Method
Men
In
preparation for his lead role in Stephen Frears’ gripping Lance
Armstrong biopic, The Program,
Ben Foster went the extra mile by actually taking
performance-enhancing drugs in order to gain a better understanding
of their effects.
To
celebrate its release on Digital HD from 8th
February and on Blu-ray & DVD from 15th
February, 2016, we’re taking a look at
other actors who went to extreme lengths to portray a character...
Ben
Foster – The Program (2015)
Ben
Foster stars as Lance Armstrong in this suspenseful adaptation that
depicts the true story of how the cyclist fell from grace after
partaking in the most sophisticated doping program the sport had ever
seen. In order to get inside the head of the former hero and truly
understand the effects of doping Foster admitted to taking
performance-enhancing drugs. This is not the first time Foster has
gone all out for a role as he previously ate handfuls of dirt to
comprehend the hardships endured by Navy Seals for Lone
Survivor and spent time living on the streets
of LA for his small part in Rampart.
Adrian
Brody – The Pianist (2002)
Losing
30 pounds and spending hours learning to play the piano for his role
as Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman wasn’t enough for Adrian
Brody. He took method acting to a new level by giving up his
apartment, selling his car, disconnecting his phone, and ultimately
leaving his life behind in order to feel the same loss Szpilman felt.
His actions cost him his girlfriend of the time but subsequently
secured him an Oscar for best actor in 2003.
Robert
de Niro – Taxi Driver (1976)
Robert
de Niro’s portrayal of Travis Bickle, the disturbed insomniac taxi
driver, in Martin Scorsese’s remarkable crime drama was nothing
short of amazing. His strong performance can be linked to the fact
that while prepping for the role De Niro actually got his cab
driver’s licence. He worked 12-hour shifts for a month prior to
shooting and claims that, despite his Academy recognition for The
Godfather: Part Two, he was only ever
recognised once.
Heath
Ledger/ Jared Leto – The Dark Knight (2008) & Suicide Squad
(2016)
Heath
Ledger went to great lengths to prepare for the part of The Joker in
Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster smash. His incredible
representation was a product of locking himself in his apartment for
a month prior to filming, sleeping two hours each night, and never
breaking character. Crew members worried for the actor and warned him
that he had taken things too far. Jared Leto appeared to take a
similar approach with his highly anticipated depiction of the
character by sending his co-stars strange gifts including a live rat,
bullets, and a dead hog.
Joaquin
Phoenix – Walk the Line (2005)
While
starring as Jonny Cash in James Mangold’s award winning biopic
Joaquin Phoenix spent months learning to sing and play the guitar. He
then went the extra mile by only responding to people if they called
him JR, Johnny Cash’s real name. He claims to be embarrassed about
the situation in hindsight but maintains that being called Joaquin on
the set felt wrong. He continued down the method route while
preparing for Casey Affleck’s I’m Still
Here by convincing the world he had quit
acting and gone a little bit crazy.
Daniel
Day-Lewis – Lincoln (2012)
Daniel
Day-Lewis is renowned for his method approach to his roles. He spent
two months in a cerebral palsy clinic for My
Left Foot, learnt to track and skin animals
for The Last of the Mohicans,
and spared no exceptions for Spielberg’s Lincoln.
During production Day-Lewis spoke with a Kentucky accent on and off
set, insisted on being addressed as ‘Mr President’, and signed
messages to his co-stars as ‘Abe’.
***
THE
PROGRAM arrives on Digital HD from 8th
February, and on Blu-ray and DVD from 15th
February, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL