8 Actors Desperate To Hide The Truth In Movies
6. Marlon Brando's Weight - Apocalypse Now
The stories of Apocalypse Now's hellish production are legendary, and few can match the infamy of Marlon Brando's antics while playing the mythic Colonel Kurtz.
When Brando arrived on the Manila set to shoot his late-film confrontation with Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), he was considerably overweight, and in no way resembled the emaciated Kurtz from the novel.
Beyond that, his condition meant that he would be unable to shoot the more physical aspects of his showdown with Willard as written in the script, and with Brando reportedly embarrassed at his weight, director Francis Ford Coppola was forced to pivot.
Coppola and Brando ultimately conspired to disguise the actor's size as much as possible, primarily shooting him in low-light and shadow, focusing largely on his face, and even having a stand-in for body shots to make him look taller and more imposing.
Even so, there's no mistaking Brando's heft in the final film, yet in the eyes of many it actually ended up adding to Kurtz's characterisation, presenting him as a man who has over-indulged and let himself go amid his madness.