Actors Who Were Traumatized By Their Most Intense Roles

Christian Bale

Actors will do anything for the perfect part, even starve themselves. Christian Bale put his star power to the test when he accepted a part in The Machinist. He also accepted all the work that came with it. In the course of only four months prior to production, the actor dropped over 60 pounds for the part in Brad Anderson’s psychological thriller. His appearance shocked audiences, but the performance had only just begun...

The Machinist

Getting down to 120 pounds was no simple task. According to a biography on Bale written by Harrison Cheung, the method actor consumed only “water, an apple, and one cup of coffee per day." In addition to his diet, he also changed his lifestyle. Men’s Journal reported that the actor took up chain-smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey in order to drop pounds quickly. Though it sounds stressful, Bale describes it as "very calming mentally."

Advertisement

Next Page →

The More You Know

  • No actor in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ recognized that Vader was Luke’s dad.
  • Only three films have won “The Big Five” Oscars
  • Brad Pitt and Edward Norton actually learned how to make soap in Fight Club.
  • Enya was James Cameron’s first choice to compose the music for Titanic.
Next Page →

Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.