19 Actors Who Took Method Acting Way Too Far

Method acting has become a big topic in recent years, with some actors widely against it and others using it to improve their performances

Most of the time, method acting is relatively tame, refusing to break character between takes, things like that

However, there are instances where some actors take it to extreme levels

Driven by their unwavering commitment to their respective roles, these actors push themselves to dangerous and often controversial extremes

from physical transformations to psychological turmoil. Actors who took method acting way too far

Ashton Kutcher in Jobs. Ashton Kutcher played Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the 2013 biographical film Jobs

The film followed the early days of Steve Jobs as he developed the first Apple computer with Steve Wozniak

creating one of the most significant technological breakthroughs in recent history. To prepare for the title role, Ashton Kutcher spent many hours researching Jobs' life

and even found himself in the hospital with pancreatitis after trying to mimic his unusual diet

Jobs famously experimented with a fruitarian diet, with Kutcher stating that Jobs was interested in the healing properties of fruit

and that he also drank a lot of carrot juice. Kutcher would drink carrot juice non-stop until he felt a shooting pain in his back one day

and had to be sent to hospital. My pancreas was like crazy out of whack

Then I'm getting freaked out like, oh my God, I've become Steve Jobs, the actor said

Kutcher's wife, Mila Kunis, disagreed with the method acting her husband was trying

which considering those health issues is completely understandable. Val Kilmer, The Doors

Paradied in just about everything from Wayne's World 2 to The Simpsons

it can be hard to recall just how much Oliver Stone's Jim Morrison biopic

The Doors, influenced the 90s era widespread revival of the late 60s hippie burnout aesthetic

The film reenacted the counterculture of the time to a T, prompting then-contemporary artists to crib from their deceased forebearers

and keep the crusty, not-cigarettes-laced vibe of the decade alive. This film, though, is anchored by a much-mocked performance from Val Kilmer

which, upon re-inspection anyway, is actually a lot more subtle and convincing than critical appraisal might have you presume

Kilmer went all out to get into character, learning over 50 songs from the band's back catalogue in order to embody Morrison faithfully

and actually singing for the film's concert sequences. However, eventually the artiste took the masquerade too far

leading an embarrassed Kilmer to insist that a memo telling cast and crew to refer to him

only as Jim Morrison went on set was only meant for his people and not the production at large

Sure thing, Jimbo, we all believe you. Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse

Robert Pattinson has admitted that method acting pushed him over the edge

while portraying his character in Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse. The Batman star has said that every time he shot a scene where his character was drunk

he too was basically unconscious the whole time. The actor also revealed that he ate mud in order to get himself into character

saying, Because you're playing a mad person, it means you can sort of be mad the whole time

Well, not the whole time, but for like an hour before the scene. You could literally just be sitting on the floor growling and licking up puddles of mud

Pattinson would also spend time spinning around in circles before takes to make himself off balance

He also placed rocks in his shoes to get into the right mentality. It was crazy. I spent so much time making myself throw up, pissing my pants

It's the most revolting thing. I don't know. Maybe it's really annoying, he said

Sounds like it might have been annoying for the other people on set, Robert. Tom Hanks, cast away

Tom Hanks probably isn't the first name that might come to mind when you think of famous Method actors

In fact, we're almost sure, fit as the thespian is, that he actually never ran the breadth of America during the making of Robert Zemeckis' 1994 Best Picture nominee, Forrest Gump

That said, the actor did commit to his next Zemeckis collaboration with incredible zeal

gaining £50 only to then lose £55 more mid-production in order to play the titular stranded delivery man of 2000's Castaway

The actor's commitment didn't end there though, with Hanks avoiding both haircuts and beard trims during filming

and developing a serious wound when a cut from the coral reef resulted in a severe staph infection

Luckily, like Aldous Snow before him, Hanks didn't succumb to the leg wound and was patched up in time to finish production

Whether or not he actually shagged Wilson for real though has never been revealed

Aaron Eckhart in Rabbit Hole To prepare for his role in Rabbit Hole, Aaron Eckhart pretended he'd lost a child

Yep, you heard me right. While on The Howard Stern Show in 2014

Eckhart opened up about the drastic methods he took to prepare for the role of Howard Corbett

who lost his four son in a car crash Eckhart attended a real support group for parents who had lost children and created a fake story about losing a child himself Eckhart described breaking down in tears at the

support group, describing the life and death of his fake child after getting lost in his own

fabrication. He said, oh yeah, 100% I lost it. You really believe that you just lost a child

