10 Actors Who Made Insane Sacrifices For Movies (And Why)

8. Nicole Kidman Broke A Rib...To Match Vivien Leigh's Waist Size - Moulin Rouge!

The Sacrifice

In order to play Moulin Rouge's cabaret star and courtesan Satine, Nicole Kidman endured intense physical discomfort, if we're putting it lightly.

After falling down some stairs on the set of the hit musical and breaking a rib, the actress then re-broke the rib while insisting that her burlesque corset be laced as tight as humanly possible in spite of the existing injury.

Why They Did It

If you're getting ready to pounce on writer-director Baz Luhrmann for putting Kidman through hell, this was entirely her own doing, as she became obsessed with the idea of getting her waist size down to a mere 18 inches.

The inspiration behind this? Vivien Leigh achieved the same svelte measurement for Gone with the Wind, and Kidman was desperate to follow in her footsteps.

By Kidman's own admission, she kept telling the film's costume team, "Tighter! Tighter!", leading to the rather unfortunate second break.

Between this and some torn knee cartilage Kidman suffered during the shoot, she subsequently had to pull out of the lead role in David Fincher's Panic Room two weeks into production, as the physical nature of that role continually aggravated her injuries, leading to Jodie Foster taking over the part.