1. Robert De Niro Shadowed Brain Surgeons To Play A Plumber In Brazil
Ignore for the moment, if you can, that Robert De Niro looks like a live-action version of Nintendo's Mario in Terry Gilliam's Brazil; because the part of repairman Harry Tuttle in Gilliam's film was approached by De Niro with the utmost seriousness. This was 1985, and De Niro was still putting actual effort into the roles he played - too much effort, some might say. For what was basically a glorified cameo, De Niro prepared and researched heavily in the run-up to the shoot. He arrived on-set complete with a set of tools he'd gathered all on his own, and ready to drive Terry Gilliam to the edge with his insistence on 25-30 takes each time and obsession over small details. Part of De Niro's preparation, however, was odd even for him: the actor witnessed neurologists performing brain surgery as research for the part, reportedly because he likened Tuttle's job to brain surgery. It should be reiterated that this was De Niro's peak period, and no one at this point had the courage to tell him being a brain surgeon is actually nothing like being a plumber. Do you have more examples of actors doing unnecessary preparation for film roles? Let us know in the comments below.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
