10 Actors Who Scared Themselves
1. Lakeith Stanfield Tricked Himself Into Thinking He Really Poisoned Someone - Judas & The Black Messiah
Lakeith Stanfield earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah as Bill O'Neal, an FBI informant and the titular "Judas" who helped the authorities murder Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), the leader of the Black Panther Party's Illinois chapter.
Given the emotional intensity of the movie and playing such a contentious historical figure, it's little surprise that Stanfield experienced real fear and anxiety while putting himself in the headspace of the man. He said:
"In the scene where I had to poison him, a lot of it didn't end up making it to the final cut, but we shot [me mixing it in] Kool-Aid, and I had to go through all those emotions... With somebody like Daniel, who I just respect as a human and an artist, as Fred Hampton, it felt like I was actually poisoning Chairman Fred Hampton... So sometimes your body thinks that's real, everything you're putting it through. It's no wonder I've been feeling so stressed out and having panic attacks."
The anxiety was real enough that the actor even ended up seeking professional help:
"I realised going forward before I step into something like that again, maybe have a therapist. I've found this really cool therapist. It's great and perfect for me right now."