10 Ridiculous Ways Actors Got Into Character For Oscar Nominated Roles

4. Robert De Niro Paid A Doctor $20,000 To Grind Down His Teeth - Cape Fear

Uh, yeah, so Robert De Niro had serious cash to burn back in the early '90s, apparently, because he went out and found a doctor and paid him either $5,000 or $20,000 (it's not known which is the right number) to grind down the actor's teeth. Didn't even bother to ask the studio to do it for him. Just went out and did it on his own. The role in question was that of criminal nutjob Max Cady, the recently released convict who sets about terrorising a family in Martin Scorsese's '90s remake of Cape Fear. De Niro's thinking was that having his teeth ground down would make his character more "menacing," which you can understand - to a point. But was it really worth ruining your actual teeth for a film role, Bob? Not to mention you paid for it yourself, you maniac! You have to admire it when an actor commits themselves to a role in this way, but this feels close to insanity. Surely there were other ways to make Cady more menacing? Couldn't he have just, like, not have showered for a week or something? Ooh - chilling!