How seriously can you take a movie? Well, if the audience needs to relate and believe in what they see onscreen, it’s pretty likely that getting into character means a whole new thing.
Some actors immerse themselves into the skin of their character.
Sienna Miller, whose latest release, Burnt, sees her playing a spirited sous chef with a shaved undercut and a stylish fringe, went on record to say that she would go bald without blinking an eye for a role.
“I’d do anything really,” she went on to add, “In my work that’s really a place to explore as much versatility as possible physically.”
From crash-shedding excessive weight to doing their own stunts without a body double, there are several actors who push the limits of acting and have made us ooh-ing and aah-ing over the years.
Charlize Theron
The story of Theron breaking her neck on the sets of Æon Flux is well known.More commendable was her convincing portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster, for which Theron packed on more than 30 pounds.
Christian Bale
For his role in The Machinist, Bale lost an extraordinary amount of weight which was also hazardous as it left him looking like a skeleton. Sadly though, all the effort went down the drain, as the movie was a box-office dud.
Heath Ledger
As the Joker, Ledger brought to the table a sinister twist that had not been seen previously. But this psychotic portrayal did not come easy. In order to build the mannerisms of the bloodthirsty character, Ledger locked himself away in a hotel room for six weeks. He kept a diary filled with crazy writings that he called the Joker’s personal diary. The crazy behaviour paid off when he received critical acclaim and a number of awards, even though he tragically died of a drug overdose several months before the film’s release.
Robert De Niro
One of the finest actors of his generation, DeNiro was so sincere towards his portrayal of Max Cady in Cape Fear that he actually paid a dentist $20,000 to completely destroy his teeth so that he would look like he spent years in jail.
Tom Hanks
We all know that Tom Hanks has made some of the most memorable cinema of our times, but for his role in Castaway he went a notch higher. Essaying the character of a lone stranded survivor on a desert island for four years, Hanks spent weeks up to his neck in water, caught a nasty infection as a consequence, which almost led to blood poisoning. The role fetched him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.
Natalie Portman
For Black Swan, a movie that won her an Oscar, the already petite Portman, lost another 20 pounds and trained for five to eight hours a day, eating almost next to nothing for a year. Portman has gone on record and stated that there were times that she ‘literally thought she was going to die’.
Chris Pratt
The hunky actor has tasted much success especially after his tryst with the world of dinosaurs in Jurassic World. But after portraying the super plump Andy on Parks and Recreations, Pratt dropped a dramatic 60 pounds and gained some chunky muscle weight for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy.
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MIDDAY
Picture courtesy BBC One Twitter account
Justin Bieber
One Direction
