21 Actors Who Dedicated to Methodology Performing at Some Level in Their Profession

Al Pacino

All through his decades-long profession, Al Pacino has been notoriously identified to essentially immerse himself within the roles he takes on. Particularly, in 1992’s Scent of a Lady, the actor performed a blind man, Lt. Col. Frank Slade. To arrange to tackle the character, Pacino reportedly requested for recommendation from the sight impaired, in addition to attended a college for the blind. Earlier than filming started, he additionally began residing his day by day life as if he had misplaced sight, even asking the crew as soon as he was on set to proceed to deal with him as if he had been a blind individual.

Jeremy Robust

In 2021, Jeremy Robust, who performs Kendall Roy in Succession, opened up in a profile for The New Yorker about his immersive appearing method for most of the roles he has taken on. Though he doesn’t take into account himself a technique actor, Robust instructed the outlet, “I believe you need to undergo regardless of the ordeal is that the character has to undergo.” And he has finished simply that — in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Robust requested the stunt coordinator to tough him up in addition to be sprayed with actual tear fuel for his function as Jerry Rubin. In Armageddon Time, he shadowed an actual handyman for analysis for his function as Irving Graff, and in The Decide, Robust performed Dale Palmer, a person who’s mentally disabled. For the half, he frolicked with an individual who’s autistic, in addition to requesting customized props that weren’t within the script.

Jared Leto

All through his profession, Jared Leto has by no means shied away from excessive appearing strategies to assist get him into character. In 2017’s Suicide Squad, to assist channel the Joker, he reportedly pulled some pranks on his co-stars, together with gifting Margot Robbie an actual rat. In 2022’s Morbius​​​​​, director Daniel Espinosa mentioned between takes, Leto both used his character’s crutches or a wheelchair to go to the restroom, inflicting the crew to attend longer earlier than resuming filming. The actor has additionally been identified to lose or achieve weight for sure roles he has taken on.

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro might presumably go down as one of the crucial well-known methodology actors within the business. A few of his most memorable tasks the place he took on the immersive appearing method embrace 1976’s Taxi Driver, the place he reportedly labored for hours as a cab driver to check their conduct and misplaced 30 kilos in weight. Just a few years later, in 1980’s Raging Bull, the actor allegedly weight educated extensively to tackle the function of toned boxer Jake LaMottal.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale has gone to nice lengths for roles, together with altering his weight drastically. He not solely altered his physique for The Fighter and American Hustle and to play Bruce Wayne within the Batman trilogy, however he additionally reportedly misplaced almost 70 kilos for his efficiency as insomniac Trevor Reznik in 2004’s The Machinist in addition to slept solely two hours an evening. However he pushed himself so exhausting for the function that he put his well being in danger and needed to pull again some.

Girl Gaga

Girl Gaga has been publicly open in regards to the appearing method she used to decide to her character as Patrizia Reggiani in 2021’s Home of Gucci. Throughout a earlier interview with British Vogue, the actress-singer revealed she spent 9 months talking in an Italian accent, even off-camera, and lived as her character day-to-day for a yr and a half. Gaga additionally admitted that she “had some psychological issue at one level in direction of the tip of filming” as she began adjusting again to her regular life.

Austin Butler

Austin Butler went all in to channel the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Throughout an interview final yr, the actor revealed that he didn’t see his household for 3 years whereas filming the 2022 film, saying he even went months when he didn’t speak to anybody. Butler added that when he did communicate together with his household and mates, he by no means left character. “Once I did, the one factor I used to be ever desirous about was Elvis,” he mentioned. “I used to be talking in his voice the entire time.”

After taking over the extraordinary appearing method, Butler admitted that it took a toll on him. “You may lose contact with who you really are,” he mentioned. “And I undoubtedly had that once I completed Elvis — not figuring out who I used to be.”

