Actors Who Never Recovered From Their Most Distressing Roles

Adrian Brody in The Pianist

Adrian Brody went through both a tremendous physical and emotional transformation to play Wladyslaw Szpilman, a real-life pianist and Holocaust survivor. The role earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor, but it came at a price.

Brody went on a crash diet in order to depict Szpilman, who would have been starving at the time. For six weeks, Brody consumed two boiled eggs for breakfast, a small amount of chicken for lunch, and chicken or fish with steamed vegetables for dinner. Brody was 6'5", but at his lightest, he weighed only 130 pounds.

Aside from the grueling physical aspect of the role, Brody gave up everything in his life. He sold his car and apartment, disconnected his phones, and moved to Europe. While the isolation was difficult, Brody said that the emotional effect of starvation was the biggest hurdle for him.

"I was depressed for a year after The Pianist. And I don't suffer from that, generally. It wasn't just a depression; it was a mourning," Brody told IndieWire.