40+ Amazing Actors Who Learned A New Skill For Their Movie Role
Acting is more than just learning lines and dressing up. Understanding a character, embodying a life experience, and getting your head around someone’s motivations and behaviors are all important parts of method acting. While many people wrongly believe that method acting entails staying in character offstage, numerous modern performers have successfully employed this technique. These performers truly developed their skills to appear in these movies, whether it was through learning an instrument, honing a language, or participating in sports.
Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
Timothée Chalamet, who plays Elio Perlman in the coming-of-age film Call Me by Your Name, genuinely acquired a variety of abilities for the part. A month and a half before filming began, the actor from New York City went to Italy and began by learning the language.
Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name
Chalamet struggled with Italian despite being fluent in French but eventually picked it up well enough to get by. The Little Women star also dedicated four hours a day to piano and guitar lessons.
Kate Winslet – Avatar 2
Several of the actors on this list developed their underwater breathing techniques while filming, beginning with English actress Kate Winslet. Winslet developed her free-diving skills and her ability to stay down for more than seven minutes for James Cameron’s next sequel, Avatar 2.
Kate Winslet – Avatar 2
When this eagerly awaited movie was first announced back in 2006, the necessary technology wasn’t available to shoot underwater performance capture scenes. It is now expected to be released around the end of 2022 after numerous delays.
Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Fallout
Tom Cruise, the action movie star, is one of those performers who are renowned for performing their own stunts. Cruise has acquired the skills to perform a variety of risky sports, like as deep sea diving and mounting the Burj Khalifa, thanks to the Mission Impossible film series.
Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible Fallout
The actor spent more than 2,000 hours honing his helicopter piloting skills for the sixth Mission Impossible film, Fallout. In the movie’s chase scene, Cruise actually piloted the helicopter and learned how to perform a corkscrew descent. That’s amazing!
Nicolas Cage – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Actor Nicolas Cage picked up the mandolin to play in the 2001 film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Paul Englishby, who previously taught Hugh Grant how to play the guitar for the talent show sequence in About a Boy, gave the celebrity lessons.
Nicolas Cage – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Englishby remarked on Cage’s mastery of the mandolin and stated, “He really is very talented. Nicolas used to go away for the weekend. He had a private jet and one weekend he asked me to go to Venice with him so he could have his music lessons.”
Uma Thurman – Kill Bill
Uma Thurman assumed the persona of Beatrix “The Bride” Kiddo in the Kill Bill films, a ruthless action star in a yellow outfit. Thurman studied three different Kung Fu forms, two types of sword fighting, knife fighting, and hand-to-hand combat in preparation for the part. Oh, and she studied Japanese as well.
Uma Thurman – Kill Bill
Apparently she, Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, and David Carradine all trained, and got in trouble if they were even one minute late. Thurman has since called the eight-hour training days “absurd.”
Jacob Elordi – The Kissing Booth
In the 2018 teen rom-com The Kissing Booth, quirky teenager Elle falls for her best friend’s bad-boy older brother. While filming in South Africa for his part as Noah Flynn, Australian actor Jacob Elordi picked up motorcycle riding skills.
Jacob Elordi – The Kissing Booth
Elordi described the incident in detail, claiming that he was instructed to spend some time thinking things out before being put on a motorcycle on the road. Although we don’t think that is the best driving advice, thankfully everything turned up okay.
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Chadwick Boseman’s final film, follows a significant blues artist in 1920s Chicago. Sadly, the actor passed away in 2020 during post-production, and the movie was made in his honor.
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
In order to portray struggling musician Levee Green in the movie, Boseman had to start from scratch learning how to play the trumpet. He could frequently be heard working out in his hotel room. Glynn Turman, who played Boseman’s co-star, later remarked that the actor’s dedication encouraged everyone else to be just as good as him.
Ryan Gosling – The Notebook
Since its debut in 2004, the romantic movie The Notebook has brought millions of youngsters to tears. The movie, which stars Ryan Gosling as Noah and Rachel McAdams as Allie, chronicles the growth and dissolution of a young marriage in the 1940s.
Ryan Gosling – The Notebook
Ryan Gosling had to learn how to make furniture in order to inhabit the role of Noah’s craftsman. The actor spent two months in South Carolina where he learned how to produce high-caliber pieces while rowing every morning. In reality, the film featured some of his work.
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Many actors may practice in advance for their roles as athletes in movies. They can comprehend the movements and have realistic body shapes as a result. Natalie Portman performed her part as a prima ballerina in the 2010 film Black Swan.
