Comic book movie adaptations seem to consistently dominate the box office in the modern era, with superhero movies regularly shattering records. The boom of superhero cinema has seen the genre grow from occasional and underwhelming live-action takes on popular comic book characters to well-considered and brilliantly crafted stories of good versus evil. This has seen many great comic book movies released to much fanfare, affording even more of a spotlight on the movies of the genre. And, with actors beginning to win impressive accolades and awards for their roles in comic book movies, the genre is looking as healthy as ever, attracting even the most well-respected stars to play comic book characters.
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In the pursuit of a great performance, actors sometimes get a little carried away. Sometimes, actors go too far in preparing for roles and become so immersed in the making of the movie that they begin to alienate or otherwise confuse their co-stars and crew members. Method acting, which involves fully immersing oneself in a role while making a movie, has often led to interesting behind-the-scenes stories. Though it isn’t always common in the making of comic book movies, there have been some occasions of pretty shocking method acting in the sphere of superhero cinema.
7) Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019)
Joaquin Phoenix earned an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in 2019’s Joker. It’s a movie that saw him become considered one of the best live-action versions of the Joker, but his performance was made possible by some pretty extreme method acting. To prepare for the role, Phoenix lost a staggering amount of weight and would reportedly practice his character’s unsettling condition of spontaneous uncontrollable laughter on set, confusing and alienating many of the people around him.
6) Jared Leto in Morbius (2022)
Morbius is considered one of the worst comic book movies of the 21st century so far, but its star, Jared Leto, was reportedly incredibly committed to making his performance believable. Leto, whose method-acting antics have regularly made headlines, was said to have refused to break character on the set of Morbius. This extended to his portrayal of the character’s physical disability, which actually led to production delays due to Leto using crutches to limp across the set every time he took a bathroom break. Leto was reportedly convinced to instead use a wheelchair to speed up the process, but it remains a pretty extreme choice.
5) Thomas Jane in The Punisher (2004)
2004’s The Punisher is often overlooked in the wider history of Marvel movies. While some aspects of the film were disappointing, Thomas Jane’s performance as the titular antihero was not one of them. For the role, Jane went as far as to train for six months with a SWAT-tactics trainer, eat up to eight meals per day, and opted to undergo weapons training exceeding that offered to military personnel. To play Frank Castle, Thomas Jane effectively became the character, giving us some of the Punisher’s greatest movie moments as a result.
4) Wesley Snipes in Blade: Trinity (2004)
The production of 2004’s Blade: Trinity is infamous for the reported difficulties stemming from Wesley Snipes’ treatment of the cast and crew. Snipes’ method acting was just one of these issues: he would reportedly only communicate with writer-director David S. Goyer via post-it notes, which he would sign from Blade. Additionally, his refusal to break character led to repeated conflict on set, as Snipes would reportedly respond to people as the vampire hunter even when the cameras were not rolling.
3) Christian Bale in Batman Begins (2005)
While Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy is often hailed as one of the best in superhero cinema, the director encountered a few issues with its star, Christian Bale, and his overzealous commitment to the role of Batman. Having just finished making The Machinist, for which he dropped 62 pounds, Bale immediately set about gaining 100 pounds in a matter of months to play Batman. Bale actually overshot his target and was forced to lose a little weight in order to make the movie’s action scenes work. Still, Bale’s commitment to getting the look of the character just right is certainly impressive, if a little dangerous.
2) Jared Leto in Suicide Squad (2016)
Jared Leto is one of the most well-known method actors currently working in Hollywood, and his on-set antics have rarely been as highly publicized as they were ahead of the release of 2016’s Suicide Squad. Ahead of his DCEU debut as the Joker, Leto reportedly brought a dead pig to the table read, sent Margot Robbie a live rat, and gifted assorted sex paraphernalia to other members of the cast. While Leto has since disputed some of the claims, his extreme behavior while making Suicide Squad has been corroborated by his co-stars, although it unfortunately didn’t seem to help his performance as the Joker earn popularity among fans.
1) Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider (2007)
As an actor, Nicolas Cage has made many action movies, but he’s also known for some of his personal eccentricities. Ahead of playing the titular character in Ghost Rider and its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Cage claimed to have spent time with his face painted in an approximation of the Haitian figure Baron Samedi, and carrying around amulets and charms intended to help him make contact with spirits. Cage explained that he embraced various supernatural superstitions in order to make him feel as though he had become the Ghost Rider, only furthering his reputation for bizarre and unique behaviors in his approach to acting.
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