Top 10 Actors Who Became Truly EVIL For A Role
#10: Paul Dano for the Riddler
“The Batman” (2022)
The Emmy-nominated actor has a penchant for portraying complex characters. So, when Matt Reeves tapped him to play the Riddler in “The Batman”, Paul understood the assignment. Unfortunately, his commitment to the part started interfering with his daily life. The star found it difficult to get out of character, which led to sleep deprivation. Still, he went as far as to suggest encasing himself in plastic because that’s what the supervillain would do to cover his tracks. Not only was Dano overheating in the costume, but he was also struggling to get enough air. By the end of the day, he was physically and mentally exhausted. Thankfully, the costume was reworked, and Dano didn’t have to compromise his health to deliver a stellar performance.
#9: Gary Oldman for Count Dracula
“Bram Stoker's Dracula” (1992)
The “Harry Potter” actor is a master of on-screen villainy. One of his most iconic antagonistic roles was in “Bram Stoker's Dracula”, where he played the titular character. The secret behind Oldman’s award-winning performance in Francis Ford Coppola’s horror classic was the Method. Cary Elwes, who played Lord Arthur Holmwood, told The Hollywood Reporter that Gary was isolated from the cast by Coppola while they were rehearsing in Napa Valley and during filming. The director supposedly believed the IRL separation would help establish the ideal dynamic between the characters on screen. On top of that, the Oscar-winning actor regularly slept in an actual coffin to embody his character. Talk about dedication!
#8: Charlize Theron for Aileen Wuornos
“Monster” (2003)
She’s one of the greatest actresses of our generation, and she knows a thing or two about giving her all to a character. Theron cracked two of her teeth while training for “Atomic Blonde” and was so dedicated to method acting in “The Devil's Advocate” that it left her exhausted. When she played serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster”, she put on thirty pounds and was deeply involved in every aspect of her character’s appearance. She would rarely take off her makeup and costumes on set, and even styled her hair like Wuornos. “The crew really got to know me as Aileen,” Theron revealed in an interview with Oprah. She doesn’t enjoy method acting, but employing the technique in “Monster” got her an Oscar.
#7: Jack Nicholson for Jack Torrance
“The Shining” (1980)
The only thing more disturbing than Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” was probably the process of making it. Shelley Duvall, who played Wendy Torrance in the film, admitted that she struggled with the emotional demands of the film. However, Jack Nicholson, who played her wicked husband Jack Torrance, reveled in his character’s villainy. The actor prides himself on his understanding of method acting and has used it extensively throughout his career. “The Shining” was no exception. A behind-the-scenes clip from the film’s set shows Nicholson conjuring Torrance’s unhinged energy by jumping around and whipping himself into a murderous rage. There was something strangely ritualistic about it, and even the crew seemed to be cautious around him.
#6: Leonardo DiCaprio for Calvin Candie
“Django Unchained” (2012)
This legendary actor is a master of his craft. However, when it came to playing a plantation owner in “Django Unchained”, he needed a bit of help to get into character. The racial slurs unnerved Leo, but his co-star Jamie Foxx assured him that the language was authentic to his character. The actor playing Django Freeman even suggested they try method acting, urging DiCaprio to see him as his character and treat him accordingly. The “Titanic” star took that advice seriously, and when he showed up to set the next day, he gave Foxx the cold shoulder. Leo locked in so hard that even when his hand was injured during a scene, he stayed in character, earning a standing ovation from the team.
#5: Forest Whitaker for Idi Amin
“The Last King of Scotland” (2006)
Kevin Macdonald’s BAFTA-winning film earned its leading actor an Oscar. To portray the former Ugandan president, Forest Whitaker inhabited his character well before the cameras started rolling and long after they stopped. In addition to researching his character, he reportedly learned Swahili and the Kakwa Language, picked up the accordion, and copied Amin’s eating habits. The actor revealed in an interview that he was ‘totally consumed by the character’, living as him the entire day and even dreaming of him. The crew on set was apparently daunted by Forest, and even his family reportedly distanced themselves from him. It was only after filming wrapped that Whitaker could return to being himself, and he did so by taking a shower to ‘scrub’ his character off.
#4: Christian Bale for Patrick Bateman
“American Psycho” (2000)
No matter how many times the English actor insists he doesn’t use the Method, no conversation about the technique can be complete without him. Christian Bale famously told the Associated Press that his approach to acting is to just ‘wing it’. However, when you’re playing a psychopath, and you stay in character throughout filming, shutting out your co-stars – that’s as Method as it gets! For “American Psycho”, Bale reportedly did exactly this. Furthermore, he maintained his American accent and adopted a rigorous workout regimen to match Bateman’s build. Unfortunately, Christian’s co-stars weren’t too fond of his antics. Chloë Sevigny, who played Patrick’s secretary Jean, even said that it was ‘very intimidating’ to work with him. Nevertheless, the performance is widely considered one of Bale’s best.
#3: Robert De Niro for Travis Bickle
“Taxi Driver” (1976)
The celebrated actor has long adhered to the Method. To play “Taxi Driver”’s iconic antihero Travis Bickle, Robert De Niro reportedly got a taxi license and worked twelve-hour days as a New York cabbie. During filming, he maintained his Travis Bickle persona off-camera, though it didn’t impress a young Jodie Foster. The actress, who played Iris Steensma, said De Niro was so consistently in character that he seemed, quote, ‘really uninteresting’ to her. They’d have lunch together, but the senior actor wouldn’t interact with her. After a couple of these silent meals, Foster realized, quote, ‘what acting could be’. Years later, when De Niro took on the role of Max Cady in “Cape Fear”, he reportedly got his teeth altered to embody the criminal.
#2: Daniel Day-Lewis for Daniel Plainview
“There Will Be Blood” (2007)
The multi-Oscar winner has a no-holds-barred approach to acting. His dedication to an authentic portrayal of gang leader Bill the Butcher in “Gangs of New York” took a toll on his health and reportedly led to him catching pneumonia. Similarly, to bring ambitious wildcatter Daniel Plainview to life in “There Will Be Blood”, he reportedly learned to operate mining equipment and dug into personal records left by oilmen. When filming began, it was rumored that actor Kel O’Neill, who was originally cast to play Eli Sunday, was so rattled by Day-Lewis’s extreme immersion that he had to be replaced by Paul Dano. This turned out to be false, but Dano later revealed that Daniel flung actual bowling balls at him for a scene. Yikes!
#1: Heath Ledger for the Joker
“The Dark Knight” (2008)
The late Australian actor’s ‘agent of chaos’ is one of the greatest villains in cinema history. To play him, Ledger reportedly checked into a hotel in London and spent weeks holed up in his room, developing the character. The result was a journal containing research, references, and a catalog of the anarchist’s twisted humor. According to reports, Ledger also took this time to work on the villain’s distinctive voice. Christian Bale, who played Batman in the film, claimed Heath was fully immersed in his character and had, quote, ‘the best time playing the Joker’. When Jared Leto was cast as the Joker in “Suicide Squad”, though, his Method included sending objectionable gifts to his co-stars. In contrast, Heath was reportedly quite pleasant behind-the-scenes.
Are you Team Method Acting, or do you think it’s overrated? Tell us in the comments!