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank additionally has absolutely devoted herself to a few of her roles. Whereas now she admits {that a} transgender man ought to have performed her function in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry, on the time, she bandaged her chest, deepened her voice and misplaced weight to painting her character in essentially the most genuine approach. Just a few years later, in 2004’s Million Greenback Child, she altered her physique once more, gaining almost 20 kilos of muscle whereas coaching like an expert boxer for her function as Maggie Fitzgerald. Whereas coaching, she reportedly contracted a staph an infection from a blister on her foot.

Joaquin Phoenix

In 2019’s Joker, Joaquin Phoenix was nothing however dedicated to his function as Gotham’s troubled clown. He instructed the Related Press that he misplaced 52 kilos of weight for the character, which ended up impacting his psychological well being. “When you attain the goal weight, all the pieces modifications,” he mentioned on the time. “Like a lot of what’s tough is waking up day-after-day and being obsessed over like 0.3 kilos. Proper? And you actually develop like a dysfunction. I imply, it’s wild.”

He continued, “However I believe the attention-grabbing factor for me is what I had anticipated and anticipated with the load loss was these emotions of dissatisfaction, starvation, a sure form of vulnerability and a weak point. However what I didn’t anticipate was this sense of form of fluidity that I felt bodily. I felt like I might transfer my physique in ways in which I hadn’t been in a position to earlier than. And I believe that actually lent itself to among the bodily motion that began to emerge as an necessary a part of the character.”

Natalie Portman

Though she had expertise with ballet as a baby, Natalie Portman went a number of steps additional when making ready for her function in 2010’s Black Swan. Earlier than filming, she reportedly educated a number of hours a day with an expert dancer in addition to swimming and cross-training. She additionally restricted how a lot she ate, which led to her dropping 20 kilos of weight. “I used to be barely consuming, I used to be working 16 hours a day. I used to be virtually methodology appearing with out aspiring to. I do surprise now how individuals can do this type of function after they have a household,” she instructed the Day by day Mail. “It was tougher than something I’ve ever skilled earlier than. I wish to go dwelling and be myself, however with this one I didn’t get the possibility. It didn’t go away me.”

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis has by no means failed to totally decide to a job, staying in character for months to get the total impact. Most notably, in 1989’s My Left Foot, the actor, who performed Christy Brown, a author and painter who was born with cerebral palsy and will solely use his left foot, not solely frolicked in a cerebral palsy clinic however reportedly had crew members carry him round on set and feed him meals. Day-Lewis additionally remained in a wheelchair all through filming for the film.

Heath Ledger

Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix aren’t the one actors to tackle the immersive appearing method for his or her roles because the notorious manic clown. Heath Ledger, who performed Joker, Batman’s most infamous villain in 2008’s The Darkish Knight, reportedly locked himself away from others for a month and stored a diary throughout pre-production to totally dive into the character. The Hollywood Reporter additionally beforehand reported that Ledger experimented with totally different vocal tones for the character in addition to began to undertake sure mannerisms by the tip that had been really part of the Joker. Christian Bale additionally has mentioned that Ledger requested him to hit him for actual to make the interrogation scene within the movie extra genuine. Ledger died in January 2008 earlier than The Darkish Knight was launched.

Jim Carrey

When taking over the function of Andy Kaufman within the 1999 biopic Man on the Moon, Jim Carrey went to nice lengths to painting the legendary comic precisely. He reportedly stayed in character all the time whereas filming the film, on and off set, even insisting crew members discuss with him as Andy or as Tony when he was taking over the persona of Kaufman’s Tony Clifton character.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron isn’t a prime title that involves thoughts when one thinks of methodology actors as a result of, lately, she has been outspoken about her aversion to the appearing method. However Theron did tackle the extraordinary method for 1997’s The Satan’s Advocate as a result of she mentioned the director was a fan of methodology appearing and inspired the solid to remain in character all through filming. But it surely wasn’t essentially the most constructive expertise for her, as she has described it as being tiresome and difficult.

“I can’t do the strategy factor,” she instructed the Los Angeles Occasions in 2020. “I did it as soon as, for Satan’s Advocate, and I used to be simply exhausted. It was actually exhausting to go to these deep, darkish locations as a result of I used to be so drained. It was good for me to determine this out, and I’m significantly better now at understanding and residing and respiration within the second with the character.”

