10 Movie Performances Even MORE Impressive When You Know The Truth
You'll never watch these movie roles in the same way again.
Though thespians are regularly lauded for their ability to convincingly transform, be that physically or mentally, into another human being through various glamorous awards ceremonies each and every year, it's still worth noting that the art of acting is one of the most difficult and detailed crafts in existence.
Trying to delve into what makes another real-life or fictional character tick, how they see the world, and even how they tie their shoe laces usually requires countless hours of dedication, examination, and experimentation. However, on some occasions, thespians are required to overcome other obstacles outside of the typically arduous task of character-building which only serve to make their eventual turns on the big screen even more magnificent.
Battling against life-threatening illnesses, being thrown into a feature with little to no time to prepare, or even juggling work on two demanding projects at the exact same time, are just a few of the behind-the-scenes difficulties actors have faced whilst bringing truly remarkable work to audiences around the world.
Sure, all of these ten turns are rightly celebrated as being some of the finest you'll see on film. But they become that bit more impressive once you hear about the little known truths behind each and every one of them...
10. Sylvester Stallone Risked It All To Be Rocky - Rocky
Back in the early 1970's, Sylvester Stallone wasn't the same global superstar and all round action badass we know and love today. Far from it, in fact. The struggling actor was so broke after starring in The Lords of the Flatbush that he had no choice but to sell his dog or the poor thing would've no doubt starved in his care.
However, the young thespian eventually found himself captivated by Chuck Wepner's performance against Muhammad Ali during a fight and soon spent the next three-and-a-half days writing the screenplay for what would ultimately become Rocky. He then astoundingly refused to sell the script to producers, despite them offering him a whopping $360,000 for it, in exchange for someone else to play the starring role.
In the end, the producers begrudgingly played ball with Sly, giving him the chance to play the lead, and $1million to shoot the movie. Stallone would go on to give an Academy Award nominated performance as Rocky Balboa, all while shooting the feature on a ridiculously low budget, aided by bringing in friends and family to play characters and using handheld cameras.
The movie itself would go on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture, but it was Stallone's relentlessness in both getting the film made in the first place and then in making sure he starred as the 'Italian Stallion' that stood out as the real genuinely impressive feat.