In a big way, it does feel that some people are impressed by actors that stay in character the entire time while filming a movie, and some might be a little irritated depending on the type of character an actor is playing, especially if they’re portraying someone that was known to have serious issues when dealing with people. It’s admirable in a way to be sure, but this also feels as though it could seriously irk other actors and even the crew that have to deal with the actor in question since having to treat them like the character they’re playing and call them by the name of the individual might get old after a while. Some folks might want to call it a strength of character that allows actors to do this, while others might actually insinuate that it means they can’t move in and out of their character role as easily as others. The latter feels unlikely, but the fact is that some actors have gone so fully into their characters that they need to be reminded to come back to reality every now and then, while others will slough off the character at the end of filming and need a short break before they move on to the next movie.
Here are a few actors that tend to stay in character throughout filming.
5. Joaquin Phoenix
During the filming of Walk the Line, Phoenix apparently had everyone call him J.R. the entire time and didn’t break character at all. He even taught himself to sing and play the guitar, which was likely a bit of a process since unless one is naturally gifted, plucking the strings isn’t as easy as a lot of actors make it look. Singing is also a bit of a challenge unless someone has done it in the past, since learning how to modulate your voice and hit the notes just right to make them sound as he did in the movie usually takes a bit of coaching as well as a lot of practice. But perhaps staying in character did him some good since the movie was pretty entertaining.
4. Jim Carrey
Andy Kaufman was one of a kind, there’s no doubt about that, and it’s kind of interesting to think that one day someone might describe Jim in the same manner since he’s been fairly unique throughout the entirety of his career, no matter if it’s been seen as a good or bad thing. But when he took on the role of Kaufman for Man in the Moon, Carrey went fully into the character and was known to stay in character in order to really channel the famous comedian/actor. If anyone knows anything about Carrey it’s that he understands how to commit to a role, and once he’s locked in it’s bound to happen that getting him out will take a bit of effort.
3. Jared Leto
His antics during his time in the first Suicide Squad movie have made him infamous at this point since the stories of the ‘gifts’ that Jared sent to his costars are still circulating today given how bizarre they were. Staying in character as the Joker is something that kind of creates the idea that someone will be as wild, crazy, and out of control as possible. But it does sound as though these little gifts were kind of the worst thing that happened during the movie, but Jared was definitely channeling his inner miscreant, whereas it feels as though the character of the Joker would be sending cake bombs and other various devices that might be lethal or have the appearance of such.
2. Sean Penn
It really feels as though a lot of people don’t know that much about Fast Times at Ridgemont High anymore, but this was essentially the first movie that really made Sean Penn a widely known name and someone that people would come to revere as an actor. But the fact is that he took on the role of Spicoli in a big way and didn’t let go of it until filming was all finished. Having someone wander around the set answering to his stage name and acting like some zoned-out surfer doesn’t sound like the worst thing to deal with, but it does sound as though Penn took it pretty seriously.
1. Daniel Day-Lewis
This guy is the absolute king of method acting since he’s learned how to hunt, has been forced to recognize that he absolutely needed to stick with the times when he became sick on a set while trying to stick to the time period he was playing in and has for the most part been content to go back in time in terms of how he’s adjusted his life for each movie he’s taken part in. Daniel is kind of the gold standard for method acting in the eyes of many.
Staying character is admirable really, but sometimes it feels that it might go a little too far.
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