FLASH BACK: 6 Actors Who Took Their Roles Too Far (From Starving Themselves to Breaking Bones!)

Being an actor requires one to go deep and, often times, lose one’s self in a role. Some actors take this very seriously; almost too seriously.  From losing an excess amount of weight to not allowing themselves to break character long after the director yells cut, here are nine actors who took their roles too far.

 1. 50 Cent

The Queens rapper lost up to 54 pounds in All Things Falls Apart to play a football player who gets diagnosed with cancer. Pictures of the emaciated “Wanksta” singer prompted most of the world to exclaim “He better win an Oscar for that mess!”  The result?  Do you know ten people that actually saw the film?  Right.

2. Christian Bale

The actor lost an extraordinary amount of weight that veered on being dangerous for his health for his role in The Machinist.  Ultimately, the starving did not pay off as the film was a box office flop. Womp, womp.

3. Jim Carrey

For one of his more serious roles, the funny man stayed in character throughout filming, alienating friends and family for his portrayal of Andy Kaufman in The Man on the Moon. The movie, however, did not do as well in ticket sales as hoped.

4. Robert DeNiro

When he took on the role of Max Cady in Cape Fear, he was so dedicated to his character’s appearance that he actually paid a dentist $20,000 to destroy his teeth to look as if he spent years in jail. DeNiro’s yuck-mouth seems to have paid off, as received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for the role,  which is still lauded today as one of the best characters on film.

5. Daniel Day Lewis

One of the more seasoned method actors, Lewis has continuallly taken things WAY left with his roles.  While the list runs long for his wacky means of preparing for roles, two that stand out were etching tattoos into his own chest for The Crucible; and sitting in a wheelchair so long in between takes for My Left Foot that he actually broke one of his own ribs.

6. Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey

To get their super smooth beefy man-chests in the poor man’s movie version of Chippendale’s, both actors underwent some serious waxing time at the salon.  At least they know the pain we felt after sitting through two painful hours of Magic Mike.

Benjamin Ekpenyong