Things Celebrities Do To Get Into The Character They Play In Movies

An actor is often remembered for the iconic roles that he plays in the film. Their acting and the way they immerse themselves into the character gives great performances and memorable moments not only for the audiences but for the celebrity as well. Here are some celebrities who took it to another level so as to get into the character assigned to them.

Heath Ledger

Source: obviousmag.org

One of the most iconic roles in a comic book movie is The Joker. Heath Ledger played the role of Joker in the comic book movie The Dark Knight which was highly appreciated by all. To get into his role, Heath Ledger isolated himself in a hotel room for 6 weeks. He did so as to get into the psychology of the sinister and frightening character Joker. He kept a diary and recorded his eerie and disturbing thoughts in it to develop the character.

Billy Bob Thornton

Source: Groucho Reviews

Billy Bob Thornton, who is the director and also the lead of the film Sling Blade, played the character Karl Childers, who has a developmental disability in the film. To portray his character perfectly, Billy Bob Thornton put glass in his shoes to make his shuffle walk and limp more convincing.

Robert De Niro

Source: Variety

One of the highly appreciated roles played by Robert De Niro is Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. To get into the character, Robert De Niro got himself a taxi driver’s license and drove passengers around New York in a cab for 12 hours shift.

Halle Berry

Source: IndieWire

To get into her role of Vivian, a homeless crack addict, in Jungle Fever Halle Berry did not shower for about two weeks. The dirty and uncomfortable feeling helped her to develop more into the character.

Anne Hathaway

Source: Metatube

Anne Hathaway played the character Fantine, a struggling factory worker in Les Misérables. To get herself fully into the role, Anne ate just two thin squares of dried oatmeal a day in order to lose weight.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

Source: SFGate

While filming for Blue Valentine, filmmaker Derek Cianfrance made Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams and their on-screen daughter to live together for a month in the house where the characters of the movie lived. They celebrated fake birthdays and also fake Christmas to get the feeling of a real family and also to draw in memories for the last part of the film.

Nicolas Cage

Source: FilmBook

Nicolas Cage had to play the role of as Alfonso ‘Al’ Columbato, who served in the Vietnam War in the film Birdy. To experience the pain like his character in the film, Cage got his teeth pulled out without any anesthesia. He also spent 5 weeks with his head wrapped around with bandages to get into the character he was playing.