Halle Berry isn't a main character in Spike Lee's interracial relationship drama Jungle Fever; she plays a crack addict named Vivian who appears now and again (alongside Sam Jackson) to remind audiences that '90s New York could be an awful place. Despite that, Berry - who you'll known from great movies like Catwoman - decided that, in order to really get into character as a crack addicted person, she would abstain for showering for the entire eight weeks that it took to shoot the movie. According to the actress, she did this not because she assumed all crack-addicted folk were incapable of cleanliness, but because she didn't know how else to prepare for the role. Maybe she should have just got addicted to crack instead; that would have ensured a truly authentic performance (and the end of her career?).
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
