10+ Actors Who Had to Go to Great Lengths to Get Into Character

We often see famous actors at red carpet events looking beautiful and happy, so we don’t quite realize to what extreme lengths they can go to, to be convincing in their roles: they might follow a strict diet, gain weight, shave their heads, and even tie their knees together to imitate another person’s gait.

At Now I’ve Seen Everything, we were amazed by the actors who are ready to go to great lengths to get into character.

Joey King — The Act (2019)

In order to play the girl who thought she was very sick because of her mother, King had to shave her head every 3 days and wear fake teeth. The actress also had to change the pitch of her voice. Joey got sick 4 times during shooting, had a fever and a sore throat, but she never gave up.

Rooney Mara — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

To get into character, Rooney Mara dyed her fair hair black, got a facial piercing, and bleached her eyebrows.

Jennifer Lawrence — Winter’s Bone (2010)

Since her character was a girl who came from a very poor family and lived on a farm, Jennifer Lawrence had to learn to do very un-Hollywood-like things. For example, she had to learn how to chop wood and she showed off this skill in the movie.

Hilary Swank — Million Dollar Baby (2004)

The role of Maggie earned Hilary an Oscar. The actress had to train hard for 3 months: her training included boxing and lifting weights. Thanks to working out and a protein diet, Hilary Swank gained 19 pounds of muscle mass.

Dustin Hoffman — Marathon Man (1976)

To get into shape for playing the role, the actor had to run 4 miles every day. And when he needed to film the scenes where he was out of breath, he would run for a half-mile right before a take.

Jared Leto — Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

The actor had to lose 30 pounds for the role, and was completely in character for 24 hours a day. Besides, Jared Leto learned to use lipstick and had his legs and eyebrows waxed.

Aaron Eckhart — Rabbit Hole (2010)

Since the story revolves around a couple who lost their son, Aaron Eckhart decided that in order to get into character he needed to attend a real-life support group for parents genuinely dealing with this sort of tragedy. The actor had to admit that it was rather rude of him to pretend that he lost his child in front of people who were really mourning. But it seems it was worth it, his acting was very convincing. However, this movie went completely unnoticed for a wider audience.

Ashton Kutcher — Jobs (2013)

While preparing for the role, the actor decided to follow the fruitarian diet that Steve Jobs used to practice, and drank a lot of carrot juice. Unfortunately, Ashton’s body couldn’t cope with this diet, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with pancreatitis.

Ruth Wilson — Dark River (2017)

While preparing for the role, Ruth Wilson had to live and work on a real farm to understand the feelings of her character better who grew up among farmers. The actress had to deal with quite unpleasant things: she sheared sheep, clipped their feet, dragged them around, and even castrated lambs.

Michelle Williams — My Week with Marilyn (2011)

To look like the legendary Marilyn Monroe, Williams not only dyed her hair blonde and used bright lipstick, she also tried to copy her gait. To get Marilyn’s wiggle, Michelle had to walk around with a belt tied around her knees.

Blake Lively — The Shallows (2016)

The actress played in the movie just a few months after giving birth. Blake worked out for 13 hours a day to get in shape. And judging by the way the actress looked in the movie, her effort was worth it.

The author of this article really enjoyed the acting of Joey King. But we know that tastes differ, so maybe you also have something to say about the actors mentioned in this article. We’re waiting for your comments.