10 Times Prosthetics Nearly Broke An Actor

Though some actors are able to easily step into the shoes of their characters by simply throwing on a new set of clothes or growing a bit of facial hair, others aren't quite so lucky.

Sure, we currently live in the glorious age of motion capture, where a performer is now often able to act out scenes in a wet suit and have that portrayal eventually be brought to life in post-production. But, this hasn't always been the case and even though this brilliant technology is readily available today, that doesn't mean it's always the answer.

Sometimes an actor must still endure hours of detailed prosthetic work, perform all day wearing this often irritating make-up and then sit for many more hours whilst hard-working folk peel away the practical magic. Oh, and they usually have to do this for months on end.

Of course, many of these long suffering performers were more than compensated for their time in the chair, but that doesn't mean there weren't a few occasions when it looked like an actor had reached their latex limit. Some even refused to reprise a role altogether due to their hellish experiences with prosthetics.

Who knew being blue could make someone feel so...sad?

John Rhys-Davies' portrayal of the dwarf warrior Gimli in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of many iconic turns in the Middle-earth film series.

However, playing the famously grouchy character came at quite a cost.

After the various prosthetics and make up were applied to his face - which would take around five hours to finish - Rhys-Davies started to feel a little odd. As it turned out, the prosthetics were causing an allergic reaction which eventually led to the skin under his eyes burning. Ouch!

The actor eventually powered through and convincingly brought the son of Gloin to the big screen, but his traumatic time in the make up chair may have put him off roles like this again in the future.

Rhys-Davies even admitted that he was offered the chance to return to Middle-earth for Jackson's Hobbit series, but turned down the offer, saying, 'There's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.'

It looks like he dodged a bullet in the end as The Hobbit trilogy ended up being nothing more than a failed attempt to stretch one beloved book into an epic three movie saga.