10 Times Movie Directors Went Too Far To Get A Scene

The Revenant (2015) is perhaps the harshest depiction of frontier life ever put to screen. The experiences of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), and Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) looked utterly miserable. As you watched them slog through the dreary weather in an inhospitable landscape, encumbered by pelts, and chased by Native Americans, you couldn't help but feel their misery.

And that's because almost everything you see in this movie was real, bear attacks and scalping aside.

The director put his cast through a plethora of hardship, working ungodly hours in remote and often hazardous locations. It's no surprise that the production was beset with crew members complaining, quitting, and being fired.

Although DiCaprio has spoken highly about working with Iñárritu, he's also been quick to say he wouldn't choose to repeat the experience if given the option. Iñárritu's insistence on realism, resulted in DiCaprio being forced to plunge himself into a freezing river multiple time, running the risk of hypothermia. By the way DiCaprio talks about it, it was one of the most gruelling experiences of his career.