Disturbing Ways Directors Have Gotten Actors To Cry

If you've ever tried to test your ability to cry on command, you know that actors shooting emotional scenes really have to push themselves in order to make their reactions look authentic. Most of us wouldn't be able to cry on cue in front of a director (unless you planned to sneak a few pieces of raw onion on set). It's not just about talent — actors also need to get into the right state of mind in order to make the tears flow. This can be a challenge even for experienced actors, and many of them have certain tricks that they use to make it look real.

But what happens when an actor just can't seem to cry when the script demands it? What's a frustrated director to do? Some will simply be patient, while others take it upon themselves to push their stars to their limits. How far are some of these directors willing to go in order to make an actor cry? Read on for a few examples of twisted techniques directors have resorted to to get that perfect take.

The Blair Witch Project firmly cemented the found footage film as an effective medium for surprising and scaring devoted horror fans. It was practically the start of a whole new genre, so clearly, directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick had to get innovative with their methods. What's the best way to shoot a found footage film so that it actually comes across as realistic? It's simple: just scare the actors out of their wits for real.

During the filming of The Blair Witch Project, the cast was sent into the woods with the bare bones of a script and a few cameras. They had to get most of the footage themselves, and they basically had to rough it in the wilderness for the entirety of the filming process. The directors even rationed their food and would play tricks on them at night to keep them from getting too comfortable. The tactics were cruel, but they worked — the characters' breakdowns were essentially real.

Mel Gibson isn't really known for his calm demeanor — he's been involved in some high-profile disputes, and as a result, he doesn't exactly have the friendliest reputation. While working as a director for the first time on his 1993 drama film The Man Without a Face, Gibson was tough on his cast and crew — even the children on set. Actress Gaby Hoffman, who played Megan Norstadt in the film, was only 11 years old at the time, but that didn't discourage Gibson from coming down hard on her when she failed to live up to his expectations.

When Gibson needed Hoffman to cry during a scene, he would scream and curse at her until she broke down. Hoffman knows now that she didn't have to take it personally — after all, he wasn't easy for anyone to work with, and since she was so young, she admits she acted out a bit on set — but it was a very difficult experience. That being said, she's made her peace with her former director: asked during a 2013 interview what she'd say if she saw him again, she responded, "I hope you're feeling better, Mel."

The coming-of-age film Stand by Me was certainly a tearjerker at times for audiences, and as it turns out, things got pretty emotional on set for the cast, too. After all, the story of four friends searching for the missing body of a child is bound to build some serious tension — especially one based on a classic short story by horror master Stephen King.

There's no question that Wil Wheaton and Jerry O'Connell are talented actors, but director Rob Reiner wanted to see just how far they could take their performances. While filming a scene in which Wheaton and O'Connell are dodging a train on a trestle, Reiner was unsatisfied with every take. He began screaming at them and telling them they were bad actors who were doing a horrible job. After being berated, both boys started to cry, and Reiner finally got his perfect take.

Plenty of directors are willing to verbally abuse their cast and crew until they finally get what they want out of them, but most of them don't cross the line into physical punishment. But Joshua Logan, who directed the 1956 film Picnic, didn't seem to think this was off limits.

Kim Novak, who had an early starring role in this film as Madge Owens, actually became frustrated with her own performance when she found that she was unable to cry convincingly during an important romantic scene. She asked Logan to pinch her arms until she cried. Logan obliged her request, and it worked — but it was thoroughly unpleasant for Novak, as it turned out that it would take more than a couple pinches to make her cry. She ended up with black and blue bruises up and down her arms, which the makeup department had to cover up to film the rest of the scene.

Jackie Cooper was a child star, and he quickly learned just how ruthless and intense Hollywood could be during the filming of one of his early movies, the 1931 comedy Skippy. Based on the comic strip of the same name, the film followed the adventures of a young boy named Skippy, played by Cooper, and his new friend Sooky, who lives in Shantytown. Cooper had a family connection on set: the film was actually directed by his uncle Norman Taurog. You might assume that because Cooper was his nephew, Taurog would go easy on him — but that wasn't how things played out.

In one scene, Cooper needed to muster up some tears over the death of Sooky's fictional dog. When Cooper struggled to cry while the cameras were rolling, Taurog resorted to a dirty trick, telling Cooper that he was going to shoot his own dog. Naturally, Cooper started sobbing; it wasn't until they finally finished filming the scene that Taurog revealed he was fibbing. The incident clearly had a lasting impact on Cooper, who later titled his memoir Please Don't Shoot My Dog.