These Movie Roles Nearly Destroyed the Actors

Acting isn't always glamorous. Sometimes, actors push themselves so far for a role that their bodies—and even their minds—begin to break down. In these 5 movies, the actors didn’t just pretend to suffer… they actually got sick for real.

**1. *The Revenant (2015)* – Leonardo DiCaprio**  

To fully embody a man surviving the brutal wilderness, DiCaprio ate raw bison liver, slept in animal carcasses, and filmed in freezing temperatures. He became physically ill multiple times during the shoot.

**2. *The Machinist (2004)* – Christian Bale**  

Bale famously lost over 60 pounds by eating almost nothing. His drastic weight loss made him weak, constantly dizzy, and left his body in a fragile state.

**3. *Apocalypse Now (1979)* – Entire Cast & Crew**  

Filmed in the wild jungles of the Philippines, this production was chaos. Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack, and many others fell ill from poor conditions and diseases like malaria.

**4. *Cast Away (2000)* – Tom Hanks**  

Hanks had to lose a lot of weight to portray a man stranded on a deserted island. During filming, he got a serious leg infection that nearly turned deadly.

**5. *Les Misérables (2012)* – Anne Hathaway**  

To play the tragic Fantine, Hathaway lost significant weight quickly and emotionally sank deep into the character. She later said the experience left her exhausted, sleepless, and mentally shaken.