There have been actors throughout history that have wanted a dream role so bad that they’ve stooped to such great lows or gone to such great heights to get it that they’ve become legends for a brief period of time. Well, this list isn’t quite that crazy but it does describe a few individuals that went to various lengths to get the roles they wanted, and while it didn’t always work, the effort was enough to make a lot of people wonder what in the world was wrong with these actors, or made folks respect them just a little more for their desire and dedication to their career. In some cases it’s very easy to think that people might have been acting a little entitled when trying to get what they wanted, but there are those who are simply excited enough to even entertain the thought of getting a dream role and react so enthusiastically that they might appear a little off. Then there are the true nutcases that won’t want to hear anything but ‘you’re hired’ and might actually throw a fit or experience a breakdown afterward.
Here are just a few individuals that did something crazy to land a role.
5. A 12-year old Elizabeth Taylor was determined to have her way in National Velvet.
It’s easy to think that this story is a bit troubling to start with since we’re talking about a 12-year old here and when it comes to a child’s physical development there’s a lot of room for error when it cems to saying the wrong thing. But for the movie National Velvet Elizabeth wanted the role badly enough that she was willing to do something a bit drastic. The lead role of Velvet called for a young woman to pass herself off as a young man for a horse race, meaning that she was to be found out when she was injured and had to be looked at. Elizabeth’s mother apparently told those in charge that Elizabeth hadn’t developed enough to take the role, but Elizabeth, determined to have the lead, showed those in charge that she had indeed developed into a young woman.
4. Jerry Seinfeld dressed in a bee costume to get the Bee Movie.
This doesn’t sound too crazy until one gets the idea that Jerry went around wearing this costume for a while until the movie was approved, and even after it was approved in order to promote it. One could say that Jerry was dedicated to the movie in a very big way and was ready to do what it took to let people know it was coming, but this kind of went above and beyond in a way that people hadn’t expected from the comedian. On top of that, The Bee Movie is something that a few people might remember in a given group, but it wasn’t exactly a humongous blockbuster.
3. Sean Young was determined to be Catwoman.
Sean Young made it clear that she wanted the role of Catwoman by wearing the vintage Catwoman suit almost everywhere she went. The downside of this is that it made her look a little less than stable, and in the long run the role went to Michelle Pfieffer anyway. This kind of performance isn’t such a bad thing really when it come to being an enthusiast of a certain character when trying to convince people that the actor in question would be the best fit. But when it comes to wearing a costume wherever one goes for no better reason than to want a certain role, then things get a little kooky.
2. George Lazenby was observed having sex to obtain the role of James Bond.
Keeping up the reputation of James Bond has to be a little tough since George Lazenby took it pretty seriously apparently when it came to Bond’s supposed sexual prowess. The word is that he had someone watch him have sex with an unknown number of women to make certain that he was right for the role. There are likely plenty of people that would have an issue with this since it might be called everything from misogyny to what’s wrong with the patriarchy. Whatever people want to say about it though it does sound like one of the most grueling endurance trial one can go through just for a role.
1. Dave Bautista stormed into Warner Bros. demanding to play Bane.
Think about a guy the size of Dave Bautista just waltzing into your office and growling that he wants to play a character and there’s nothing else to say. How many people would remain calm in that moment? How many might call the cops first? It would appear that studio executives have ice water in their veins since they told Dave that they weren’t casting for the part of Bane yet. Given his size and acting ability it might actually be a role he could be up for at some point.
The list of things that actors have done only gets crazier.
