Actors Who Never Recovered From Their Most Distressing Roles

In the world of acting, it's easy to take things a step too far. The emotional and physical investment actors dedicate to their roles can often leave them feeling broken inside. These stars dove into their roles without realizing the toll it would take on them later. Sometimes, you have to wonder—just how far would you push yourself to achieve a flawless performance?

Shelley Duvall in The Shining

The Shining is widely regarded as one of the best films of its genre, but Shelley Duvall's experience on set was a total nightmare. Kubrick, whose sole mission was seemingly to fracture Duvall's psyche, spent the duration of their time together ruthlessly berating her. Kubrick tormented Duvall, telling the cast and crew not to interact or sympathize with her and regularly criticizing her acting skills. The movie was shot in chronological order—meaning that Duvall's unraveling took place both on-screen and in real life.

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The More You Know

  • Toto was paid $125 per week while filming The Wizard of Oz.
  • Orson Welles directed much of Citizen Kane from a wheelchair, after injuring himself on set.
  • In Home Alone, Buzz's girlfriend is actually a boy in a wig. The director thought it would be too mean to ask a girl to be in the film this way.
  • In Saving Private Ryan, all of the main cast were given basic military training except Matt Damon, in the hope that the cast would build a resentment towards him necessary for the role.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.