10 Overly Committed Actors Who Took Their Parts Way Too Seriously

7. Kate Winslet - The Reader

Kate Winslet is nothing if not a versatile actress capable of moving between genres with ease - from the epic blockbuster Titanic to smaller independent productions such as Holy Smoke!, Winslet effortlessly adapts to meet the demands of the projects she takes on and has delivered a raft of fine performances throughout her career. In The Reader, Winslet stars as Hanna Schmitz, the tram conductor who seduces 15 year-old Michael Berg after he falls ill on the way home from school. Years later, after Hanna's inexplicable disappearance, Michael meets her again as a young law student observing Nazi war trials, realising that she's guarding a dark secret. As an exploration of the fallout from the Holocaust, The Reader - based on the novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink - emerged with more of a whimper than a bang, failing to fully engage audiences despite the underlying harrowing subject matter. But Winslet's performance was exemplary and it justly earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition to immersing herself in the Holocaust and trying to identify with Hanna Schmitz's role as an SS guard - a challenging task for anyone - Winslet spoke in a non-stop German accent even when reading her children bedtime stories. As annoying as that surely must have become after a few days (or hours), the golden statue on the mantlepiece probably made up for it. At least a little bit.