Actors are known for fully immersing themselves in the characters they’re playing. That’s why they’re able to portray each character with such passion and believability. But at times, actors have gone one step too far in trying to become the role they’re playing, to the point of damaging or even destroying their mental and physical health. Here are some of the actors who got too involved in their roles and the stories behind them.
Rating the Risk
The level at which an actor gets into character can vary depending on the movie and their own personal commitment to their craft, but some actors take things to extreme heights. In order to rate these varying risks, we’ll look at a few different categories:
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Physical Health Risk: This category is for actors who put themselves at risk of physical injury or harm in pursuit of a good performance.
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Mental Health Risk: This category is for actors whose roles and the toll taken on their mental well-being was too much for them to handle.
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Professional Risk: This category is for actors who have taken such deep dives into the roles they play that it puts their careers in jeopardy.
The Actors
- Heath Ledger – Physical Health Risk
Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight is often noted as one of the greatest performances in modern cinematic history. In order to become The Joker, Ledger locked himself in a hotel room for months as part of his “method” acting. He was so deeply shrouded in darkness and self-reflection that his physical health began to suffer. Rumor has it that doctors had to be called to Ford’s recording studio upon his first attempt at talking as The Joker because Ledger was shaking uncontrollably and was barely able to speak. Sadly, this extreme immersion into the role ended up taking a great toll on Ledger, who tragically passed away from an accidental overdose shortly after the movie was released.
- Christian Bale – Physical Health Risk
Christian Bale has been praised for his total transformations for many roles, most famously for his take as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. To play Bruce Wayne and his caped crusader alter ego, Bale lost an estimated 70 pounds by essentially starving himself and exercising rigorously to achieve an emaciated look. His performance was lauded as award-worthy, but at what cost? Bale’s extreme physical transformation can be potentially life threatening and did not go unnoticed.
- Renée Zellweger – Mental Health Risk
Renée Zellweger took a great risk for the part of Bridget Jones in the Bridget Jones’s Diary film series. To make her portrayal of the bumbling 30-something romantic more authentic, Zellweger requested access to the original Bridget Jones’s Diary novel’s author, Helen Fielding, in order to learn her thoughts and opinions on the character. The countless hours of phone calls and discussions eventually started to take a mental toll on Zellweger. In an interview, the actress opened up about how spending so much time in the head space of Bridget had its adverse affects on her mental state. This was the first time Zellweger had spoken out about her mental health, a major step forward in starting an honest conversation about actors immersing themselves in their characters, and what to do when things get to be too much.
- Jake Gyllenhaal – Professional Risk
For his role in Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal dropped an impressive 20 pounds to embody the unnerving character, Lou Bloom. Gyllenhaal dedicated himself to the role, going so far as to ride around at night in Los Angeles to get a better sense of the character he was playing. However, this extreme commitment caused great concern from the studio, worrying that it would become too demanding and eventually lead to a burn-out. If that happened, their success would surely suffer. In the end, Gyllenhaal completed the movie and even earned an Oscar nomination for his work, proving that this extreme method of approaching a role can be beneficial in some cases.
It’s hard to argue against an actor’s choice when it comes to pursuing their craft. There are some notable successes that have come out of those who’ve gone above and beyond in the name of art, but it can also be very taxing and potentially even dangerous. We’re fortunate enough to have living examples of extremes that have gone well or been detrimental to the actors and their careers, proving that with such risks come great rewards and great pain.
