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

6. Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning...After Smoking $20,000 Worth Of Churchill-Worthy Cigars - Darkest Hour

The Sacrifice

While shooting his transformative, eventually Oscar-winning performance as Winston Churchill in the biopic Darkest Hour, Gary Oldman ended up suffering "serious nicotine poisoning" after smoking $20,000 worth of cigars over the course of the production.

According to Oldman, he would smoke around 12 cigars a day, resulting in him having major stomach issues for the three-month shoot, and deciding to visit his doctor for a colonoscopy during a break in shooting.

Why They Did It

Despite a major Hollywood production obviously having the capability to produce artificial cigars, Oldman is a famous self-flagellist, and as such was committed to the authenticity of the part, insisting upon smoking the cigars for real, no matter the health implications.

For his part, director Joe Wright backed up Oldman's sacrifice, adding, "You can't have Winston Churchill without a cigar."

Though the audience wouldn't have known the difference between a real and fake cigar, apparently it was important enough to Oldman, and a major, tactile facet of him playing the character.