10 Actors Who Took Method Acting Too Far

Hilary Swank has impressed in roles ranging from Clint Eastwood’s devastating boxing drama Million Dollar Baby to frothy rom-com and awful accent classic P.S I Love You, but it’s one of her earliest roles that best encapsulates the actor’s commitment to her craft. For Carrie remake director Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry, a devastating biopic of trans man Brandon Teena, the actor lived in costume for a full month before shooting commenced.

In order to embody the role, Swank not only cut her hair and dropped her body fat percentage to a beyond-slim seven percent, but also stuffed her trousers and used compression bandages to hide her chest as the real-life Teena did. The work paid off dividends as Swank, having beaten out more established stars such as Drew Barrymore for the role and made a mere $3,000 for the entire shoot, went on to win the Best Actress Oscar.