19 roles that took a toll on the actors who played them

Modified Jan 28, 2025 09:09 ET

Gangs of New York, Image Source - Miramax Films

13) Christian Bale in The Machinist

The Machinist, Image Source - Paramount Classics

Christian Bale is a very famous method actor. Often preparing for roles, he gains or loses a significant amount of weight to fit the description of the character he is portraying perfectly. While portraying the role of Trevor Reznik, an insomniac factory worker, he had to lose a lot of weight. His transformation was very extreme as he lost over 60 pounds and had just an apple and a can of tuna every day. This made him very weak and dizzy and also took a psychological toll on him.