10 Actors Who Almost Died Because Of Intense Method Acting

2. Vincent D'Onofrio Gains 70 Pounds To Play Pvt. Pyle & Needs Reconstructive Surgery - Full Metal Jacket

You might not recognise the name Vincent D'Onofrio, but chances are that you're familiar with his work; he played Pvt. Gomer Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, the tragic, overweight character from Stanley Kubrick's infamous Vietnam War movie, who finds himself consistently at odds with Lee R. Ermey's hellish drill instructor, a character whose approach to "training" involves lots of insults, abuse and swear words.

You might not know this, but - in order to play Pyle (real name: Leonard Lawrence) - D'Onofrio gained an insane 70 pounds, essentially transforming himself from trim and good-looking to somebody who was (in Kubrick's own words) "big and clumsy." To date, D'Onofrio holds the record for the most weight gained by an actor in order to play a role.

This, of course, came with its own set of complications. During the filming of one of the many assault course sequences in the movie, then, the actor - presumably inexperienced at his new, bumbling weight - injured his knee to such an extent that excessive reconstructive surgery was required. Had he not acted in time, the injury could have very well ended up killing him. Stanley Kubrick: what are you like?