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
During rehearsals, Portman even dislocated a rib while working out for up to eight hours a day. Looking back, she said, “It was the first time I understood how you could get so wrapped up in a role that it could sort of take you down.”
Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
Margo Robbie, an Australian actress, goes above and above for each of her jobs in terms of talent and appearance. The actress put in four hours per day, five days per week, for five months to prepare for her role as Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in the black comedy I, Tonya.
Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
Robbie eventually mastered the ability to complete the first minute of Harding’s 1994 Olympic performance on her own. Her skating instructor wished for the actor to feel at ease on the ice for her to “have emotion without disconnecting her feet from her character.”
The Cast of A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place is a film that stands out for having almost no spoken dialogue. A family is depicted in the horror movie, which was directed by John Krasinksi, as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic society. In essence, everyone who makes a sound perishes.
The Cast Of A Quiet Place
The entire ensemble had to study the entire script in American Sign Language after Millicent Simmonds, an actress who is deaf, was chosen to play Krasinski’s daughter in the film. The movie, which uses sign language the entire time, also had Millicent as a consultant.
Adrien Brody – The Pianist
Roman Polanksi directed the war drama The Pianist, which was released in 2002. The movie follows the life of Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Wadoslaw Szpilman and is based on a Holocaust memoir. Actor Adrien Brody won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing the lead character in the film. The youngest actor to accomplish so was he.
Adrien Brody – The Pianist
Brody spent four hours a day on the piano and mastering difficult tunes in order to depict the composer in a realistic manner. Along with moving to Europe, he also gave up his residence and sold his automobile.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – The Walk
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt had the opportunity to learn directly from the character he was portraying for his part in the 2015 film The Walk. Gordon-Levitt learned how to walk a tightrope from French high-wire artist Philippe Petit so he could portray him in the movie.
Joseph Gordon Levitt – The Walk
When he was only 24 years old, Petit Tightrope crossed a tightrope between the World Trade Center skyscrapers in 1974. Joseph Gordon-Levitt eventually achieved a walking height of six to eight feet, and for a more authentic experience, he even tried walking without a harness.
Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
Many actors receive vocal coaching in preparation for a part, while some are more successful than others. Others manage to really nail it, while a regrettable few end up sounding like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. Actor and director Bradley Cooper spent six months perfecting his Sam Elliot voice for his role as troubled singer Jackson Maine in the movie A Star Is Born.
Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
It’s amusing to note that Cooper had studied Elliot’s California-Texas drawl before Elliot was even given the role of Cooper’s character’s brother in the movie.
Russell Crowe – Master and Commander
Three novels, which are themselves a part of a series of 20 novels, served as the basis for the epic military drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. This huge film, which cost $150 million to produce, took home the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars in 2004.
Russell Crowe – Master And Commander
Russell Grow received one-on-one coaching from a genuine captain and gained experience sailing a tall ship in preparation for his role as Royal Navy Captain Jack Aubrey. For this film, Crowe impressively picked up the violin.
Liu Yifei – Mulan
Chinese actress Liu Yifei was a skilled martial artist before she was ever selected for Disney’s live-action Mulan remake. Yifei, also known as “Fairy Sister” in her native China, previously appeared with Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom.
Liu Yifei – Mulan
The actress spent up to seven hours a day practicing wushu, a variety of Chinese fighting styles, in preparation for her major part in Mulan. The cameraman for the film observed that the actress performed 90% of her own stunts.
Jesse Eisenberg – Now You See Me
Actor Jesse Eisenberg studied close-up magic in preparation for his role as a sleight-of-hand magician in the heist thriller Now You See Me. The movie’s star studied magic theory and foundations and practiced the specific feats used in it.
Jesse Eisenberg – Now You See Me
The movie received mixed reviews, but Eisenberg gained a lifelong skill. “If you learn some of the basic principles, you can apply those principles to many different tricks or illusions,” he said while reflecting on his time studying magic.
Mara Rooney – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a crime thriller based on Stieg Larsson’s book about computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, is about her. Actress Mara Rooney endured a number of physical transformations and picked up a few useful new talents to fit the part.
Mara Rooney – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Rooney engaged in computer training and learned how to hack as a preparation. She also picked up how to skateboard, kickbox, and ride a motorcycle. The actress also colored and shaved her hair, acquired numerous piercings, and perfected a Swedish accent top of all that. Impressive!
