Lisa O
Acting might seem like getting paid to pretend, but it’s so much more than that—it’s often an all-consuming craft. Just like any task that takes a lot of effort, it’s easy to go too far. Many stars have learned this the hard way. They gave everything to roles that needed intense emotional or physical investment and ended up pushing themselves too far. Here are 15 actors who were never the same after a role.
Isabelle Adjani, Possession (1981)
Any horror fan knows the subway scene in Andrzej Zulawski’s 1981 film Possession as one of the most terrifying and shocking moments in body horror. Isabelle Adjani even won a César Award for her role as Anna, but the intense emotional and physical demands of the role made recovery very tough. Adjani later said it took her “years of therapy” to get over playing Anna and that she would never take on a similar role again.
Adrien Brody, The Pianist (2002)
Adrien Brody’s transformation for 2002’s The Pianist is very clear. Still, the actor has also opened up about the huge emotional toll of playing Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman. This role earned him the Academy Award for the Best Actor in 2003. He gave up his apartment, disconnected his phones, sold his car, and moved to Europe to get ready for the part. However, the emotional impact of starvation was the most surprising challenge he faced.
Sarah Paulson, The People vs. O. J. Simpson and American Horror Story (2016)
Sarah Paulson gained a lot of praise for her lead roles in this TV series, but both characters needed her to smoke. That was tricky because, in real life, Paulson wasn’t a smoker—or at least she wasn’t until she had to light up multiple times a day on set. In an interview, Paulson confessed that after getting over the initial disgust of smoking for the first time, she actually started craving cigarettes for real.
Hugh Laurie, House (2004)
Laurie snagged this role because his American accent in the audition tape was so spot-on that nobody caught on he was British. He really went all out to play House, even picking up a limp for the character. He stayed so committed that he kept limping in real life until 2015, after playing the role for eight years straight. Laurie’s acting is so good that it made people overlook his British accent.
Johnny Depp, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Johnny Depp was excited to play Hunter S. Thompson, one of his favorite idols and a fellow Kentuckian. When filming started, Depp’s spot-on portrayal made the crew worry he might be too deep into the role. Depp was still in full Thompson mode even a year after filming ended. He and Thompson stayed close friends until Thompson’s death in 2005.
Val Kilmer, The Doors (1991)
Val Kilmer went all-in to play rock legend Jim Morrison. He started by learning to sing 50 of the band’s songs, spending hours in the studio studying Morrison’s vocals and watching tons of footage of his interviews to nail his personality. By the end of filming, some couldn’t tell the difference between Morrison’s singing and Kilmer’s. But once filming wrapped up, Kilmer admitted he had to hit therapy to shake off the Jim Morrison vibes.
Bob Hoskins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Bob Hoskins had a remarkable career, but to many, he’ll forever be cherished for his role as the boozy private eye Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Besides getting used to his character’s cool name during filming, Hoskins spent hours each day interacting with imaginary characters who weren’t actually there. Once shooting wrapped up, Hoskins found himself talking to himself often and even started seeing Roger as if he were sitting in the same room.
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008)
Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was so good that it won him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Sadly, Ledger passed away from an accidental drug overdose in January 2008. After his death, rumors swirled that the role might have played a part in his demise. Despite his family angrily dismissing these rumors—you can’t help but wonder if diving so deep into the Joker’s madness took a toll on his overall well-being.
Janet Leigh, Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” has given lots of people nightmares, but it’s wild to think even some of the people who worked on it got spooked, like Janet Leigh. She admitted that after seeing that intense scene, it freaked her out so much she stopped showering. So she switched to baths. And when she had to shower, she made sure everything was locked up tight and left the curtain open.
Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Linda Hamilton returned as Sarah Connor in Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, putting her all into the role and creating one of sci-fi’s most unforgettable performances. In an unfortunate turn, that dedication cost her dearly—she accidentally forgot to wear her ear protection during a gunfight scene in an elevator. The loud echoes caused severe, permanent damage to her hearing.
James Cromwell, Babe (1995)
James Cromwell is one of those actors whose face you know but maybe not his name. He got a big break in 1995 with Babe, where a talking pig stole the show. The movie was a massive hit, and it totally changed Cromwell’s life. Cromwell went from casually thinking about vegetarianism to becoming a full-on vegan. Since then, he’s been a strong supporter of animal rights, especially for pigs.
Bill Skarsgård, It (2017)
It was one of the biggest hits of 2017 and stands out as one of the best horror films of the last decade. Skarsgård really had to go to some dark places to nail the role. Once the cameras stopped rolling, he tried to ditch the character, but Pennywise wasn’t so easy to shake. Skarsgård admitted that Pennywise started creeping into his dreams right after filming and gave him nightmares for months.
Dakota Johnson, Suspiria (2018)
After gaining fame from the controversial “Fifty Shades of Grey” series, Dakota Johnson took on the lead in Luca Guadagnino’s remake of “Suspiria.” Johnson shared that the role took a toll on her to the point where she needed therapy after filming ended. Interestingly, the challenges weren’t just mental—they were physical, too. Johnson recalled filming in an abandoned hotel rigged with telephone poles, which posed a constant risk of electric shock.
Jim Caviezel, The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Even before filming started on “The Passion of the Christ,” Jim Caviezel understood the role would have significant effects. He has stated that his Hollywood opportunities diminished after the film’s release, making him feel sidelined by the industry. The consequences extended beyond his career—Caviezel’s physical health took a hit, too. During filming, he endured a dislocated shoulder, was struck by lightning, and even battled hypothermia and pneumonia.
Jim Carrey, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Today, Ron Howard’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a holiday classic, thanks to Jim Carrey’s awesome performance as the Grinch. But getting into makeup was so tough that Carrey nearly quit. On the first day of shooting—it took eight and a half hours to get him ready, which drove him nuts and made him ask to be fired. In the end, they had to bring in a specialist to help Carrey cope with the stress.