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

4. Robert De Niro Paid $25,000 To Have His Teeth Altered...To More Convincingly Resemble A Criminal - Cape Fear

The Sacrifice

Robert De Niro is one of the all-time acting greats without question, and he's certainly proven he's not beyond some serious physical abuse for the sake of a role.

Everyone knows about De Niro's famous yo-yoing weight for Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, but he underwent a lesser-known - and frankly, much more bizarre - transformation when the pair re-teamed for their Cape Fear remake.

Before going in front of cameras to play violent criminal Max Cady, De Niro paid a dentist $5,000 to grind down his teeth, and then another $20,000 after shooting wrapped to repair the damage.

Why They Did It

Now obviously, De Niro could've worn dentures like anyone else, but he's proven time and time again that he's freakishly obsessive when it comes to assuming the physical traits of his characters, and Cape Fear was certainly no different.

De Niro started in more typical fashion, getting absolutely ripped in the gym to the extent that his body fat was just 4%, and receiving tattoos made of vegetable dye which took several months to fade.

As for the teeth? For the sake of himself as much as the audience, he needed to become Max Cady, the definite, physical article, as far as possible without actually getting sent to jail.

And that he did so terrifyingly, scoring a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his troubles.