezendes some questions to play him well in the movie “Spotlight”. Initially, the journalist felt that the actor was so intrusive but he realized that he did the same thing. They hit it off right away and appreciated each other’s efforts in their respective professions.
#10 Brad Pitt met Billy Beane
Source: Alexandra Wyman
Brad Pitt played Billy Beane in the film, “Moneyball” and they were interviewed together. Beane was surprised when there was a movie about his life. For Pitt, this role was one of the most important ones of his career.
#11 Jesse Eisenberg met Mark Zuckerberg
Source: © Saturday Night Live / YouTube
Jesse Eisenberg gained wide recognition after playing Mark Zuckerberg. They had an encounter on Saturday Night Live show. When standing next to Zuckerberg, Eisenberg asked him what he thought of the movie, and he replied that it was “interesting.”
#12 Morgan Freeman met Nelson Mandela
Source: © Morgan Freeman / Facebook
In an interview, Morgan Freeman admitted having a tough time adopting Nelson Mandela’s accent in the movie “Invictus”. For that, he had to meet him on a few occasions, thus forming a close friendship. Before that, the actor saw him on television, he heard him say that he would like to see Freeman play him. And that’s exactly what happened several years later.
#13 Don Cheadle met Paul Rusesabagina
Source: © East News
Before filming, Don Cheadle had met with writer Paul Rusesabagina in order to play him in his biopic. The actor asked him several questions to get to know him better and even lived with him for a week to imitate everything about him.
#14 Al Pacino met Jack Kevorkian
Source: © Gregorio T. Binuya / Everett Collection / East News
Al Pacino played a doctor named Jack Kevorkian in the film, You Don’t Know Jack. When they met, Kevorkian praised Pacino’s great work, saying that many scenes in the film moved him.
#15 Sandra Bullock met Leigh Anne Tuohy
Source: © Skip Bolen / WireImage / Getty Images
Sandra Bullock received praise from viewers after playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film “The Blind Side”, which reflects her interaction with a homeless boy. Though she refused this role at first, finally she accepted the role after a few meetings. In a talk they had face to face, Leigh Anne Tuohy felt nervous when she saw the actress in front of her house. Eventually, she felt that the actress would do a good job at portraying this part of her life.