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Some actors don't just play villains — they *become* them. Join us as we count down our picks for the most talented actors who pushed method acting to its limits to portray truly evil characters! From sleeping in coffins to working as a real cab driver, these performances came at a serious cost. Are you Team Method Acting, or do you think it's overrated? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00there is no real me only an entity something illusory welcome to watch mojo and today we're
00:07counting down art picks for the most talented actors who approach their antagonistic roles
00:12with incredible immersion he turns to me and he says why so serious number 10 paul dano for the
00:22riddler the batman the emmy nominated actor has a penchant for portraying complex characters
00:27so when matt reeves tapped him to play the riddler in the batman paul understood the assignment
00:32i told you i'd see you in hell what do you want from me what
00:39if only you knew how long i've been waiting for this day
00:44for this moment unfortunately his commitment to the part started interfering with his daily life
00:49the star found it difficult to get out of character which led to sleep deprivation still he went as far
00:55as to suggest encasing himself in plastic because that's what the supervillain would do to cover his
00:59tracks hello people of government this is the riddler speaking on halloween night i killed your mayor
01:09because he was not who he pretended to be but i am not done not only was dano overheating in
01:17the costume
01:18but he was also struggling to get enough air by the end of the day he was physically and mentally
01:23exhausted thankfully the costume was reworked and dano didn't have to compromise his health
01:28to deliver a stellar performance okay okay don't lose your head mr cousin there's one more to go
01:35before your time runs out number nine gary oldman for count dracula bram stroker's dracula welcome to my
01:43home enters freely of your own will and leave some of the happiness you bring the harry potter actor
01:52is a master of on-screen villainy one of his most iconic antagonistic roles was in bram stoker's
01:57where he played the titular character ancient society pledging my forefathers to defend the church
02:06against all enemies of christ
02:12the relationship was not entirely
02:18successful the secret behind oldman's award-winning performance in francis ford coppola's
02:22horror classic was the method carrie elwis who played lord arthur homewood told the hollywood
02:27reporter that gary was isolated from the cast by coppola while they were rehearsing in napa valley
02:32and during filming the director supposedly believed the irl separation would help establish the ideal
02:37dynamic between the characters on screen on top of that the oscar-winning actor regularly slept in an
02:42actual coffin to embody his character talk about dedication they care how you cut yourself it is more dangerous than
02:52you think
02:55number eight charlice theron for eileen warnos monster she's one of the greatest actresses of our generation
03:02and she knows a thing or two about giving her all to a character
03:05can i touch your face
03:06can i touch your face
03:24theron cracked two of her teeth while training for atomic blonde and was so dedicated to method acting in the
03:29devil's advocate
03:30that it left her exhausted
03:44When she played serial killer Eileen Wuornos in Monster, she put on 30 pounds and was deeply
03:50involved in every aspect of her character's appearance. She would rarely take off her
03:54makeup and costumes on set and even stout her hair like Wuornos.
04:07The crew really got to know me as Eileen Theron revealed in an interview with Oprah. She doesn't
04:13enjoy method acting, but employing the technique in Monster got her an Oscar.
04:27Number 7. Jack Nicholson for Jack Torrance, The Shining
04:41The only thing more disturbing than Stanley Kubrick's The Shining was probably the process
04:45of making it. Shelly Duvall, who played Wendy Torrance in the film, admitted that she struggled
04:56with the emotional demands of the film. However, Jack Nicholson, who played her wicked husband
05:01Jack Torrance, reveled in his character's villainy.
05:16The actor prides himself on his understanding of method acting and has used it extensively
05:21throughout his career. The Shining was no exception. A behind-the-scenes clip from the film's set
05:25shows Nicholson conjuring Torrance's unhinged energy by jumping around and whipping himself
05:30into a murderous rage. There was something strangely ritualistic about it, and even the
05:35crew seemed to be cautious around him.
05:37Here's Johnny!
05:39Number 6. Leonardo DiCaprio for Calvin Candy, Django Unchained
05:43Come on over. We got us a fight going on that's a good bit of fun.
05:48This legendary actor is a master of his craft. However, when it came to playing a plantation
05:53owner in Django Unchained, he needed a bit of help to get into character. The racial slurs
05:58unnerved Leo, but his co-star Jamie Foxx assured him that the language was authentic to his character.
06:03I heard you've been telling everybody that Mandingos ain't no damn good. Ain't nothing
06:07nobody is selling is worth buying. I'm curious. What makes you such a Mandingo expert?
06:12The actor playing Django Freeman even suggested they try method acting, urging DiCaprio to see
06:17him as a character and treat him accordingly. The Titanic star took that advice seriously,
06:21and when he showed up to the set the next day, he gave Foxx the cold shoulder.
06:25Leo locked in so hard that even when his hand was injured during the scene,
06:29he stayed in character, earning a standing ovation from the scene.
06:33Hey! Now lay your palms flat on that tabletop! If you lift those palms off that turtle shell
06:40tabletop, Mr. Pooch is going to let loose with both barrels that sawed off.
06:43Number 5. Forrest Whitaker for Idi Amin, The Last King of Scotland
06:47Kevin MacDonald's BAFTA-winning film earned its leading actor an Oscar.
06:51This will be a government of action, not of once.
