Hollywood actors are often rewarded for pushing their bodies to the brink for a role with awards, and many times these celebs boast about their commitment to a role, whether it was learning an accent, doing research, or method acting. But some stars truly put their bodies on the line, starving themselves, breaking bones, or gaining tons of weight with rapid or extreme body changes. Is this problematic? Should actors be judged for their performance, or is a physical breakdown necessary to prove they’re serious? We don’t know the answer, but what we do know is that these actors suffered for their roles and made themselves pop culture icons in the process.
1. Robert DeNiro in “Cape Fear”
CGI wasn’t as advanced in 1991, so the actors had to work hard for the very real details that would make it into the movie. DeNiro actually paid to have his teeth damaged (he later repaired them) to achieve Max Cady’s appearance. He later admitted the work caused lasting discomfort. Apparently, Brad Pitt did the same for “Fight Club.”
2. Charlize Theron in “Monster”
This blond bombshell was practically unrecognizable in this role, going from Barbie to serial killer by gaining more than 30 pounds, changing her walk and posture, and rocking dental prosthetics. Theron has stated that the weight gain was hard on her hormonal and mental health.
3. Christian Bale in “The Machinist”
The weight loss that this actor forced himself to undergo was an absolute shock. He dropped over 60 pounds and weighed only 120 pounds for the role, eating mostly apples and coffee while smoking cigarettes. He was dangerously underweight, but the iconic role has made him forever memorable.
4. Christian Bale in “Batman Begins”
On the other end of the spectrum, Bale turned into an absolute beefcake for this role, quickly gaining more than 100 pounds in a short period to get into superhero shape. This actor isn’t afraid to go through a metabolic rollercoaster, but at least we have Batman!
5. Joaquin Phoenix in “The Joker”
Phoenix was terrifying in this movie, and like fellow celeb Christian Bale, he lost a scary amount of weight — 50 pounds, to be exact. He said that the weight loss made him feel isolated and emotionally unstable, which impacted his mental health but also translated well to a more deranged and intense role as Joker.
6. Jackie Chan in every movie
Chan performs almost all of his own stunts, and after most of his films, he was often injured, including a time he was hospitalized after he slid down a pole wrapped in live electrical lights and crashed through glass, landing on a metal kiosk. It resulted in second-degree burns, back damage, and a dislocated pelvis.
7. Laura Innes in “ER”
Innes used a crutch to play the tart-tongued surgeon Dr. Kerry Weaver for so long that it resulted in serious spine curvature. After 10 years of acting with it, a bone density test showed her that it had started to curve to one side due to her one hip lifting unnaturally over a long period of time.
8. Margot Robbie in “I, Tonya”
Robbie dedicated herself fully to this role, undergoing extensive training to develop competitive figure skating skills instead of relying on a stunt double for all the work. In the process, she experienced chronic pain, a herniated disc, and neck injuries. She pushed through the pain when filming, but needed physical therapy long-term afterward.
9. Nicole Kidman in “Moulin Rouge”
Tight corsets are no joke. Kidman broke two ribs while she was filming “Moulin Rouge” and also injured her knee. The knee injury and first rib were from dancing in high heels, and the second rib break was from wearing a too-tight corset, which she tightened too much trying to get a smaller waist.