4 thriller movies that forced their actors to change their physique

The theme of “method”, which is nothing but a set of techniques based on the Stanislavsky system, has become controversial again, because there are some artists who don’t believe in it and others who think it’s better, like everything else. This does not mean that the transformations of the protagonists of these suspense films have been totally radical and extreme.

And it’s not about elaborate makeup or the help of prosthetics to get the look you want for your character. We are talking about great transformations in which the artists had to undergo impressive diets or, conversely, gain weight. I am suspense films that forced their actors to change their physiques deserve a specific analysis.

The train driver

Perhaps the most famous case of an actor changing his physique for a film is that of Cristian Bale in Bran Anderson’s psychological thriller ‘The Machinist’. Almost 30 kilos and eating only an apple and a can of tuna every day, that’s what the actor went through to bring this sleep-challenged man to life. Most impressively, the following year he returned to form for “Batman Begins”.

Full metal jacket

In case of Stanley Kubrick, one of the most acclaimed directors in the history of cinema, was a rather demanding and conflicted filmmaker with his protagonists. ‘Full Metal Jacket’ is a film that transformed the physique of its protagonist, Vincent D’Onofrio, who only one summer before weighed 34 kilos less than he weighed at the end in the appearance of this tape, available on HBO Max.

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Like Bale, D’Onofrio has given birth to a mentally unstable man, who is drafted into the army, but in preparation before arriving in the war camps, he collapses. What’s more impressive is that he also had to gain weight back in just 5 months, due to his efforts in ‘Adventures in the Big City’.

Monster

One role that earned Charlize Theron an Oscar nomination was in ‘Monster’, a crime film by director Patty Jenkins. The leading lady had to put on 15 pounds in order to play the character of Aileen Wuornos, and with the help of makeup and the visible health issues that brought her, she crafted a once-in-a-lifetime role. Available on HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.

American history X

Since physical change is not necessarily to give birth to a decadent person, Edward Norton also demonstrated his impressive will in “American History X”. It is a crime thriller in which the protagonist gave birth to a neo-Nazi, and for this he had to put on 15 kilos, eat 7 times a day and train to adapt to the character.