10 Overly Committed Actors Who Took Their Parts Way Too Seriously

9. Christian Bale - The Machinist

More than a few actors have piled on the pounds to get into character - Robert De Niro famously increased his weight from 145 to 215 pounds for his role in Raging Bull, a feat we wouldn't recommend to anyone - and doing so clearly brings with it more than a few health risks. But shedding weight is potentially far more dangerous, particularly if you reduce yourself to a completely emaciated state, as Christian Bale did for his role in The Machinist. Bale plays Trevor Reznik, an insomniac whose lack of sleep and poor diet has caused his body to waste away. At the same time, his mind starts to become increasingly fractured, and after an accident at work in which a co-worker loses an arm he finds his colleagues becoming increasingly hostile towards him. Blurring the line between paranoid hallucinations and genuine persecution, The Machinist's inevitable twist might be evident in the first few minutes, but Bale's performance is enough to hold your attention. An actor renowned for his muscular athleticism, Bale's excessive weight loss was far more than just a mild concern for his doctor. After losing a considerable amount of weight and being advised by his nutritionist to stop there, Bale thought to himself "I can go further than this!" and shed another 20 pounds. Not surprisingly, putting the weight back on so that he could play Batman was a massive shock to his system, placing immense stress on his heart. Fortunately for Christopher Nolan - and millions of Batman fans around the world - he managed it without giving himself a heart attack.