Have These Method Actors Taken Their Craft Too Far?
A method actor is someone who fully immerses themselves into their character. Method acting can be dangerous depending on the role and how far the actor is willing to take it.
The question is… at what point is it too far?
Here are 4 method actors who have taken extreme measures to perfect their craft.
#1 | Christian Bale
Often with method acting, the actor undergoes drastic weight changes to portray their character, and Christian Bale is no exception.
In American Psycho (2000), Bale’s character Patrick Bateman is obsessed with his physical looks. To portray this character, Bale’s life became centered around a strict workout and dieting routine in order to lose fat and build muscle. He also had his teeth straightened to perfect his smile.
In The Machinist (2003), Bale’s character Trevor Reznik has insomnia which affects his weight. Bale lost 60 pounds for this role, sticking to an extremely strict diet. He even had to cut out social gatherings to remove the temptation of being around food.
Shortly after The Machinist, Bale had less than a year to gain weight and muscle for his role as Batman. He was constantly eating in order to gain body mass, putting on over 100 pounds.
After years of drastic weight changes, Bale had to regain 40 pounds to play Dick Cheney in Vice (2018). He also constantly watched interviews of Cheney, imitating his voice and posture in order to perfect his performance.
#2 | Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf hasn’t gone through as many drastic weight changes as Christian Bale, but he has gone to permanent lengths… specifically tattoos.
In Fury (2014), LaBeouf’s character is a religious tank gunner in WWII. LaBeouf joined the U.S. National Guard and spent weeks living on a base to prepare for this role. He also immersed himself in his character’s faith by being baptized and getting a tattoo of a cross. To better understand his character, he made himself extremely uncomfortable. For example, he knifed his face, pulled out his own tooth, and didn’t shower for four months!
In The Tax Collector (2020), LaBeouf’s character Creeper is a “tax collector” for a crime lord. To become this character, LaBeouf got an actual tattoo that says “creeper” across his stomach.
#3 | Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix takes method acting to a whole new level. He completely separates his own life from the life of his characters as a way of not blending the two when filming is completed.
To prepare for his role as a firefighter in the film Ladder 49 (2004), Phoenix not only interviewed firefighters, but he actually became one himself. He enrolled in a fire academy, graduated, and rode along with a crew as a real firefighter. He even got a tattoo of his unit’s mascot.
In Walk the Line (2005), Phoenix portrayed Johnny Cash, who was tall and had a deep voice. Phoenix, on the other hand, is much shorter and has a naturally higher pitched voice. To match Cash’s lower pitch, Phoenix persistently listened to his music and watched his interviews. He always remained in character, constantly playing guitar and making everyone refer to him as Johnny Cash’s real name, J.R.
During a prison scene, Phoenix’s method acting started impacting others. He made the crew members act like wardens and the extras as inmates. He did not want the crew to provide food, water, or restrooms to the extras in order to create authentic tension for the scene.
In The Master (2012), Phoenix’s character Freddy Quell is a veteran who struggles with his trauma from WWII. To portray the look of his character, Phoenix had a dentist put brackets and rubber bands in his mouth to keep his jaw shut. He also studied videos of wild animals in captivity to relate to the mental state of his character, which resulted in him actually destroying a toilet on set.
Before filming Joker (2019), Phoenix did research on the medications his character might have taken, and the main side effect was dramatic changes in weight. With the help of a doctor and an extremely restrictive diet, Phoenix lost 50 pounds within a few months for this role. He mentioned that he was able to move his body in different ways than before, which was a highlight of his performance in the film. The weight loss had negative consequences, causing Phoenix to be constantly exhausted and negatively affecting his mental health.
#4 | Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro believes that the key to an authentic performance is to subtly depict the emotions of the character rather than outwardly showing them. In order to give his most authentic performances, he has taken extreme measures to portray his characters.
For Taxi Driver (1976), De Niro got a license to become an actual taxi driver. He worked fifteen hours per day, learning the streets of NYC. He even picked up passengers during breaks from shooting the film.
In Raging Bull (1980), De Niro portrays LaMotta, a middleweight boxer. De Niro intensely trained to get into physical shape for this role. He even trained with the real-life LaMotta and fought in 3 professional fights. He then had to gain 60 pounds in a few months to portray the older version of LaMotta who was now a retired boxer.
For The Untouchables (1987), De Niro tracked down Al Capone’s tailors so they could make him identical clothing for the film. He even wanted to wear the same silk underwear as Capone even though it would never be seen in the film.
To perfect his dialect for Cape Fear (1991), De Niro went to southern towns and recorded locals reciting the script. He also went through intense physical training, getting his body fat down to 3%. He even paid a dentist $5000 to make his teeth look bad, and then paid $20,000 to fix them!
After reading these examples, do you think that method acting can be taken too far? Or maybe you can respect the effort and hard work it takes, until it starts to negatively affect the other actors and crew members. Let us know your thoughts!
Originally published at https://thebtake.com on August 10, 2020 by Gianna Cullen.
