7 Insanely Dedicated Acting Performances That Were Totally Ignored

6. Matt Damon - Courage Under Fire

Speaking of pointless weight change, Matt Damon infamously lost 40 lbs for his role in Courage Under Fire through a strict running regimen and a diet of chicken breasts, egg whites and a tonne of cigarettes. It worked but the weight loss came at a cost, leaving the actor so ill that he needed medical supervision for months afterwards in order to repair adrenal gland damage. That must have been hard, but at least all that pain and suffering was worth it... right? I'm not so sure. Damon only took two days to film his scenes, but endured the consequences for a long time after. As if that wasn't bad enough, Spielberg almost passed up on using Damon for Saving Private Ryan as the up and coming actor was too skinny for the part of paratrooper James Francis Ryan. If Damon hadn't returned to his normal weight by the time he starred in Good Will Hunting, the Oscar-nominated actor may have ended up with a very different career to the one he enjoys today.