Leonardo DiCaprio, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson… are all actors who sacrifice for their characters.

As an actor, you can transform into a superhero, a king, a billionaire genius… However, there are also many roles that require sacrifice and constant practice. Below are the tough challenges that not only make the stars sweat and cry but also seriously affect their health.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio slept in an animal carcass, almost died on set

Leonardo DiCaprio’s role in The Revenant helped the actor get his hands on an Oscar. But the arduous process of filming almost killed the actor. He said: “Whether going in or out of frozen rivers, sleeping in animal carcasses and eating anything on set. I was constantly freezing and hypothermic.”

2. Dakota Johnson gets tied up in Fifty Shades of Grey

Filming sex scenes is not a fun experience for actors, especially Dakota Johnson. She was suspended from the ceiling for hours while filming 50 Shades of Grey. The actress shared: “An 18+ scene is not sexy or comfortable. It was literally hot, made me sweat a lot and was uncomfortable.”

3. Henry Cavill endured thirst for 3 days to have a perfect body

To ensure his perfect physique for The Witcher series, Henry Cavill limited his water intake for three days before filming. The actor shared on The Graham Norton show. “The first day, I drank 1.5 liters. The second day, I drank 0.5 liters, and the third day I didn’t drink a drop because I had to go to filming the next day.”

4. Anne Hathaway lost more than 11 kg to play Les Misérables

To win an Oscar for Les Misérables, Anne Hathaway lived like Fantine in the book. She cut her hair and even starved herself: “I wanted to look like I was starving. When I look back, I’m really different in the movie than I am in real life. But that’s the character of Fantine.”

5. Margot Robbie suffocates in a paint tank in Suicide Squad

The beautiful actress had to sacrifice a lot to create the most attractive character in Suicide Squad – Harley Quinn. The tight outfit made her feel self-conscious while the sharp gold ring kept stabbing her. But the most horrible scene was Harley Quinn jumping into a bucket of white paint. She described: “I was suffocating underwater and I couldn’t breathe. I tried to open my eyes and all I saw was a milky white. It was horrible.”

6. Robert Pattinson sleeps in the basement like a homeless person

Robert Pattinson is best known for his role as a “dumb” vampire in Twilight, but he is actually a good actor who is willing to sacrifice. For his role as a bank robber in Good Time, he spent two months living in a filthy basement room. Robert Pattinson never opened the curtains, didn’t change the sheets, and slept on his own clothes. The actor worked at a car wash and rode the New York City subway to prepare for his role as a bank robber.

7. Heath Ledger locked himself in his apartment for a month

Many believe that Ledger became so absorbed in the Joker character that it led to his premature death from a drug overdose before The Dark Knight was released. The actor locked himself in his apartment for a month before filming began. He even slept only two hours a night for a week of filming because he couldn’t stop thinking about the Joker.

8. Joaquin Phoenix lost 25 pounds for Joker

To get the realistic footage of the skinny, mentally unstable clown, Joaquin forced his body to lose 25 kg by eating less than one apple a day. The weight loss made Joaquin mentally unstable, irritable and easily “crazy”. In addition, Phoenix also watched videos of patients with dysregulation of crying and laughing.

9. Shia LeBeouf pulls teeth, cuts face

The “Transformers” actor accelerated his immersion by forcing himself into the character’s life as much as possible. In Fury, the actor gave his character Boyd Swan (Shia Labeouf) a cut on his right cheek to feel authentic. He even pulled out one of his own teeth.

10. Christian Bale lost 30 pounds for The Machinist

Perhaps no actor has gained and lost weight for a role as continuously as Christian Bale. The actor lost nearly 30 kg for his role in The Machinist. From a muscular actor, many audiences were shocked by Christian’s extremely skinny appearance in the film.

11. Adrien Brody sold all his houses and left home.

Adrien Brody plays Wladyslaw Szpilman – a pianist who survived the Holocaust in The Pianist. To experience the life of the character, Brody sells all his houses and cars in New York. He moves to Europe and cuts off contact with his family.

12. Natalie Portman practices 16 hours a day

In Black Swan, Natalie Portman had to follow a strict diet and lose 10 kg to play the role of a mentally unstable dancer. In addition, the actress also had to practice 16 hours a day with a hungry stomach. Natalie once revealed her obsession on EW: “Sometimes I don’t recognize myself in the mirror. All I see is a skeleton. I don’t know if it’s a hip or a stomach. It’s scary!”