TV - Movies
Actors Who Were
Never The Same
After A Role
By PATRICK PHILLIPS AND
PHIL ARCHBOLD
Isabella Adjani won a César Award for her incredible performance as Anna in the 1981 horror film “Possession,” but playing the character put an immense mental strain on her. Adjani said she needed “years of therapy” after filming and refused to take on such a dark role ever again.
Isabelle Adjani
Adrien Brody abandoned all modern comforts while filming “The Pianist” and deprived himself of food to empathize with his character, who survived the Holocaust. Brody said he “didn't know the desperation that comes with hunger," and it took a year and a half for him to readjust to the world.
Adrien Brody
Johnny Depp went all-in while playing Hunter S. Thompson in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” but he embraced the role so much that the cast and crew worried for his health. People suspected Depp was taking acid, and he acted like Thompson for a year after filming.
Johnny Depp
Val Kilmer spent hours embodying Jim Morrison to prepare for his role in “The Doors” and producer Paul Rothchild even said Kilmer "knows Jim Morrison better than Jim ever knew himself." Kilmer reportedly needed therapy to separate himself from Morrison after filming.
Val Kilmer
Colin Firth took on the role of George VI in “The King's Speech” and had to mimic the speech impediment George had in real life. After immersing himself so deeply in the role, Firth developed his own stammer that he’d occasionally slip into — a full eight months after the film premiered.
Colin Firth