5 Movies That Put the Actors Under Physical Duress

They say that the best actors can transform themselves into the role they are going to be playing. While some joke that actors who go to tremendous lengths to turn into a character are poor actors, others see it as engaging and explanative of how much work goes into making a movie. Some actors and actresses, though, took major risks during filming. Which actors perhaps went too far to get into physical shape for a movie?

Donald Sutherland

During his role in Kelly’s Heroes, Sutherland nearly died!

The movie star contracted meningitis during the filming around the Danube River. This put him at major risk of dying, so much so that he has said in the past that he could see a white light calling out to him. Luckily, he survived and has gone on to build a wildly successful media career. It just goes to show how dangerous TV sets can be!

Tom Hanks

Hanks was a major player in the movie scene in the 1990s and 2000s, and his portrayal in both Philadelphia and Castaway involved huge weight cuts. To fit the part of the role, he lost incredible weight amounts. This weight fluctuation put his body under major duress, to the point where he ended up with Type II Diabetes!

Both films, shot in 1993 and 2000 respectively, took a major toll on his body. 

Mila Kunis

When Mila Kunis starred alongside Natalie Portman in Black Swan, they both had to undergo pretty extreme weight loss to fit the part. Kunis cut down her calories and undertook to smoke to try and lose the weight as fast as she could. Weighing only 95lbs during filming, it is probably safe to say that the star overdid it. She even said that she never felt she looked the same as she did beforehand after filming.

Jackie Chan

Just about every major marital arts movie star will have suffered injury or damage at one point. Chan, though, has arguably been in that position more than anyone. He has broken almost every bone in his body at one stage – including a shoulder dislocation. He even had to undergo brain surgery treatment after slipping during a slope jump for Armour of God II. Thankfully, he recovered.