20. Nicolas Cage - Birdy

One of the greatest method performances by Nicolas Cage is in the early career war drama Birdy, from 1984. In this film, Cage plays a Vietnam veteran who has been severely disfigured and comes to visit his friend, played by Matthew Modine, in a psychiatric hospital. To prepare for his role, 19-year-old Cage went to the extreme. He had all of his wisdom teeth extracted without anesthesia so he would understand the physical pain that his character endures and then spent weeks with bandages wrapped around his face to replicate that pain and isolation.
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Edited by Sarah Nazamuddin Harniswala
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