Summary

• Actors push themselves to extreme limits, mastering new skills for their roles, like sword fighting and martial arts training.
• Jennifer Lawrence learned survival skills like skinning a squirrel to authentically portray her character in Winter's Bone.
• Tom Cruise went beyond CGI and learned to fly a helicopter for Mission: Impossible - Fallout, showcasing his dedication to authenticity.

Sometimes, actors will go to extreme lengths to master and learn a new skill solely for an acting role, no matter how grueling or difficult the process may be. This dedication to their craft is evident in their masterful performances, which often receive critical acclaim, iration, and plenty of well-earned accolades. Some actors often spend months, sometimes years, researching, training, and living as their characters would, to ensure every nuance and detail of the performance is authentic. When the process of transforming into their character means taking on a whole new skill, the performances become even more impressive.

Some actors who mastered a skill for a role push themselves to their absolute mental and physical limits. For instance, Uma Thurman undertook extreme, rigorous training for her role in Kill Bill, where she mastered sword fighting and multiple forms of martial arts. Tom Cruise's dedication to performing his own stunts led him to learn to fly his own helicopter stunts for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Sigourney Weaver learned to communicate with gorillas to accurately portray Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist. Their performances not only define their careers but elevate the very films themselves.

10 Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

Jennifer Lawrence learned how to skin a squirrel in Winter's Bone.

Jennifer Lawrence made a name for herself in Hollywood with her standout role in Winter’s Bone back in 2010, earning her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. To get into character, Jennifer spent time in the Ozarks, getting a real feel for the lifestyle there. She didn’t just act; she lived like Ree, learning skills like chopping wood and, famously, skinning a squirrel. Lawrence had to prove to audiences that her character was a survival expert, leaving no doubt in viewers' minds that she knew how to do the more gruesome tasks it takes to survive with ease.

Winter's Bone is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

9 Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk

Joseph Gordon-Levitt learned to tightrope walk in The Walk.

Impressively, Joseph Gordon-Levitt trained with Philippe Petit to learn tightrope walking for his role as him in The Walk. Back in 1974, Philippe Petit pulled off an incredible feat by walking a tightrope between New York's Twin Towers, a jaw-dropping 1,300 feet above the ground. Gordon-Levitt stated, "Philippe insisted that he be the first one to teach me how to walk on the wire." Over an intensive eight-day workshop, Gordon-Levitt achieved solo wire-walking. Despite the film's reliance on CGI for some stunts, Gordon-Levitt embraced the challenge, walking on a wire 12 feet high (Business Insider).

The Walk is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

8 Uma Thurman in Kill Bill

Uma Thurman had to learn three styles of kung fu, sword fighting, Japanese, and more.

Preparing for Kill Bill, Uma Thurman took on an extraordinary training regimen, mastering multiple martial arts to embody The Bride. Thurman described the process as tackling "three styles of kung fu, two styles of sword fighting, knife throwing, knife fighting, hand-to-hand combat, Japanese speaking," calling it "literally absurd." Their commitment was so rigorous that being even a minute late was not tolerated by director Quentin Tarintino. Thurman's impressive fight skills are never more evident than in the iconic Kill Bill's Crazy 88 fight scene, one of the film's bloodiest and most elaborate fight scenes in cinema.

Kill Bill is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

7 Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver

De Niro got a taxi license for his role in Taxi Driver.

Robert De Niro went above and beyond for his role as a cab driver in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, securing a real taxi driver's license. In the month leading up to filming, he dedicated himself to 12-hour taxi driving shifts. Impressively, he completely immersed himself in the life of a cab driver by picking up and dropping off engers whenever possible. Even in his breaks during filming, De Niro continued to drive around New York City in a cab. The Taxi and Limousine Commission even released a copy of De Niro's license, which expired on May 31, 1976, shortly after the film's debut.

Taxi Driver is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

6 Demi Moore in G.I. Jane

Demi Moore took on Navy SEAL Training for G.I. Jane.

For her role in G.I. Jane, Demi Moore underwent a grueling training regimen with real Navy SEALs, pushing her physical and mental limits. She trained alongside 40 men, enduring intense workouts that started with mile-long runs at 5 A.M., leading to severe physical reactions like vomiting and blisters on her feet. Despite the option to ease her training, Moore chose to fully commit, evident from her impressive physical transformation. Moore's dedication to the role made it a point of pride in her career, despite the film's mixed reception.

G.I. Jane is streaming on Disney+.

5 Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Fallout

Tom Cruise learned how to fly a dangerous helicopter stunt for Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

Tom Cruise took his dedication to the role of Ethan Hunt to soaring heights in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Cruise's preference for authenticity over CGI and stunt doubles caused him to learn how to fly a helicopter, performing a highly dangerous stunt himself. Already an accomplished pilot, Cruise undertook an intensive training regime, accumulating 2,000 flying hours in a remarkably short time to master the complex 360-degree downward spiral maneuver in mountainous terrain, something even experienced pilots considered perilous.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is streaming on Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video.

4 Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Natalie Portman trained for eight hours a day to play a ballet dancer in Black Swan.

During the filming of Black Swan, Natalie Portman underwent eight hours of daily ballet training for six months to prepare for her role as a prima ballerina, causing her to lose 20 lbs in body weight. This punishing schedule, coupled with the physical toll of dislocating a rib, pushed her to the edge, leaving her fearing for her life on some nights, where she felt "literally going to die." Widely considered Natalie Portman's best performance, Portman's commitment to her role in Black Swan earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

3 Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

Robert De Niro trained to be a professional boxer for Raging Bull.

For his role as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, Robert De Niro underwent extensive boxing training, entering three real Brooklyn boxing matches and winning two. His preparation was so intense that when he sparred with Joe Pesci, he accidentally broke Pesci's rib during a scene that actually made it into the film. De Niro's commitment to authentic fight scenes led to the famous "hit me" scene, where the actors genuinely hit each other. De Niro's rigorous training regimen even included up to 1,000 rounds with the real Jake LaMotta, a process that deeply impressed LaMotta himself.

2 Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist

Sigourney Weaver learned to communicate with gorillas for Gorillas in the Mist.

In the 1988 film Gorillas In The Mist, Sigourney Weaver took on the challenging role of Dian Fossey, a renowned mountain gorilla expert. To authentically portray Fossey, Weaver immersed herself in the world of gorillas, learning to communicate with them using body gestures and vocalizations. This dedication to accurately capturing Fossey's intimate bond with the gorillas involved working closely with the animals, ensuring they were completely comfortable around her. Weaver's commitment to the role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

1 Bradley Cooper in Maestro

Bradley Cooper spent six years learning to conduct six minutes of music for Maestro.

Bradley Cooper immersed himself for six years in learning to conduct a crucial six-minute scene in the Netflix biopic Maestro, portraying Leonard Bernstein. Speaking with Lin Manuel Miranda during a New York screening of the film, Cooper stated, "I spent six years learning how to conduct six minutes and 21 seconds of music." His dedication included studying Bernstein's techniques and working with conductor consultant Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Not only did he learn to conduct an orchestra, but Bradley Cooper learned to play the piano for Maestro, showcasing his absolute unwavering dedication to the role.

Maestro is streaming on Netflix.