10 Actors Who Went the Extra Mile for Their Project

All actors definitely don’t treat their projects as just an opportunity to get a paycheck, and the people featured in our article prove that. We compiled a list of 10 celebrities who were so passionate about the movies they starred in, that they went all-in for it. Some donated their salary to production, others learned incredible skills in order to do the part justice.

Bright Side couldn’t help but be amazed at the lengths the actors were willing to go to for the movies they starred in. We are sure you will be surprised too!

1. Keanu Reeves

One of the most popular non-action movies that Keanu Reeves starred in is The Devil’s Advocate. The actor, who by that time was already a big star thanks to his involvement in the movie Speed alongside Sandra Bullock, agreed to have his salary cut, so the movie’s budget would be enough to hire Al Pacino.

2. Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro starred as the main character in the 1976 movie Taxi Driver, and to bring his character to life, he actually got a taxi driver’s license and worked the job for over a month. The actor worked 12-hour shifts at a New York taxi firm.

3. Robert Pattinson

The actor went all out for the movie Good Time — he spent 2 months isolated in the same basement as his character. The actor said he ’didn’t open his curtains or change his sheets’ and slept in his clothes, all for the sake of getting into character.

4. Chadwick Boseman

The late Chadwick Boseman not only played the main character in the movie 21 Bridges, but he also was a producer for it as well. He wanted to co-star alongside Sienna Miller, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to do any more work for the time being, as she “was working non-stop and felt exhausted.”

Miller also has a daughter that was about to start school and the time was overall inconvenient for her, so she said she would only do it if the pay was right. However, the studio denied her the number she wanted and that’s when Boseman stepped in: he donated some of his salary, so Miller would participate in the project.

5. George Clooney

The actor directed and co-wrote the 2005 docudrama Good Night, and Good Luck, and to make sure the movie got made, he mortgaged his own house in Los Angeles. Not only that, but Clooney was also paid only $3 for the movie: $1 each for directing, writing, and acting. The efforts were worth it, as the movie got nominated for multiple awards.

6. Forest Whitaker

The movie Bird was based on the story of the real-life saxophonist Charlie ’Bird’ Parker, so Forest Whitaker, who got the role, wanted to make sure he did him justice. The actor, in his own words, bought “every book” about Parker, listened to his records, even tracked down people who knew him personally, and flew to Europe to talk to them. The actor also learned how to play saxophone for the movie, even though it was not required: the musician Charles McPherson was the one playing the instrument off-screen for the movie.

7. Ethan Hawke

The actor received almost no upfront payment in exchange for a slice of the profits while working on the movie The Purge. There were also none of the usual perks, like a trailer or a personal driver. However, he took the role anyway because he thought it was a “great role” and it had a “great director.”

8. Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart was already a huge star of the Twilight franchise when the movie On The Road was getting made. However, the production studio cut the movie’s budget by a lot so, luckily for director Walter Salles who had tried to make this film happen for over 50 years, Stewart agreed to sacrifice a lot of her salary for the project to get filmed and released. Stewart said that she liked her character because “there was something scary and animalistic” about her.

9. Will Smith

Will Smith starred as the main character and is listed as one of the producers for the 2021 movie King Richard. The actor wanted to show his appreciation for his co-workers, so he paid them all bonuses out of his own pocket. The actresses Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton said that working with Smith was an “absolute blast” and that he made everyone on set feel “comfortable and safe.”

10. Ryan Reynolds

For Ryan Reynolds, his popular movie Deadpool was also a passion project. To make sure the movie was of the highest quality possible, Reynolds paid its scriptwriters out of his own pocket, so they could be on set every day to monitor the process after the studio refused to do so. Seems like his decision was right, since the movie won over 20 awards.

Would you go the extra mile so projects you are involved in will work out?