Summary

Sometimes , actors will go to extreme lengths to master and see a new skill solely for an act role , no matter how grueling or unmanageable the cognitive operation may be . This commitment to their craft is evident in their masterly performance , which often find critical acclaim , admiration , and heap of well - earned accolades . Some histrion often spend month , sometimes year , researching , education , and living as their characters would , to ensure every nuance and detail of the carrying into action is reliable . When the process of transforming into their character means taking on a whole new science , the operation become even more telling .

Someactors who master a skill for a rolepush themselves to their absolute genial and physical limits . For representative , Uma Thurman tackle extreme , tight training for her persona inKill Bill , where she master blade fight and multiple form of warlike art . Tom Cruise ’s inscription to do his own stunt led him to acquire to fly his own eggbeater stunts forMission : Impossible – Fallout , and Sigourney Weaver learn to communicate with gorillas to accurately present Dian Fossey inGorillas in the Mist . Their performances not only set their careers but elevate the very films themselves .

10Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone

Jennifer Lawrence learned how to skin a squirrel inWinter’s Bone.

Jennifer Lawrence made a name for herself in Hollywood with her standout function inWinter ’s Boneback in 2010 , earning her first Academy Award nominating speech for Best Actress . To get into character , Jennifer spent time in the Ozarks , getting a real feel for the lifestyle there . She did n’t just act ; she last like Ree , learning skill like chop wood and , splendidly , skinning a squirrel . Lawrence had to prove to audiences that her character was a survival expert , leaving no incertitude in viewer ' psyche that she knew how to do the more gruesome undertaking it take to survive with ease .

Winter ’s Boneis cyclosis on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV .

9Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk

Joseph Gordon-Levitt learned to tightrope walk inThe Walk.

Cast

Impressively , Joseph Gordon - Levitt trained with Philippe Petit to learn tightrope walkingfor his role as him inThe Walk . Back in 1974 , Philippe Petit pulled off an incredible exploit by walking a tightrope between New York ’s Twin Towers , a jaw - send away 1,300 pes above the priming . Gordon - Levitt stated , " Philippe insisted that he be the first one to teach me how to walk on the conducting wire . " Over an intensive eight - day shop , Gordon - Levitt achieved solo conducting wire - walk . Despite the moving picture ’s trust on CGI for some stunt , Gordon - Levitt embraced the challenge , walking on a conducting wire 12 feet high ( Business Insider ) .

The Walkis streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV .

8Uma Thurman in Kill Bill

Uma Thurman had to learn three styles of kung fu, sword fighting, Japanese, and more.

Preparing forKill Bill , Uma Thurman took on an sinful education regime , mastering multiple martial arts to embody The Bride . Thurman draw the process as tackling"three style of kung fu , two elan of sword fighting , knife throwing , tongue fighting , hand - to - hand scrap , Japanese speaking,“calling it " literally ludicrous . " Their dedication was so rigorous that being even a minute tardily was not abide by director Quentin Tarintino . Thurman ’s telling fight skills are never more observable than in the iconicKill Bill ’s Crazy 88 combat view , one of the film ’s bloodiest and most elaborate fight scenes in cinema .

obliterate Billis cyclosis on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV .

7Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver

De Niro got a taxi license for his role inTaxi Driver.

Robert De Niro go above and beyond for his role as a cab gadget driver in Martin Scorsese’sTaxi Driver , securing a literal taxi driver ’s license . In the calendar month chair up to filming , he dedicated himself to 12 - hour taxi driving shift . Impressively , he completely immerse himself in the life of a cab driver by picking up and dropping off passengers whenever potential . Even in his recess during motion-picture photography , De Niro continued to drive around New York City in a cabriolet . The Taxi and Limousine Commission even released a copy of De Niro ’s license , which expired on May 31 , 1976 , shortly after the film ’s launching .

Taxi Driver isstreaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV .

6Demi Moore in G.I. Jane

Demi Moore took on Navy SEAL Training forG.I. Jane.

For her role inG.I. Jane , Demi Moore underwent a grueling training regimen with veridical Navy SEALs , pushing her physical and mental terminus ad quem . She trained alongside 40 men , enduring acute workout that start with mile - long runs at 5 A.M. , leading to severe physical reactions like vomiting and blisters on her foot . Despite the selection to ease her training , Moore chose to fully commit , unmistakable from her impressive strong-arm transformation . Moore ’s dedication to the role made it a point of superbia in her career , despite the motion picture ’s mixed receipt .