You're as close to reality in that sense as possible. I don't want to be rude to people who

have lost a child, but yeah, you feel right there. You feel like your character. Many people weren't

happy when Eckhart admitted this, suggesting that instead of pretending to lose a child

Eckhart should have sat in on the support group and listened to other people's stories

instead of making up his own. Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry. Hilary Swank has impressed in roles

ranging from Clint Eastwood's devastating boxing drama Million Dollar Baby to frothy rom-com and

awful accent classic, P.S. I Love You, but it's one of her earliest roles that best encapsulates

the actor's commitment to her craft. For director Kimberly Price's Boys Don't Cry, a devastating

biopic of trans man Brandon Tina, the actor lived in costume for a month before shooting commenced

In order to embody the role, Swank also cut her hair and dropped her body fat percentage to a

beyond slim 7%. At the time, it was unprecedented, and although Swank only made a mere $3,000 for the

entire shoot, the actor did go on to win the Best Actress Oscar. Sylvester Stallone in Rocky 4

Sylvester Stallone's dedication to his character, Rocky Balboa, showed that the actor was willing to

put his body on the line to portray the iconic boxer. And that's exactly what he did. Stallone

pushed his body to the limit, undergoing an intense training program so as to portray Rocky

as a powerful force. He wanted the fight scenes in Rocky 4 to be as realistic as possible, telling

co-star Dolph Lundgren, who played Ivan Drago, to punch him in the scenes they filmed together

During one take, Stallone received a heavy blow from Lundgren, causing the actor to spend nine days in the ICU

with a severe chest injury and delaying filming for two weeks. However, the actor didn't immediately go to the hospital

when he received the blow. Stallone insisted they continue filming, with the crew not knowing how badly Stallone was actually injured

It was only when his condition worsened after shooting finish for the day that he was rushed to the ICU

Mickey Rourke, the wrestler. Mickey Rourke's career revival initially came about via a supporting role

in Robert Rodriguez's styled crime thriller Sin City, adapted from Frank Miller's comic series of the same name

Not to mention, though, also playing the antagonist in Enrique Iglesias' classic music video Hero

easily the peak of his career. However, the actor proved his commitment to the craft

and earned critical plaudits to match the height of his earlier career with 2008's The Wrestler, a naturalistic Darren Aronofsky drama

which followed the titular down-on-his-look sportsman as he navigated an alien career, aging into irrelevance and the difficulties of fatherhood

Critics adored the tender, brutal turn, a far cry from Sin City's over-the-top theatrics

and Rourke was firmly accepted back into Hollywood after his moving performance

It came at a cost to the actor, though, with Rourke risking his health for the role

The actor was trained to fight by real-life wrestling coaches and sustained a handful of injuries during filming

as well as stopping by the WWE studios to fight superstar Jericho

Yes, really, that actually happened. Rock was also engaged fully for the less glamorous elements of the film

actually picking up shifts in the deli his character works at for the sake of pure realism

Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon Jim Carrey's transformative performance in Man on the Moon

showcased his dedication to method acting like never before, Portraying the enigmatic comedian Andy Kaufman

Carey delved deep into the character's psyche, blurring the lines between reality and fiction

He reportedly stayed in character even when the cameras weren't rolling, going so far as to adopt Kaufman's mannerisms and quirks in his everyday life

Carey's intense preparation for the role involved studying Kaufman's every move, watching hours of footage and reading extensively about his life

He even sought out Kaufman's friends and family, seeking their insights and advice

Carey was described as a menace on set by his co-stars, who said that he would stuff his pockets with Limburger cheese

and hug everyone on set. It's also been said that Carey would hurl insults at the crew and director

and even try to communicate telepathically with the crew. Carey disappeared so much into the role that director Milos Forman

would eventually state, I really can say that I never worked with Jim Carey

I mean, is that a compliment? I'll let you decide. Jamie Foxx, Ray

Some actors try to stay in character during shoots. For example, in his Oscar-winning performance as Irish artist Christy Brown

