30 Legendary Actors Who Went Above And Beyond To Win Their Roles

The road to stardom is never a bed of roses. It's completely true for those who have been working in the film industry. To survive and make a name for themselves in this competitive (cutthroat) environment, the actors need constant efforts to advance their acting skills. More importantly, they work with passion and persistence. Thus, they dare to go above and beyond to win their roles. This is also what creates a fine line between big stars and mediocre actors.
Our actors made it big with their tremendous effort. However, some famous actors have taken things too far for a role. Have you ever heard of a technique called “Method Acting”? It enables the actors to play roles based on their own experiences, feelings, and emotions. It appears to be fascinating, right? Everything has side effects, guys. The acting practice causes self-harm, some actors even need to see a therapist.
Did you know that Christian Bale lost 55 pounds (25 kgs) in four months to play Trevor Reznik or Heath Ledger locked himself away for weeks to play Joker? These legendary celebrities sacrificed for their roles. There are more actors who have done the same thing. Scroll down and check the list below!

#1 Christian Bale made an incredible transformation in 2004's The Machinist. He lost 99 pounds (45kg) to play the emaciated insomniac Trevor Reznik

Source: christianbale_,Paramount Classics, Filmax, Tartan Films CTV Internationa

#2 Nicolas Cage was devoted to his portrayal of Alfonso "Al" Columbato in the movie Bird (1984). He pulled out his teeth for real.

Source: Via Kirk W,TriStar Pictures

#3 Anne Hathaway starved herself, losing 25 pounds in two weeks to play Fantine in the 2012 movie Les Miserables

Source: Universal Pictures

#4 Adrien Brody played the musician Władysław Szpilman in the 2002 movie The Pianist. To prepare for his role, the actor lost 30 pounds (13.6kg, moved out from his apartment , gave up his car and disconnected from the world

Source: BAC Films, Tobis Film, Syrena Entertainment Group, Pathé Distribution

#5 To catch the insanity of Joker (The Dark Knight (2008)), Heath Ledger locked himself away for weeks. His hard work paid off as he won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

#6 Hilary Swank nailed her role in "Million Dollar Baby". The actress trained 6 times a week, gaining 19 pounds of muscle mass although the producers' expectation was only 10 pounds.

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

#7 Michael B. Jordan nailed the role of Killmonger in the Black Panther movie. To comprehend his character, the actor completely isolated himself from people

Source: Walt Disney Studios, Motion Pictures

#8 To match his role of Steve Jobs in the movie Jobs (2013), Ashton Cutcher followed the billionaire's diet. As a result, he was hospitalized twice because of pancreatitis

Source: Open Road Films

#9 Jamie Foxx lost 30 pounds (13 kg) to play Ray Charles in the movie Ray (2004). He even wore prosthetic eyelids, going blind to get fit to his role

Source: Universal Pictures

#10 Are you obsessed with the scene Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) sitting on the floor growling and licking up puddles of mud in The Lighthouse (2019)? The actor was completely devoted to his role.

Source: A24, VVS Films, Focus Features/Universal Pictures

#11 To get the role of Raoul Duke (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas), Johnny Depp moved into the basement of Thompson's Aspen house for several months

Source: Universal Pictures

#12 Sylvester Stallone is synonymous with the popular franchise, Rocky. To convince this role, the actor followed a very strict diet and exercising regime. While filming Rocky IV, Sylvester Stallone asked his co-star, Dolph Lundgren, to punch him with all his might. The result is he was sent to the hospital.

Source: MGM/UA Entertainment Company, United International Pictures

#13 Mickey Rourke studied the Russian language just to fit the role of the Russian scientist and former prisoner Whiplash

Source: Paramount Pictures

#14 Robert De Niro got a real taxi driver’s license, working at a cab firm in New York for a month before the filming started

Source: Columbia Pictures

#15 It can be said that Shia LaBeouf is one of the craziest role players. He pulled his completely healthy tooth when portraying Technician fifth grade Boyd "Bible" Swan, tunk gunner in the 2014 movie Fury.

Source: Sony Pictures Releasing

#16 To fit his character as an American painter who is known for his "drip technique" (Pollock, 2000), Ed Harris actually learned how to paint.

Source: Sony Pictures Classics

#17 Jim Carrey is such a dedicated actor. During the filming of Man on the Moon (1999), the actor never let go of his character even when the shooting was done for the day.

Source: Universal Pictures, Concorde Filmverleih, Toho-Towa, Warner Bros

#18 Did you know that Marlon Brando lived with paraplegics to succeed in his role as the injured soldier Ken Wilocek in the 1950 movie The Men?

Source: United Artists

#19 Halle Berry experimented with method acting when portraying a drug addict in the 1991 movie Jungle Fever. The actress lived on the streets and didn't shower or take a bath for two weeks.

Source: Universal Pictures

#20 Daniel Day-Lewis was spoonfed on a wheelchair while shooting the film My Left Foot!

Source: Palace Pictures

#21 Kate Winslet lived alone in a beach house with unstable electricity while portraying Mary in the movie Ammonite (2020),

Source: Palace Pictures

#22 To be convincing his role in the movie The Last King of Scotland (2006), Forest Whitaker learned Swahili and he has to live only on two things; mashed Bananas and some beans!

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

#23 Nicolas Cage was devoted to his portrayal of Alfonso "Al" Columbato in the movie Bird (1984). He pulled out his teeth for real.

Source: 20th Century Fox

#24 Anne Hathaway starved herself, losing 25 pounds in two weeks to play Fantine in the 2012 movie Les Miserables

Source: Focus Features, Universal Pictures

#25 While filming the 1993 movie Six Degrees of Separation, Will Smith, playing Paul Poitier, fell in love with his coworker, Stockard Channing on set. The actor chose not to use method acting again.

Source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros

#26 Dustin Hoffman sometimes overacted in character in the 1979 movie Kramer vs. Kramer. He slapped Maryl Streep to tell her when he deviated from the script. Isn’t this act of Dustin Hoffman considered abuse instead of method acting?

Source: Columbia Pictures

#27 Choi Min-Sik went freaking far with his portrayal of the protagonist Dea-sun in the thriller film Oldboy (2003). To make his makeup more realistic, he burnt himself with a hot wire. That’s insane, one could die with this silly act!

Source: Show East

#28 Are you curious about why Lady Gaga sounded like she had a Russian accent in House of Gucci (2021)? The actress lived with her character, Patrizia Reggiani, for a year and a half, speaking with an Italian accent.

Source: United Artists Releasing, Universal Pictures

#29 It's insane! To play a serial killer role successfully in the crime drama series The Fall, Jamie Dornan stalked a woman to know how serial killers behave.

Source: Fables Limited, Artists Studio, BBC Northern Ireland, RTÉ

#30 Jared Leto is by far the creepiest Joker ever! He made a crazy introduction to the rest of the cast of the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, bringing a dead pig onto the set.

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures