Acting is, by nature, an incredibly difficult task that takes an underrated amount of courage and discipline to master. The process required for an actor to identify who their character is and occupy the mindset and physicality of them is typically as unique as it is challenging, with many of the greatest performers of all time employing method acting as a means to become absorbed in the person they are portraying and refusing the break character throughout filming.
While there are many actors who take the approach too far and make it a controversial and even dangerous approach to their craft,there are plenty of celebrated and beloved performers who use their refusal to break character to turn in truly astonishing performances. It is no coincidence that so many of these committed and dedicated actors have earned critical acclaim and Oscar recognition for their best and most determined performances.
10Joaquin Phoenix
Best Example: ‘Joker’ (2019)
Having risen to prominence in the 1990s,Joaquin Phoenixhas toiled hard over a long career to today be recognized as one of the most brilliant and versatile actors of all time. His ability and willingness to commit so entirely to the characters he plays makes his films essential viewing, and in no film was his dedication and transformation more apparent than inthe 2019 supervillain origin dramaJoker.
Phoenix lost up to 52 pounds for the part, worked tirelessly to construct the character’s grating and unique laugh, and not only stayed in character, but evolved with him on set throughout the production. The now famous performance saw Phoenix earn his first-ever Academy Award from his fourth nomination.
During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
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9Adrien Brody
Best Example: ‘The Pianist’ (2002)
Whether he’s playing a quirky, comedic character in aWes Andersonmovie or guest starring in hit television series likePeaky BlindersorSuccession,Adrien Brodyhas developed a happy knack for being one of the most watchable actors currently working. While he hasn’t voyaged to such harrowing dramatic depths in recent years, his greatest-ever performance undoubtedly came inThe Pianistin which he portrayedWładysław Szpilman, a Jewish musician who survived the Holocaust.
A display of haunting dedication,Brody pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion and starvation to immerse himself in the role, even giving up most of his possessions, including his car and his apartment, and sacrificing relationships in the process as well. While it made him theyoungest ever recipient of Best Lead Actorat the Academy Awards,Brody is reportedly still affectedby the lengths he went to for the character.
The Pianist
During WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw to survive.
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8Channing Tatum
Best Example: ‘Foxcatcher’ (2014)
Since making his first impression in dance films like 2006’sStep Upand the sporting comedyShe’s the Man,Channing Tatumhas gone on to become a much-loved and charismatic actor, one who has a surprising degree of talent to showcase when he applies himself to a role. The greatest example audiences have seen of that so far came in 2014’s Oscar-nominatedbiographical sporting crime dramaFoxcatcher.
Foxcatcher
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7Jim Carrey
Best Example: ‘Man on the Moon’ (1999)
Jim Carreyis truly a unique talent, celebrated for his brilliance in so many 90s comedies likeDumb and DumberandThe Mask, while also garnering widespread acclaim as a dramatic actor in films likeThe Truman Show. While it’s not his most well-known movie,Man on the Mooncontains what is undoubtedlyCarrey’s most committed and underrated acting performanceas he portrays renowned American entertainerAndy Kaufman.
In fact, his method approach was so intense that it led to a separate documentary -Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond- exploring the great lengths Carrey went to for the role. The documentary looks at how Carrey wanted to impersonate Kaufman to the extent that it was as if he was possessed by the late entertainer’s spirit,even going so far as to insist on being called “Andy” throughout production and refusing to break character after the cameras stopped rolling.
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6Anne Hathaway
Best Example: ‘Les Misérables’ (2012)
Based on the popular stage musical which was itself based onVictor Hugo’s 1862 novel,Les Misérableswas a huge hit upon release as an epic musical adventure set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. While it featured a great many strong performances, includingHugh JackmanandRussell Crowe’s starring parts,Anne Hathawayproved to be an unforgettable scene-stealer as Fantine, a woman forced into prostitution who soon succumbs to illness.
Hathaway’s performance was one of devastating dedication, as the actress cut off all her hair and underwent a grueling diet - one whichHathaway herself described as “starvation”- to lose 25lbs to capture the physicality of the dying woman. Despite appearing in the two-and-a-half-hour-long epic for just 15 minutes, Hathaway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, with her tragic rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” a strikingly heartbreaking moment.
Les Misérables
Les Misérables is the 2012 musical movie adaptation of Victor Hugo’s eponymous 1862 novel, retelling the story of prisoner Jean Valjean and his quest for freedom in 19th-century France. It features a star-studded cast consisting of Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen.
5Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Example: ‘Django Unchained’ (2012)
Leonardo DiCapriohas become one of Hollywood’s greatest-ever A-listers with an endless string of phenomenal performances which has seen many audiences start to take his excellence for granted. While he is usually portraying complex heroes in the starring role, one of his most iconic and memorable performances came in theQuentin TarantinoWesternDjango Unchained, in which he played the supporting role of the film’s antagonist, Calvin Candie.
His determined endeavor to stay in character for the film is unquestionable,with the legend ofDiCaprio carrying on with a scene despite slicinghis hand open on a glass - a wound that would later require stitches - now the stuff of Hollywood folklore. Not only did DiCaprio persist with the scene, but he used the blood gushing from his palm to his advantage. However, despite speculation to the contrary, the blood that was smeared overKerry Washington’s face was actually fake and added in during a later take.
Django Unchained
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4Kate Winslet
Best Example: ‘The Reader’ (2008)
As she has revealed on a number of occasions,Kate Winsletis a master of not only learning but perfecting different accents for her roles in film and television. The acclaim she received for her commitment to the incredibly challenging Delco accent in HBO’s miniseriesMare of Easttownis sufficient proof of just that, but so too is her spellbinding portrayal of Hanna Schmitz in the 2008 romantic dramaThe Reader.
The film sees Winslet play an ex-Nazi guard on trial for her crimes during WWII whose only hope of salvation comes in the form of a younger lover she knew a decade prior, one who discovers Hanna is harboring a secret that could change the outcome of the trial.Winslet refused to drop the German accentthroughout the duration of filming, even when reading to her children at night. Her dedication resulted in her winning an Academy Award for her performance.
The Reader
Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.
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3Heath Ledger
Best Example: ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
It’s a testament toHeath Ledger’s outstanding portrayal of the Joker thathis legendary antagonist remains so iconicwell over a decade afterThe Dark Knightwas released. With Gotham City’s criminal factions in decline as Batman (Christian Bale) bullies them off the streets, the Joker steps forward with a plan to not only kill the vigilante but destroy the hope he symbolizes, inflicting terror on the citizens of the city in the process.
To prepare for the role,Ledger decided to isolate himself from society altogether, locking himself in a hotel room for an entire month with little more than a journal and his thoughtsin order to discover the mindset of the character’s sociopathic psyche. Additionally,Bale also stated in an interviewthat Legder insisted on being punched in the interrogation scene. Ledger’s commitment to the role was undeniable, and it saw him win a posthumous Oscar for his efforts.
The Dark Knight
2Jack Nicholson
Best Example: ‘The Shining’ (1980)
Picking just one example of method acting fromJack Nicholson’s illustrious career is no easy feat with the revered thespian championing the approach throughout much of his career, but a striking standout comes in the form ofhis unnerving portrayal of Jack TorranceinStanley Kubrick’s renowned horror film,The Shining. Depicting the alcoholic writer’s gradual descent into homicidal madness, his performance was one of unreserved energy and underlying sadism to be one of the most terrifying ever put to screen.
Admittedly, Nicholson’s on-set commitment to the role may have teetered on the edge of acceptability, especially in the context ofThe Shiningalready being a very intense and emotionally exhausting shooting experience for many involved.Nicholson would bounce around the roomwhen the cameras weren’t rolling, psyching himself up to play the sinister characterin a manner that disturbed many, including his co-starShelley Duvallwhose performance was laced with legitimate fear.
The Shining
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1Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Example: ‘My Left Foot’ (1989)
Daniel Day-Lewismight just be the greatest actor that cinema has ever seen. A committed method actor, his ability to completely embody a role is truly awe-inspiring, witheach and every performance of Day-Lewis' careerbeing handled with the same degree of care and dedication. One of his very best performances came in the 1989 dramaMy Left Foot, in which he played Irish artistChristy Brownwho, despite being born with a severe case of cerebral palsy which left him only able to use his left foot, became a celebrated painter and writer.
Day-Lewis was so resolute in his refusalto break character that he would insist on being carried around the setin a wheelchair and was spoon-fed by production assistants during lunch breaks in order to maintain the character’s dependent lifestyle. Regardless of whether audiences view it as genius or tedious, it resulted in an outstanding performance that saw Day-Lewis win the first of his three Academy Awards.
