10 Actors Who Are Dedicated to Making the Best Movies Possible

Playing the leading role in a big Hollywood movie is a huge responsibility and demands real talent. And some actors take their passion for their craft so seriously that they truly become their characters and take part in astonishing preparation to play them. And while we might be shocked by the drastic measures some of these stars go to, we can’t deny that their sacrifice usually pays off and gives us an exquisite movie that will remain a classic for the coming decades.

Bright Side is fascinated by the actors who are ready to give their all in order to create a masterpiece. Here are 10 celebrities who took a demanding role and ended up giving us an unforgettable performance.

Keanu Reeves lived on the street.

After the 1997 movie, The Devil’s Advocate, Reeves was supposed to have played the role of a homeless man, in a film that didn’t end up getting released. And in order to prepare for it, the actor truly stayed homeless. He eventually opened up about this unique experience, saying, "The first night I bedded down was terrifying because I could hear people screaming in their sleep.’’

Anne Hathaway only ate oatmeal paste.

In the 2012 musical film, Les Misérables, Anne Hathaway portrayed Fantine, a poor factory worker. In order to prepare for the role, the actress had to lose 24 pounds. She did so by following a strict diet and revealed eating nothing but 2 thin pieces of oatmeal paste a day. She later admitted, “It was definitely a break with reality, but I think that’s who Fantine is anyway.”

Leonardo DiCaprio ate raw bison liver.

In one of the scenes of the 2015 movie, The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio ate a raw bison liver on-screen. The actor admitted that the prop department built a faux bison liver from jelly, however, he chose to eat a real one instead because he was afraid that the fake one might not look genuine.

Natalie Portman trained for ballet 8 hours per day.

The role that earned Natalie Portman an Oscar for Best Actress required serious dedication and hard work. The actress revealed that she lost about 20 lb to play the lead role in the 2010 thriller, Black Swan. She revealed, “I had never gotten that much training — to be doing 5 to 8 hours a day of [it] was really a challenge.”

Brad Pitt got his teeth broken on purpose.

Just like its title indicates, the 1999 movie, Fight Club, involved a lot of confrontation and brawling scenes. And in order to prepare for his role, Brad Pitt visited the dentist and asked him to chip out pieces of his front teeth in order to genuinely look the part. However, his publicist had confirmed that once filming was over, the actor would get his teeth restored.

Ashton Kutcher ate only fruit.

Kutcher portrayed Steve Jobs in the 2013 biopic, Jobs. And as the Apple co-founder was known to experiment at times with a strict diet that emphasized eating mostly fruit, the actor decided to apply this method for real. He said, “So, I started just drinking carrot juice nonstop all day long.”

Adrien Brody gave up his home and sold his car.

At 29, Adrien Brody became the youngest actor ever to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards. However, his triumph wasn’t delivered to him on a silver platter. In order to prepare for the 2002 movie, The Pianist, for which he received the award, the actor admitted, “I gave up my apartment, I sold my car, I disconnected the phones, and I left. I took 2 bags and my keyboard and moved to Europe.”

Nicole Kidman urinated on a co-star’s leg.

In one of the scenes in the 2012 drama, The Paperboy, Nicole Kidman’s character had to pee on Zac Efron’s leg in order to soothe his pain after his character was stung by a jellyfish on the beach. And the actress accepted the director’s suggestion to do it for real. She later explained, “The peeing thing, I didn’t think was that weird because I was in character. I just went for it and didn’t overthink it.”

Jamie Foxx glued his eyes shut.

The 2004 biopic, Ray, got Jamie Foxx the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ray Charles. And given that the musician was blind, Foxx took his acting to new lengths and accepted to have his eyes glued shut and wear prosthetics modeled from Charles’ eyelids. The actor opened up about the experience, saying, “Imagine having your eyes glued shut for 14 hours a day. That’s your jail sentence.”

Angelina Jolie does 99% of her stunts.

The Hollywood star has had several lead roles in action movies, including in the 2010 movie, Salt. And her stunt trainer revealed that the actress does 99% of her own stunts and uses a stunt double only on rare occasions. As for this movie, the trainer revealed, "We got her learning a combination of Muay Thai and Krav Magha for 2-hour sessions, 3 or 4 times a week.’’

Do you think that some of these actors have taken their dedication too far? What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your career?