9 Actors Who Admit Their Characters Permanently Marked Them

Being an actor is about giving your heart and soul to a film. It takes months of preparation and, in some cases, even years to study a role. The more character work, the greater the naturalness with which the actor interprets it, and the more emotions are aroused in the audience. However, when actors get so into character, it transforms them forever. These are some stories in which there is a before and after when playing a demanding role.

1. Heath Ledger — The Dark Knight

Many of us agree that one of the best interpretations of the Joker role is undoubtedly Heath Ledger’s version. The actor confessed that playing him was “physically and mentally draining.”

After filming ended, the late actor had trouble sleeping and said that there were days when he slept for only 2 hours.

2. Anne Hathaway — Les Miserables

It’s always a challenge for actors to gain or lose weight for a role. Especially when taken to the extreme. For Anne Hathaway, she had to lose 25 pounds to play the character of Fantine in Les Misérables.

She got so into the role that she began to drain herself physically and emotionally. At that time, she found it difficult to deal with the real world. Anne confessed that it took her weeks to feel anything close to normal after filming.

3. Shelley Duvall — The Shining

Shelley Duvall gave a brilliant interpretation of the role of Wendy Torrance. Most of us can feel real fear when watching the movie, mainly because the actress was terrified. The shooting was so intense that it had a permanent effect on her.

Director Stanley Kubrick kept her away from the rest of the crew so they wouldn’t sympathize with her and even made her replay one scene 127 times. The effect of that turbulent experience lasted so long that neighbors remember seeing her walking around in a different way than she used to even after the movie was finished.

4. Adrien Brody — The Pianist

To get into the role, Adrien Brody decided to give everything for his character and went further. He sold his car, gave up his apartment, and stopped using his phone. To prepare for the character’s physical appearance, he starved himself to experience the despair that accompanies starvation.

As he finished the role, he admitted that there were times when he thought he would lose his mind. It took Adrien a while to get back to his everyday life.

5. Johnny Depp — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Johnny Depp is an actor recognized for playing chameleon roles. When he prepared for his role in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, he spent months living in a basement and hardly ever slept. Johnny learned some memorable mannerisms for the character that, when he finished the role, he realized were so ingrained in him that he had to detox from the character afterward.

6. Bob Hoskins — Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The classic movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was a remarkable production, as it was a mix between live acting and cartoons. In most of the film, Actor Bob Hoskins did not have to act against anyone since the cartoons were added to the film later.

For his acting to be as realistic as possible, he trained himself to see the characters even when they weren’t there. This caused hallucinations, and when filming ended, doctors ordered Bob to take a few months off, but he decided not to work for an entire year.

7. Jackie Chan — Operation Condor

If there is an actor who is not afraid of action scenes and doing them without a stunt person, it’s Jackie Chan. While filming Operation Condor, he suffered a severe injury requiring brain surgery. The doctors had to put a metal plate on his head; to this day, he can still feel it.

8. Bill Skarsgård — It

In the case of actor Bill Skarsgård, the character seemed not to want to let him go. When he was getting ready for the role, he used to go to very dark places to get into it. But when it came time to say goodbye to the character, he confessed the terrifying clown had haunted him in his nightmares for months.

9. Geena Davis — Thelma and Louise

It is worth telling her story since, compared to the rest, actress Geena Davis experienced a positive change after her role in Thelma and Louise. When the movie came out, many women had a positive reaction.

The role was so life-changing for her that it fueled her commitment to helping empower other women, forming the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which strives to highlight the importance of gender balance in entertainment and media.

Is there a movie that, after you watched it, left you with a different perspective? Let us know in the comments!