G.I. Janeis cyclosis on Disney+ .

5Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Fallout

Tom Cruise learned how to fly a dangerous helicopter stunt forMission: Impossible – Fallout.

Tom Cruise hire his allegiance to the role of Ethan Hunt to soar heights inMission : inconceivable – Fallout . Cruise ’s preference for legitimacy over CGI and stunt stunt woman caused him to learn how to pilot a eggbeater , performing a highly dangerous stunt himself . Already an effected pilot burner , Cruise take on an intensive breeding regime , accumulating 2,000 flying hour in a remarkably short time to subdue the complex 360 - grade downward coiling maneuver in hilly terrain , something even experienced pilots consider perilous .

Tom Cruise ’s wild Mission : Impossible BTS stories not only highlight his appetite for stuntwork but also excuse why the franchise is so great .

Mission : unimaginable – Falloutis streaming on Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video .

mission:impossible wild tom cruise behind the scenes stories explain why the franchise is so great good

4Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Natalie Portman trained for eight hours a day to play a ballet dancer inBlack Swan.

During the cinematography of Black Swan , Natalie Portman undergo eight hours of daily concert dance grooming for six month to train for her character as a prima ballerina , causing her to misplace 20 lb in organic structure weight . This punishing schedule , twin with the physical toll of dislocating a costa , pushed her to the sharpness , leaving her fearing for her aliveness on some night , where she felt " literally get to die . " Widely consideredNatalie Portman ’s best performance , Portman ’s commitment to her role inBlack Swanearned her an Academy Award for Best Actress .

3Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

Robert De Niro trained to be a professional boxer forRaging Bull.

For his role as Jake LaMotta inRaging Bull , Robert De Niro underwent extensive fisticuffs training , entering three real Brooklyn package equal and winning two . His readying was so vivid that when he spar with Joe Pesci , he accidentally broke Pesci ’s rib during a scene that really made it into the film . De Niro ’s commitment to authentic fight scene led to the famous " hit me " scene , where the actors really strike each other . De Niro ’s rigorous training regimen even included up to 1,000 rounds with the material Jake LaMotta , a summons that deeply impress LaMotta himself .

2Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist

Sigourney Weaver learned to communicate with gorillas forGorillas in the Mist.

In the 1988 filmGorillas In The Mist , Sigourney Weaver pick out on the thought-provoking role of Dian Fossey , a renowned mountain Gorilla gorilla expert . To authentically depict Fossey , Weaver immersed herself in the cosmos of gorilla , find out to communicate with them using consistency gestures and vocalizations . This inscription to accurately capturing Fossey ’s intimate bond with the Gorilla gorilla affect working tight with the animate being , ensuring they were completely comfortable around her . Weaver ’s commitment to the role realise her an Oscar nominating speech for Best Actress .

1Bradley Cooper in Maestro

Bradley Cooper spent six years learning to conduct six minutes of music forMaestro.

Bradley Cooper immersed himself for six years in ascertain to conduct a important six - minute scenery in the Netflix biopicMaestro , portraying Leonard Bernstein . Speaking with Lin Manuel Miranda during a New York masking of the pic , Cooper stated,“I spent six years learn how to conduct six minute and 21 second of music . “His loyalty included examine Bernstein ’s techniques and figure out with conductor advisor Yannick Nézet - Séguin . Not only did he get a line to conduct an orchestra , butBradley Cooper watch to wreak the piano forMaestro , showcasing his absolute stiff loyalty to the role .

Maestrois cyclosis on Netflix .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

Kaitlyn Santa Juana as Stefanie looking horrified in Final Destination Bloodlines

Mission Impossible Fallout Tom Cruise Helicopter

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk (2015)

Headshot Of James Badge Dale In The Los Angeles Premiere Of Paramount+<code>s </code>1923`, Hollywood American Legion

Headshot Of Joseph Gordon-Levitt In The Hollywood Critics Association&rsquo;s 2023 HCA Film Awards

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Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle sits in his taxi cab with shades on in Taxi Driver.

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Demi Moore in G.I. Jane

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Headshot Of Joe Pesci In The 57th New York film festival

Sigourney Weaver hugs a baby gorilla in Gorillas In The Mist

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