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
When this actor learned a new skill, it caused a little bit of controversy. Jennifer Lawrence portrayed a teenage girl in Winter’s Bone before becoming Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Lawrence’s character, who lives in the Ozarks, battles hardship while attempting to maintain her family’s unity. Lawrence studied how to skin a squirrel and chop wood in order to play the part. Unsurprisingly, the animal rights group PETA was not happy.
Channing Tatum – Hail, Caesar!
Channing Tatum is well-known for his dancing. The actor gained notoriety for his polished routines after his participation in the dance film Step Up and his outstanding rendition of “Run The World (Girls)” on Lip Sync Battle.
Channing Tatum – Hail, Caesar!
When the Coen Brothers asked him to tap dance in the comedy Hail, Caesar, they had that in mind. Tatum had to spend three months learning how to tap dance for a six-minute scene since, as it turned out, she had no experience with it.
Jon Favreau – Chef
The actor and filmmaker Jon Favreau have worked on many outstanding projects. He worked with Robert Downey Jr. on Iron Man and directed Elf, The Jungle Book, and The Mandalorian. In order to return to the fundamentals, Favreau produced Chef in 2014, a quiet film about a food truck.
Jon Favreau – Chef
The actor and director had to acquire professional-level cooking skills to do this. Years later, Favreau now has a Netflix culinary program where he tests out recipes with famous guests.
Keanu Reeves – Point Break
Actors Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, and Lori Petty all took lessons from “The surf doctor of Hollywood” in order to prepare for the crime thriller Point Break. The stars spent two months learning how to ride waves properly, and Reeves enjoyed it so much that he ended up with a custom board by the end.
Keanu Reeves – Point Break
The Canadian actor is accustomed to picking up new abilities for films. He studied kung fu while filming The Matrix, and for John Wick, he trained with the Navy SEALs for four months.
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
In order to speak in a Native American dialect for the film that ultimately brought Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Academy Award, the actor had to learn the language. Hugh Glass, a frontiersman in The Revenant who has a Pawnee kid, is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. They talk in Arikara, a language that is gravely endangered, at various moments in the movie.
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
DiCaprio and the rest of the ensemble collaborated with an indigenous cultural expert to learn this. It is definitely a remarkable achievement considering how few elders are left who can still speak the dialect.
Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Another actor chose to pick up the instrument he would be using for his on-screen role and learn how to play it. Mahershala Ali spent three months studying the piano with the movie’s composer for the 2018 adaptation of Green Book.
Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Speaking about the experience, the composer remembered, “Our first lesson, I figured we’d start with basics. I’d give him a major scale and some other things. […] I spent three hours with him playing the C major over and over again.”
Robert Downey Jr. – Chaplin
In Richard Attenborough’s 1992 biography Chaplin, Robert Downey Jr. played renowned actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin. The actor became proficient on the violin in order to embody his role. Downey Jr. learned to play the violin and a little tennis with his left hand because the British performer was left-handed.
Robert Downey Jr. – Chaplin
Even though Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance, Chaplin ultimately failed to make money at the box office. Dan Aykroyd and Marisa Tomei are also featured in the movie.
Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line
Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix play young performers June and Johnny Cash in the movie Walk the Line. Both actors acquired the necessary musical skills for the movie in order to properly portray their different characters. That was the autoharp for Witherspoon and the guitar for Cash.
Reese Witherspoon – Walk The Line
The Academy Award for Best Actress went to Witherspoon for her collaboration with Catherine O’Hara’s autoharp instructor. The much-loved biography was published with a soundtrack that included songs sung by both actors.
Olivia Munn – X-Men: Apocalypse
In order to play mutant Psylocke in the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse, actress Olivia Munn turned down the part of Vanessa in the Deadpool film. Munn spent more than five months learning how to use a katana sword in order to be ready for the part. The actress’s trainer commented that “she works really hard, so we went up levels very fast.”
Olivia Munn – X Men Apocalypse
In the end, Olivia Munn performed 95% of the film’s stunts on her own, and she has continued to practice sword fighting ever since. Even at home, the actress has a wardrobe full of swords.
Daniel Day-Lewis – The Last of the Mohicans
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, known for his method acting, goes above and beyond to prepare for his performances. The actor led a survivalist lifestyle before playing part-Mohican fur trapper Nathaniel “Hawkeye” Poe in the sweeping historical drama The Last of the Mohicans. Day-Lewis ventured into the forest and picked up animal tracking, hunting, fishing, and skinning skills.