06:56To betray the former Ugandan president, Forrest Whitaker inhabited his character well before
07:01the cameras started rolling and long after they stopped. In addition to researching his character,
07:06he reportedly learned Swahili and the Kakwa language, picked up the accordion, and copied
07:10Amin's eating habits. The actor revealed in an interview that he was totally consumed by the
07:15character, living at him the entire day and even dreaming of him. The crew on set was apparently
07:19daunted by Forrest, and even his family reportedly distanced themselves from him.
07:24Forrest stayed in character the whole time.
07:27I read that. What was that like, interacting with a crazed African dictator every day?
07:34It was a nightmare. Sorry, Forrest.
07:36It was only after filming rap that Whitaker could return to being himself,
07:39and he did so by taking a shower to scrub his character off.
07:42Is there one thing you have done that is good?
07:49Did you think this was all I gave?
07:53I will go to Africa, and I will play the white man with the natives.
08:03And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours,
08:09and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.
08:17No matter how many times the English actor insists he doesn't use the method,
08:21no conversation about the technique can be complete without him.
08:34Christian Bale famously told the Associated Press that his approach to acting is just to wing it.
08:39However, when you're playing a psychopath and you stay in character throughout filming,
08:43shutting out your co-stars, that's as method as it gets.
08:46For American Psycho, Bale reportedly did exactly this.
08:49Furthermore, he maintained his American accent and adopted a rigorous workout regimen
08:53to match Bateman's build.
09:10Unfortunately, Christian's co-stars weren't too fond of his antics.
09:14Chloe Savini, who played Patrick's secretary Jean,
09:16even said that it was very intimidating to work with him.
09:19Nevertheless, the performance is widely considered one of Bale's best.
09:22Wait, um, stop.
09:27I did it, Garnt.
09:30I killed him.
09:32I'm Patrick Bateman.
09:34Number three, Robert De Niro for Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver.
09:38I can't sleep nights.
09:39There's a porn update just for that.
09:41Yeah, I know I tried that.
09:42The celebrated actor has long adhered to the method.
09:45To play Taxi Driver's iconic anti-hero Travis Bickle,
09:48Robert De Niro reportedly got a taxi license and worked 12-hour days as a New York cabbie.
09:54During filming, he maintained his Travis Bickle persona off-camera,
09:57though it didn't impress a young Jodie Foster.
09:59The actress who played Iris Stensma said De Niro was so consistently in character
10:03that he seemed, quote,
10:05really uninteresting to her.
10:07They'd have lunch together, but the senior actor wouldn't interact with her.
10:10After a couple of these silent meals, Foster realized, quote,
10:14what acting could be.
10:16What do you want me to do, call the cops?
10:17Well, the cops don't do nothing.
10:19You know that.
10:21Hey, look, Sport never treated me bad.
10:22I mean, he didn't beat me up or anything like that once.
10:25But you can't allow him to do the same dreaded girls.
10:28You can't allow him to do that.
10:30Years later, when De Niro took on the role of Max Cady in Cape Fear,
10:33he reportedly got his teeth altered to embody the criminal.
10:36I learned from the get-go and the joint
10:38to get in touch with the soft, nurturing side of myself, the feminine side.
10:42Number two, Daniel Day-Lewis for Daniel Plainview.
10:45There Will Be Blood.
10:46The multi-Oscar winner has a no-hose-barred approach to acting.
10:50Ladies and gentlemen, if I say I'm an oil man, you will agree.
10:55Now, you have a great chance here.
10:58But bear in mind, you can lose it all if you're not careful.
11:01His dedication to an authentic portrayal of gang leader Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York
11:05took a toll on his health and reportedly led him to catch pneumonia.
11:08Similarly, to bring ambitious wildcatter Daniel Plainview to life in There Will Be Blood,
11:12he reportedly learned to operate mining equipment
11:15and dug into personal records left by oilmen.
11:17Here's the Union Oil.
11:20A hundred miles of pipeline and all independent producers of this great station.
11:24When filming began, it was rumored that actor Kel O'Neill,
11:28who was originally cast to play Eli Sunday,
11:30was so rattled by Day-Lewis' extreme immersion
11:32that he had to be replaced by Paul Dano.
11:35Eli, you know, stop.
11:37Just imagine this is your church here and you have a full congregation.
11:45I am a false prophet.
11:47God is a superstition.
11:49Shit again.
11:50This turned out to be false,
11:51but Day-Lewis later revealed that Daniel flung actual bowling balls at him for a scene.
11:56Yikes.
11:56I am the third revelation.
11:58I am who the Lord has chosen.
12:09Before we continue,
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12:20Step on my cries, ignore that cause.
12:25Since you got my life still on.
12:34Number one, Heath Ledger for The Joker, The Dark Knight.
12:37I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you a stranger.
12:45The late Australian actor's agent of chaos is one of the greatest villains in cinema history.
12:50To play him, Ledger reportedly checked into a hotel in London
12:53and spent weeks holed up in his room, developing the character.
12:56Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
13:02We are tonight's entertainment.
13:05The result was a journal containing research, references,
13:08and a catalog of the anarchist's twisted humor.
13:11According to reports,
13:12Ledger also took this time to work on the villain's distinct voice.
13:15Christian Bale, who played Batman in the film,
13:17claimed Heath was fully immersed in his character
13:20and had, quote,
13:21the best time playing the Joker.
13:23When Jared Leto was cast as the Joker in Suicide Squad, though,
13:26his method included sending objectionable gifts to his co-stars.
13:35In contrast,
13:37Heath was reportedly quite pleasant behind the scenes.
13:55Are you team method acting or do you think it's overrated?
13:59Tell us in the comments down below.
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