Pursuing a passion for acting may bring on fame, money and glory. When actors embody roles, they sometimes pick up the characteristics, mannerisms and ideals of the fictional characters. Oftentimes, their role becomes reality.
With the recent release of the Netflix original, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” Evan Peters, the actor who plays Dahmer, did an incredible job within his performance. The audience admires how perfectly the character was portrayed. His immersion of the role also raises the question: has this role psychologically affected Peters? For previous actors who took on similar psychologically taxing roles, their success often came at a cost of a worsened mental state. Method acting amongst incredible actors has affected their lives forever.
One of the prominent figures in the art of method acting is Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in the 2008 film, “The Dark Knight.” After weeks of locking himself in a hotel room practicing his performance, Ledger came out ready to fully embody his role. His father said Ledger loved to commit to his characters. But when the character happens to be a sadistic clown, this commitment can have unintended consequences..
After training his voice, losing weight and performing his own stunts, Ledger earned an Oscar for his performance, but the intense roll had taken its toll on Ledger’s mental health. As the movie was in post production, Ledger suffered a fatal overdose. It’s rumored that his role as the Joker severely affected him mentally, leading to the tragic incident.
With the devotion and determination actors have to their art, they are bound to be altered in some way from roles they have played. Junior Ella Hurst recently played Mimi in the musical “Rent” and experienced a similar connection to her role. “Throughout the process, I put myself in her shoes and made connections between our stories. Method acting never affected me negatively, as I healed from trauma that was yet to be resolved through playing Mimi,” she said.
Bob Hoskins, director of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” had hallucinations of the cartoon characters, where he recounted still seeing, hearing and speaking to them. When “The Shining” producers purposely frightened actress Shelly Duvall while filming, Duvell left the role with permanent anxiety and mental illness. Val Kilmer from “The Doors” played the erratic Jim Morrison, engaging in therapy after filming to get the character out of his head. Method acting throughout the years has been a recurring factor in the failing mental health of actors. No number of awards can live up to the pain that the long lasting effects have caused.
Method acting is a huge factor of pop culture, and has always been glamorized by fans. Amongst the show-stopping films which have been created, they come with a cost. While audiences praise actors for stepping into their roles, the unintended consequences remain hidden behind Hollywood fame.