Daniel Day not only learned to write and paint by foot but also never left his wheelchair for the entire shoot That commitment but some stars actually need physical assistance to manage to get to this level So Arduous is the task ahead of them

So when Jamie Foxx signed on to play R&B superstar Ray Charles, the actor slash singer slash comedian initially struggled to get into the role due to Charles' blindness

Well, that was until the production convinced the star to allow them to glue prosthetic eyelids over his own eyes while shooting

rendering him effectively blind during filming. The technique led to panic attacks early on

as Fox understandably struggled to adjust to the extreme measure, but it eventually resulted in an Oscar

as well as widespread critical acclaim for his work in the role. Choi Min-sik in Oldboy

Choi Min-sik brought an impressive depth and intensity to his character in 2003's Oldboy

To embody that complex and tormented nature, he subjected himself to extreme physical and psychological preparations

He isolated himself for weeks, depriving himself of human contact and immersing himself in a state of seclusion

The actor also ate an entire live octopus and branded his own skin with hot wire

for every year his character was imprisoned. It takes some special dedication to be willingly scarred for life for a role

His commitment shone through the screen, with audiences appreciating the authenticity and unwavering dedication

the actor had Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. Daniel Day-Lewis is one of those actors

who's known for their constant method acting, with most of his extreme efforts

paying off with award-winning performances. While preparing to play the character of Christy Brown

who suffers from cerebral palsy in My Left Foot, Day-Lewis visited a cerebral palsy clinic

to better understand the condition and the people who suffered from it. However, his preparations didn't end there

Instead, they went to the next level. Day-Lewis demanded to be spoon-fed by crew members

just as his character was fed in the film, and would even be carried around the set between takes

The actor would often refuse to leave his wheelchair, pretending to suffer from the condition as his character did

and was even seen visiting restaurants in his wheelchair too, acting like his character even when he was away from set

Now, there's no denying that Day-Lewis' dedication to his craft is nothing short of extraordinary

and his off-screen antics usually pay off. My Left Foot earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1990

the first of three times he would bag that coveted prize. Shia LaBeouf, Fury

Shia LaBeouf has pulled some incredible stunts for an actor who started his career in Disney's Holes and Michael Bay's Transformers franchise

Whether it's auditioning for Las Von Trier's controversial Nymphomaniac by sending the director a sex tape

or taking part in a series of bizarre performance art pieces over the last few years

But he truly upped his game for Fury, a cracking World War II movie co-starring Brad Pitt

and somehow made by Suicide Squad helmer, David Ear. For the hyper-intense war movie

LaBeouf committed to realism wholesale by refusing to shave, cut his hair

or even bathe during filming, until Pitt told him to give it a rest and behave anyway

Despite this impediment, LaBeouf nonetheless returned to form by cutting a scar into his own face between takes

according to co-star Logan Lerman, who claims the actor kept a handful of genuine facial wounds open

throughout the shoot. Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer. Dustin Hoffman fully embraced the role

of Ted Kramer, a father navigating the trials and tribulations of single parenthood while filming

Kramer vs. Kramer. However, Hoffman's dedication towards the role reportedly ventured way too far

According to journalist Michael Shulman in a Vanity Fair profile on Meryl Streep, Hoffman's

co-star in Kramer vs. Kramer, Hoffman attempted to generate more emotion and increase the intensity

of the elevator scene by taunting Streep about her recently deceased boyfriend, John Kazal

prompting Streep to leave the studio in a rage. Another instance reportedly saw Hoffman slap Streep

across the face, unprovoked, while filming the opening scene, leaving a red mark

Hoffman's insults would also reach other cast members, including seven-year-old Justin Henry

with Hoffman getting him to cry during a scene by telling him he may never see

some of his crew member friends ever again. This made Henry so upset that he reportedly couldn't stop sobbing after the scene was filmed

Hoffman has admitted that his method acting was driving everyone nuts as he tried to fill every single scene with more emotion

Robert Pattinson, Little Ashes. Critics weren't kind to 2008's Little Ashes, a biopic of surrealist painter extraordinaire and occasional fascist sympathiser Salvador Dali

despite the evident effort that then Twilight star Robert Pattinson put into his central performance as the troubled artist

