10 Actors Who Only Gave Great Performances Because They Got Drunk

1. Nicolas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas

It's probably not the best of ideas to ask Nicolas Cage to prepare for a role by 'experiencing his character's ordeals first-hand', especially not when the character he's about to play is an alcoholic slowly drinking himself to death. As an idea of what lengths this man will go to, know that Cage snorted cocaine before making Bad Lieutenant, having been given it by a doctor as "treatment for a sinus infection" while he was holidaying in Australia (but it was OK, says Cage - it was medicinal). Cage took Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis' advice to heart prior to shooting the film - the actor travelled to Dublin and went binge-drinking for two weeks, having a friend videotape him so he could watch the footage back and use it for his performance. Happily, it worked - not only did Cage win a (deserved) Best Actor Oscar for his performance, but his portrayal of alcoholism is one of the most tragic and convincing in all cinema. Who have played your favourite screen drunks? Let us know in the comments below.