From Extreme Diets to Daring Stunts: Outrageous Acts Celebrities Have Pulled for Movie Roles

10 Craziest Stunts Celebrities Have Pulled for Movie Roles

When it comes to nailing a role, some celebrities go above and beyond. We're not just talking about learning an accent or hitting the gym. These A-listers took things to a different level. From embracing life in a wheelchair to risking their health with crazy diets, they pushed boundaries to deliver Oscar-worthy performances. "I went too far," confessed Will Smith about his harrowing experience filming Emancipation. And he's not alone! Here are ten Tinseltown celebs who got into character by doing the most bizarre things.

1. Daniel Day-Lewis

For his movie My Left Foot, Daniel Day-Lewis took method acting to an extreme. He refused to leave his wheelchair and asked his crew members to spoon-feed him. Day-Lewis wanted to fully understand the character of paralyzed poet, Christy Brown, whose memoir inspired the film. He even learned to paint with a foot-held brush. His dedication didn't stop there. He spent weeks hunched over resulting in two broken ribs. But the pain paid off. He earned the Oscar for Best Actor.

2. Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank is another name that tops the list. She went all out to nail her role as a transgender man in Boys Don't Cry. She lived life as a boy for over a month, cutting her hair, binding her chest, and stuffing her pants— the whole nine yards to "pass as a boy." Her crazy commitment paid off with an Oscar win but years later, she admitted a trans actor would have been "a lot more right for the role."

3. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga rocked her role as Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci. Reflecting on the same, she shared, "I lived as [Reggiani] for a year and a half. And I spoke with an accent for nine months of that. Off camera. I never broke. I stayed with her." She dyed her hair and obsessed over money to nail Reggiani's wealthy Italian nature. She was so deep into the character that she started losing her grip on reality. Gaga revealed, "I went out in Italy one day and I panicked. I thought I was on a movie set," as per Vanity Fair. 

4. Will Smith

Smith's experience filming Emancipation, is another example of actors going too far for a movie role. To understand the film's background of slavery, Smith insisted on wearing real chains. This was done to quite literally feel the weight of oppression. However, things took a harrowing turn when the prop master misplaced the key. Smith recalled, "Just bringing it up, I start to get teary. I wanted to feel the degradation of slavery, and I went too far in. That level of human brutality…I had the chains on my neck and we were working."

5. Leonardo DiCaprio

For his movie The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio went all out. He slept inside dead animal bodies, chowed down on raw bison meat, and was close to getting hypothermia while playing frontiersman, Hugh Glass. One crew member deemed the intense filming "a living hell" as they had to deal with the bitter cold. Many individuals reportedly quit in light of the same. Additionally, actors had to do insane stunts like being dragged naked across the ice for a 200-person battle scene. Addressing the same, DiCaprio shared, "I can name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things I've ever had to do." 

6. Robert Pattinson 

Robert Pattinson, for his 2008 film, Little Ashes, where he played Salvador Dalí, method acted in a gay sex scene. He admitted that the scene wasn't fake at all. "I pleasured myself in front of the camera," he declared. Pattinson's acting journey has taken him from a teen Twilight heartthrob to an acclaimed actor working with big directors. His breakthrough was Cronenberg's Cosmopolis in 2012. Now, he is Batman! But it was the raunchy scene for the small indie film, that set him apart early on.

7. Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher went way overboard prepping for his Steve Jobs role! Mila Kunis spilled the tea about Kutcher having copied Jobs' infamous 'fruitarian' diet. She shared, "He was so dumb. He only ate grapes at one point, it was so stupid. We ended up in the hospital twice with pancreatitis." At Sundance Film Festival, he admitted, "I went to the hospital like two days before we started shooting the movie. I was like doubled over in pain," as per Business Insider.

8. Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie left no stone unturned to play ice skater, Tonya Harding. She trained for months—five hours a day, five days a week, for five whole months! Robbie pushed herself so hard that she ended up with a herniated disk in her neck. She shared that the kid in her was fearless, but at 26 she had "a lot of fear." While she could skate some scenes, her triple axels were landed by stunt doubles. She admitted, "I could never do a triple axel. I needed help," as per Pop Sugar. 

9. Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix was the perfect fit for Walk The Line, embracing life as Johnny Cash. He said, "I abandon my life when I work. I don't wear the clothes or listen to the music that defines who I am. I don't communicate with friends or family. It sounds intense, but it's the process of getting there that is hard." He learned to sing and play guitar from scratch. He practiced Cash's voice and only listened to his music for months, as per Guardian.

10. Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez went all out for Selena. She disclosed, "I slept in her bed at home. I talked to the whole family. I spent time with them." J.Lo soaked up Selena's world, watching every interview she could find and living with Selena's sister at one point. She reflected, "It was a beautiful time in my life and it taught me so much about life." At just 26, J.Lo didn't realize the 'responsibility' of portraying Selena at first but did the role justice nevertheless, as per E! News.