12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives

Christian Bale started his film career in 1987.Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Christian Bale always acted without fear of taking his craft to extremes. In 2004, he did something else.Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Leading up to filming, Bale ate just tuna and an apple daily for weeks. Michael Ironside, Bale's co-star, was involved.Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

I arrived at work. I heard 'pssst...Michael!' from behind a cabana. I walked over; it was Chris. He asked, 'Can you look at this?' He turned, dropped his overalls, revealing he was naked underneath. The muscles in his rear had literally dropped out of his hip sockets. I said, 'You've gone past body fat; now you're actual muscle tissue, and things are changing.'

Description of 'Christian Bale' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

In 1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini shook cinema with Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.Salò is the film from 1975.Description of 'Divine' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Divine' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'The scene lacks details about what Divine did in 1972's Pink Flamingos.Divine was in Pink Flamingos in 1972.Description of 'Divine' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

As Divine, Harris Glenn Milstead was the stage name.Description of 'Divine' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Milstead said, 'I followed that dog around for three hours just zooming in on its asshole.' After the act, Milstead became paranoid. He apparently called a Baltimore emergency room about the possible 'harmful effects' of eating dog waste. This was a shocking method acting move, but it likely won't happen again.

Shia LaBeouf grew from a Disney kid into a very dedicated Method actor.LaBeouf had real onscreen sex.LaBeouf did this for Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac.Nymphomaniac is the film.That compares little to what he did for 2014's film.Description of 'Shia LaBeouf' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

Description of 'Shia LaBeouf' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Shia LaBeouf' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Shia LaBeouf' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

Malcolm McDowell acted almost as much like a perfectionist as director Stanley Kubrick. However, said dedication sometimes backfired when he filmed multiple takes of scenes that could physically harm actors.

Description of 'Malcolm McDowell Temporarily Blinded Himself For 'A Clockwork Orange'' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Malcolm McDowell Temporarily Blinded Himself For 'A Clockwork Orange'' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Malcolm McDowell Temporarily Blinded Himself For 'A Clockwork Orange'' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Malcolm McDowell Temporarily Blinded Himself For 'A Clockwork Orange'' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'

Putting Klaus Kinski in the group of 'mere' Method actors seems odd. Kinski, whose on-screen madness is famous, pushed himself to extremes for everything he played. He became so crazy in his Fitzcarraldo role that some Peruvian natives and extras on the set allegedly...Description of 'Klaus Kinski Went To Extremes In Pretty Much Everything' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Klaus Kinski Went To Extremes In Pretty Much Everything' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Description of 'Klaus Kinski Went To Extremes In Pretty Much Everything' in the list '12 Times Method Acting Nearly Destroyed Actors' Lives'Werner Herzog directed 'Klaus Kinski Went To Extremes In Pretty Much Everything.' Herzog declined the project only because he needed Kinski to finish the film.

During the filming ofCrawlspaceCrawlspace.He went too deep into his role as a deranged former Nazi. He started multiple fights on set and nearly got fired.

The extent of Heath Ledger's final role inremains controversial. The actor told The New York Times that the role might have caused his early death."Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night. I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."The New York Times. His sister, Kate Ledger, denies the idea that her brother's performance caused his death."I was really shocked, because that was him having fun," she said about the rumors.

Rumors link Ledger's death in January 2008 to his performance. Ledger filmed a different project then:The Imaginarium Of Doctor ParnassusKate Ledger denies the idea that her brother'sThe movie, which shows the concentration camp days of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, was a personal and professional commitment for Brody. As he told the SF Gate:[Szpilman] survived this and shared his experiences with the world. Playing a real person demands the right method. While I was starving, playing the music comforted me and helped distract me from my own loneliness.Billy Bob Thornton's work in Sling Blade has become a cult classic. Thornton committed to his role as the mentally disabled Karl Childers, paying attention to every detail.

Christian Bale is not the only actor who nearly starved for a role. He looked to Adrien Brody, who weighed 130 pounds for Roman Polanski's 2002 film.The Pianist.

Brody committed to the movie, which shows pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's concentration camp days. He committed as hesaid to the SF Gate:

[Szpilman] survived and shared his experiences with the world... Playing a real person means you must do it right. While I was starving, playing the music calmed me and helped distract from my loneliness.

Billy Bob Thornton'sSling BladeThis film is a cult classic. Thornton committed deeply to his role as the mentally disabled Karl Childers, paying attention to every detail.Legend saysThornton even put crushed glass in his shoes to make Karl's walk "more awkward and consistent."

Like Klaus Kinski, Daniel Day-Lewis pulls out all the stops for his characters. For his role as Christy Brown, an artist with cerebral palsy, in 1989'sMy Left Foot, Day-Lewisnever left his wheelchair.

Martin Scorsese'sGangs of New YorkDay-Lewis was no exception. Sources say Day-Lewis refused to break character onoroff set.Sources report, even though it was stormy outside, Day-Lewis refused a proper coat because it was not period-accurate. He then caught pneumonia.

Chloë Sevigny performed "un-simulated fellatio" on herThe Brown BunnyVincent Gallo, co-star and former flame, who also wrote and directed the film, caused a scandal. Sevigny claims she regrets nothing, but the scene's fallout hurt the actor.

According toan interview withW MagazineSevigny admits the scene hurt her personal life. "It hurt me, in a lot of ways... some relationships have had trouble with it. Of course, my mom and I don’t talk about it."

Sevigny agreed the scene pushed back against her growing fame, which is a true indie pioneer's move.

Two years before he played Sailor Ripley in 1990'sWild at HeartNicolas Cage starred inVampire's KissThis film became a cult classic. Cage played Peter Loew, an unstable literary agent who thinks a vampire bit him.

Cage took the role seriously. He insisted he did not stage the scene where Peter eats a live cockroach.As Cage admitted"Every muscle in my body didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway."

For her role as icy, arrogant fashion editor Miranda Priestly in the comedyThe Devil Wears Prada(2006), Meryl Streep received an Oscar nomination for best actress. She played the role well off camera too. In a 2021Entertainment WeeklyThe film's oral history with cast members Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway shows Streep mirrored her diva relationship with them on screen. Blunt recalled: "Meryl is so gregarious and fun as hell; it wasn't the most fun for her having to remove herself."

Streep agreed. She grew tired of being haughty and separate from others on set, so she stopped method acting after the film.

It was horrible! I was miserable in my trailer. I could hear them all rocking and laughing. I was so depressed! I said, "Well, it's the price you pay for being boss!" That's the last time I ever attempted a Method thing!