Daniel Day-Lewis – The Last Of The Mohicans
Amazingly, Day-Lewis accomplished this for six months while maintaining his on-set persona. The actor only consumed food that he had himself harvested while building an authentic Native American boat.
Dave Franco – Now You See Me
For his role in the movie Now You See Me, actor Jessie Eisenberg demonstrated close-up magic, and it turns out that co-star Dave Franco did the same. Franco portrays the illusionist, impressionist, and pickpocket Jack Wilder in the movie. But his greatest talent is hurling cards.
Dave Franco – Now You See Me
Franco became an expert at throwing cards with finesse and even mastered the art of precisely popping balloons after receiving instruction from a professional illusionist. In fact, he injured co-star Mark Ruffalo by nicking him in the face.
Tobey Maguire – Spider-Man
On this list, there are additional actors who undertook substantial projects in order to prepare for a role. They developed their bodies through body sculpture, instrument mastery, and language learning. Although Tobey Maguire’s new Spider-Man skill is iconic, it isn’t really remarkable technically.
Tobey Maguire – Spider-Man
In Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker uses his enhanced senses to quickly grab Mary Jane’s lunch plate. Maguire applied adhesive to his hands and used his own hand-eye coordination in place of CGI. Though it required 156 takes, it was worthwhile.
Sigourney Weaver – Gorillas in the Mist
Sigourney Weaver portrayed naturalist Dian Fossey in the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist, despite her reputation as a sci-fi action heroine. The film had numerous actual gorillas, many of which were based on the primatologist’s work with mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Weaver developed communication skills with the big apes in order to represent Fossey in a realistic manner.
Sigourney Weaver – Gorillas In The Mist
They all became friends after the actress learned how to communicate with gorillas through body language, telling The New York Times she had mastered “the rolling belches of ape-speak.”
Michelle Pfeiffer – Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer plays Catwoman, a woman turned whip-wielding criminal, in Tim Burton’s 1989 follow-up to Batman. The actress reportedly felt sad when she learned Annette Bening had been cast, but Bening ended up wearing the latex costume herself when she became pregnant.
Michelle Pfeiffer – Batman Returns
Pfeiffer trained with a whip and learned how to kickbox as part of her preparation. Pfeiffer needed no cutaways or inserts when she lassoed Christopher Walken around the neck. The actor performed all of the whip work herself and even came up with a couple of maneuvers.
John Krasinski – 13 Hours
John Krasinski began as The Office’s quirky but endearing Jim Halpert, but he soon evolved into a full-fledged Hollywood action hero. The actor underwent intensive training with the Navy SEALs in preparation for his role in the military film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
John Krasinski – 13 Hours
He received tactical training, received weapons instruction, and even learned how to escape a burning structure. Krasinski stated of the experience, “Physically, it was a really tough training,” and it goes without saying that the actor’s physique also saw considerable changes.
Brad Pitt – Snatch
Brad Pitt contacted Guy Ritchie and requested a role in one of his films after loving his film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Pitt’s ambition came true when he was offered the role of Mickey the Irish Traveler in the criminal thriller Snatch.
Brad Pitt – Snatch
Pitt worked with a dialect coach to perfect an authentic Irish Traveler accent before playing the Irish boxer. Although most English speakers, including the other characters in the movie, are unable to understand the outcome, it is still quite amazing.
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
British actor Riz Ahmed portrays a heavy metal artist who has hearing loss in the 2019 film Sound of Metal. Ahmed spent seven months working with ASL instructor Jeremy Lee Stone to become nearly fluent in sign language. In order to properly comprehend the experience and way of life, the actor also spent time with deaf people.
Riz Ahmed – Sound Of Metal
Riz Ahmed studied ASL for eight hours every day in addition to taking drum lessons and working out with a personal trainer for another two hours each day.
Robert De Niro – Taxi Driver
Amazingly, Robert De Niro actually became a taxi driver while he was training for his role as Vietnam veteran and cab driver Travis Bickle. The actor obtained a taxi driver’s license and was put through 12-hour shifts in New York City.
Robert De Niro – Taxi Driver
De Niro was able to enter the mindset of his character while driving across the city at night, fusing fact and imagination. Before shooting Raging Bull, the eminent actor trained as a boxer and is a fan of method acting.
Demi Moore – G.I. Jane
In 1997’s G.I. Demi Moore portrays Jane, the first woman to train for special operations. The actress trained with former Navy SEALS and even had her head shaved for the role of Lieutenant Jordan O’Neil.
Demi Moore – G.I. Jane
Speaking about the film, Moore commented, “I could have come in and asked to let the stuntwoman do the obstacle course, but I felt I would have walked away having missed an opportunity experiencing, first-hand, what these people actually go through in training; it’s the whole reason for doing this film in the first place.”
Daniel Day-Lewis – My Left Foot
Daniel Day-Lewis, a master of method acting, is back. The British-Irish actor performed the role of a writer with cerebral palsy in the comedy-drama My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown. Day-Lewis spent the majority of his time in a wheelchair and studied how to put a record on a turntable with his toes in order to accurately recreate the sensation.
Daniel Day-Lewis – My Left Foot
We are back with method actor Daniel Day-Lewis. A writer with cerebral palsy was portrayed by the British-Irish actor in the comedy-drama My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown. Day-Lewis spent the majority of his time in a wheelchair and developed the ability to place records on turntables with his toes in order to recreate the experience as accurately as possible.
Idris Elba – Long Walk to Freedom
Idris Elba, a British actor, has exceptional versatility. On The Wire, Luther, and many Marvel films, he portrayed a Baltimore criminal, a detective, and an all-seeing bounty hunter. Elba had to learn the peculiar dialect in order to assume the role of civil rights activist and former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Idris Elba – Long Walk To Freedom
The actor somewhat modeled his accent after that of his parents. The actor already has a foundation to build upon thanks to a mother from Ghana and a father from Sierra Leone.
Jim Carrey – The Grinch
Jim Carrey’s takeaway from The Grinch was less a requirement than it was a symptom of the movie, in contrast to some of the other abilities on this list. Carrey spent an incredible eight and a half hours wearing makeup in order to portray the green-skinned menace. He was so frustrated by the encounter that a producer had to intervene and offer a creative solution.
Jim Carrey – The Grinch
That is how Jim Carrey acquired the ability to bear torture while filming The Grinch. To get through it, the actor collaborated with the CIA.
Margot Robbie – Suicide Squad
Margot Robbie, an actress, is featured on our list once more for her portrayal of Harley Quinn in the 2016 film Suicide Squad. The actress trained with a freediver and learned to hold her breath underwater for five minutes, much like Tom Cruise and Kate Winslet.
Margot Robbie – Suicide Squad
The highly competitive actress actually tried to hold her breath longer than her stunt double, and she was successful. Robbie also learned how to throw blades for the 2020 Harley Quinn spin-off, Birds of Prey.
Shia LeBeouf – Fury
In order to prepare for a role, a lot of war movie actors choose to engage in rigorous training. Actor Shia LeBeouf joined the U.S. for Fury in 2014. National Guard, received a tattoo and underwent baptism. Now that’s commitment.
Shia LeBeouf – Fury
LeBeouf even spent a month residing on an army post where he worked as the chaplain’s aide. The actor ripped out one of his own teeth and went four months without taking a bath when Fury was in production. He has since said, “Fury is the most meat I’ve ever had to chew on.”
Jamie Foxx – Ray
For his portrayal of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles in 2005, Jamie Foxx won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Foxx had just begun playing the piano when he was five years old, but he was already proficient. The actor rehearsed for each performance as though it were a live show because he wanted to be flawless.
Jamie Foxx – Ray
Foxx also had prosthetic eyelashes that were put over his eyes while he was filming. At first, this gave him panic attacks, and sometimes the crew forgot to assist him off-set.
Meryl Streep – Sophie’s Choice
Meryl Streep portrays a Polish immigrant with a sinister secret in Sophie’s Choice. The actress really begged the director for the part because she was that eager for it. Streep seemed anxious about mispronouncing the Polish accent her character used once she had been given the go-ahead.
Meryl Streep – Sophie’s Choice
Meryl Streep just learned Polish to help her get over this anxiety. Later, when speaking German was essential for the movie, she also studied the language. As she ought to, Streep’s character was able to speak German with a Polish accent as a result.
Forest Whitaker – The Last King of Scotland
Forest Whitaker’s role in the historical drama The Last King of Scotland will bring our list of performers who honed their craft for a movie to a close. The actor picked up Swahili and put on a lot of weight to play Ugandan President Idi Amin.
Forest Whitaker – The Last King Of Scotland
Whitaker, like many others on this list, was rewarded for his efforts by winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Whitaker is renowned for his meticulous planning; for the role of Bird, he learned to play the saxophone even though it wasn’t necessary.