Its heart was in the right place, and Pattinson himself certainly deserves serious praise having taken on the risky role of the artist while still being known for his parts in Harry Potter Still though was there really any need for the actor to actually masturbate on

screen during one of the film's sex scenes? Patterson apparently refused to fake an orgasm

resulting in a take in which the real thing is preserved on screen. Apparently, it made him

consider quitting acting entirely, until the offer for Twilight came through a few days later after

the scene was done. With this in mind, I can only hope that he didn't make the same commitment to

spilling his beans for Lighthouse, given how much self-love that would require

Adrian Brody in The Pianist. In The Pianist, Adrian Brody played the Polish-Jewish pianist

and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Spielmann. I really hope I said that right and I apologise

if I pronounced that horribly. Brody showed his commitment to the role via the brutal preparation

process he put himself through before filming began. Director Roman Polanski made Brody practice

the piano for four hours a day until he was able to do a spot-on impression of his character's work

Not only that, but Brody himself felt that he had to become the character he was playing

So he sold his car, his apartment, most of his belongings and withdrew from the public eye for

months. He also broke up with his girlfriend at the time, as you do. The actor also went on an

extreme diet to lose 30 pounds in six weeks, living off two boiled eggs for breakfast

a little chicken for lunch, and a small amount of fish or chicken with steamed vegetables for dinner

Brody admitted to IndieWire that he was depressed for a year after The Pianist

opening up about the mental toll he suffered from the role. It paid off though, as Brody became the youngest person ever at the age of 29 to win the Oscar for

Best Actor. Nicolas Cage, Vampire's Kiss. How much of it is method and how much of it is just Nick Cage being Nick Cage

is an eternal question that has plagued film fans ever since Francis Ford Coppola's most infamous nephew

began to grace our screens in the 80s and repeatedly prove that there was a thin line between crazy commitment to a role

and, well, just everyday craziness. Take 1992's bizarre satirical sort of horror vampire's kiss, for example

Here, Cage went above and beyond when preparing for the role of a stockbroker

who convinces himself he's becoming a vampire during a mental breakdown, or the role of a vampire who's a stockbroker, depending on your read

While filming, Cage actually ate a real cockroach rather than a prop one for one shot

enraging the animal's trainer in the process. Director Robert Bierman later admitted that

although he was happy with the first take of the scene, he actually made Cage shoot it two more times

since he was annoyed with him about something unrelated. Of course, Cage was already well acquainted with the method

having had two of his teeth pulled to play a Vietnam veteran in Birdie

saying he wanted to know, quote, real pain for the role. So with that in mind, who let this man appear in a HP Lovecraft adaptation

We're lucky he really didn't awake one of the old ones during filming

just to be as authentic as possible. Jamie Dornan in The Fool

Jamie Dornan took method acting to the extreme when he decided to stalk an unknown woman

to prepare for his role as a serial killer in a TV series The Fool

Surely there was a better way to get into character than this. In 2015, Dornan admitted to the LA Times that he followed a woman off the train in the London Underground

and pursued her for a little while before stopping. He said, I followed a woman off the train one day to see what it felt like to pursue someone like that

I really kept my distance. She got off a few stops earlier than I was planning, so I said, right, I have to commit to this

I followed her around a couple of street corners and then was like, what are you doing

To make matters worse, Dornan explained that stalking the woman felt kind of exciting

In a really sort of dirty way, he said, but that he wasn't proud of himself for going to that extreme

Unsurprisingly, after Dornan revealed his stalkerish ways, it didn't go down very well on Twitter

It goes without saying that stalking someone is never okay, whether method acting or not

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant. Not content to be outdone by his uber famous method actor core star from Scorsese's masterpiece Gangs of New York

Leo attempted to go method some years later, and earned his first Oscar after decades of nominations in the process

For Alejandro Inarritu's The Revenant, the director's follow-up to his acclaimed Birdman the year prior

DiCaprio put himself through actual hell. To play the put-upon real-life figure of frontiersman Hugh Glass

DiCaprio actually ate raw bison meat, swam in freezing rivers, and even, apologies to those of a sensitive disposition

slept inside raw animal carcasses in order to get inside the mind of his character

I mean, who does he think he is? Bear Grylls or something? Fortunately for him, this mad commitment paid off big

as the film was showered with praise, sweeping the Oscars as well as impressing at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes

Which, all things said and done, isn't a bad reward for putting up with Luke Skywalker's regular sleeping conditions