Forest Whitaker

To embody his efficiency as Ugandan president/dictator Idi Amin for 2006’s The Final King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker reportedly spent months making ready for the function. Not solely did he achieve greater than 30 kilos, however he additionally immersed himself within the tradition by residing in Uganda, assembly mates, relations and victims in addition to studying how one can communicate Swahili. As soon as filming started, Whitaker stayed in character all the time so he wouldn’t lose Amin’s dialect.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio has taken on numerous roles, however none of them might examine to what he went by for 2015’s The Revenant. To tackle the function of Hugh Glass, the actor camped out within the wilderness in freezing temps, slept in animal carcasses and ate uncooked bison. “I can title 30 or 40 sequences that had been among the most tough issues I’ve ever needed to do,” he instructed Yahoo Leisure that yr. “Whether or not it’s going out and in of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set. [I was] enduring freezing chilly and doable hypothermia continuously.”

Following the movie’s debut, The Hollywood Reporter additionally discovered how the shoot turned a “residing hell,” with some veteran crewmembers saying filming was one of many worst experiences of their careers.

Adrien Brody

Adrien Brody devoted himself to the demanding function of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and survivor of the Holocaust, for 2002’s The Pianist. To arrange for the half, the actor reportedly bought a number of of his belongings, leaving solely the elemental objects, and separated himself from public life. Brody additionally reportedly took on an intense weight-reduction plan and misplaced 30 kilos to attempt to comprehend Szpilman’s expertise with hunger. And he spent hours a day practising the piano. After filming was full, Brody allegedly struggled to return to his day by day life and tackle different tasks.

Jamie Foxx

When Jamie Foxx portrayed blind blues musician Ray Charles within the 2004 biopic Ray, the actor went to nice lengths for the function. He instructed The New York Occasions that he adopted a strict weight-reduction plan and exercise routine and misplaced 30 kilos to play Charles, who died from liver illness earlier that yr. However that wasn’t all: Director Taylor Hackford additionally requested Foxx to have his eyes glued shut and put on prosthetics of broken eyelids, modeled from Charles’. Foxx admitted that he suffered panic assaults because of the claustrophobic feeling, however finally tailored to it. “Think about having your eyes glued shut for 14 hours a day,” Foxx instructed the outlet on the time. “That’s your jail sentence.”

Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer was very severe about his function as musician Jim Morrison in 1991’s The Doorways. Whereas filming the biopic, which adopted the rock band’s frontman’s journey to fame, the actor reportedly was so dedicated to his character that he had crew members name him Jim. Kilmer additionally discovered many of the singer-songwriter’s music catalog and put in 100 hours of analysis. Following the film’s launch, he allegedly went to remedy to assist transfer previous the character.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is understood for adapting to many several types of characters over her decades-long profession within the business. However after committing to methodology appearing for her function as Miranda Priestly in 2006’s The Satan Wears Prada, she admitted that she has forgone the appearing method. She remained in character because the evil boss all the time whereas filming, however later opened up about how depressing she was on set.

“It was horrible! I used to be [miserable] in my trailer. I might hear all of them rocking and laughing. I used to be so depressed! I mentioned, ‘Nicely, it’s the value you pay for being boss!’” Streep instructed Leisure Weekly in 2021. “That’s the final time I ever tried a technique factor!”

Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield has been publicly outspoken about his help for the controversial appearing method. He himself went methodology to play a Seventeenth-century Jesuit priest in 2016’s Silence. He has beforehand revealed that, for six months, he abstained from intercourse and likewise fasted to drop extra pounds for the half.

“I had an extremely religious expertise. I did a bunch of religious practices day-after-day, I created new rituals for myself. I used to be celibate for six months, and fasting so much, as a result of me and Adam [Driver] needed to lose a bunch of weight anyway,” he mentioned on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast in 2022. “It was very cool, man. I had some fairly wild, trippy experiences from ravenous myself of intercourse and meals at the moment.”