Jim Carrey
rubber-faced Canadian funnyman disregarded social niceties as he prepared to appear in the 1999 comedy-drama Man on the Moon. The film, a biopic of the comedian and notorious prankster Andy Kaufman, inspired Carrey to stay in character both on and off set, with friends and family avoiding him due to the irritating nature of the role.
Renée Zellweger
Like her former partner Jim Carrey, Zellweger is associated with the lighter side of the entertainment business. But that doesn’t mean she can’t still employ The Method. And she famously did so, in preparation for her role as iconic singleton Bridget Jones. When she was cast, Bridget fans were outraged, protesting about the American actress’ lack of both curves and Britishness. So, she worked on both, downing pints of Guinness to flesh out her slender frame, and receiving voice coaching to perfect her London accent. She even went undercover for three weeks, working at a London publishing house in order to really connect with her inner Bridget. When the film came out, even die-hard fans had to admit that Zellweger had nailed the character, and both that film and the sequel were hugely successful.
Christian Bale
Before playing insomniac Trevor Reznik in The Machinist, Bale shed an eye-watering 63 pounds to achieve his character’s ghostly appearance. He put that weight back on and more to play the burly Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight.
Natalie Portman
Anyone who’s seen Natalie Portman’s movie “Black Swan” will not be surprised that the actress found it hard to shake the character off during filming. It’s a relentless film, full of tension and jagged music that puts your nerves on edge and Portman’s character is a psychotically stressed dancer in the world of classical ballet – one of the only careers that rivals Hollywood for ferocity and pressure. So, for the role she not only resumed her ballet dancing (she studied for 9 years as a child), she also lost 20 pounds and looked almost child-size in the film. The method paid off, as she gained a Best Actress Oscar for the role. Ever dedicated, Portman also shaved her head on camera for her role in “V for Vendetta”, even though it led to months of people staring at her in the street. Movie stars get that anyway, right?
Heath Ledger
During preparation for The Dark Knight, Ledger, who played Batman’s nemesis The Joker, stayed in character during his entire time on set. He also locked himself in an apartment for a month before shooting the film, and fatally overdosed on sleeping medication prior to the film’s release.
