"Castrating lambs, clipping feet, dipping them, I had to do all of it.”
Hollywood is awash with talented actors, but sometimes, it's not just acting they have to perfect for a particular role.
Fox
So, here are 11 actors who learnt some pretty impressive skills while preparing for a role"
1. Robert De Niro
Paramount Pictures
We all know that Robert De Niro is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and he's clearly dedicated to his craft, because he's learnt some impressive skills for his roles over the years. We can't just pick one skill that De Niro learnt for a role, so let's just list a few. He learnt the saxophone for his role in New York, New York, lived in Sicily and learnt Italian for The Godfather Part II, got a legit cab licence for Taxi Driver, and learnt the Latin mass for True Confessions– now that's commitment.
2. Robin Williams
Columbia Pictures
The great Robin Williams was not one to cut corners, as proved by his commitment to his role in Moscow on the Hudson, where he plays a Russian saxophonist. For the part, in order to get the authenticity desired by the director, he spent five hours a day for five months learning Russian – that's a serious undertaking.
3. Meryl Streep
Miramax
When Meryl got the role asRoberta Guaspari, a violinist, she actually declined it at first, thinking she didn't have enough time to prepare. But, after an inspiring letter from the director, she decided to get a teacher, and took the part. She set about learning the basics of the violin:
"I begged for some more time, because I don't play an instrument and I didn't know to what extent I could fake it. I imagined they would digitally realise my fingers, but it turns out they couldn't do that, so they gave me an extra four weeks. I had a couple of months before we started shooting."
She even kept playing after shooting had wrapped!
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Sony Pictures Releasing
When Joseph took the role of real-life wire-walker Phillipe Petit, it was clear that he'd have to learn to walk the wire himself. What was interesting, is that it was Phillipe himself who taught Joseph the skills needed to portray him:
"Philippe insisted that he be the first one to teach me how to walk on the wire. He doesn't do anything half way, this guy, so he orchestrated this really elaborate workshop. It was just me and him all day long for eight days straight."
5. John David Washington
Warner Bros. Pictures
Tenet was a fairly baffling movie, but the task that John David Washington undertook must have been fairly confusing too. For the film, he had to learn how to speak backwards. It's hard enough to remember lines as it is, let alone backwards lines!
6. Michelle Pfiefer
Warner Bros.
One of the key components of Michelle's role was to master the use of the iconic whip, and that she did. Speaking about learning how to use the whip, she said:It was very graceful and elegant. And actually very dancelike and beautiful. And kind of more feline really.”
7. Jennifer Lawrence
Roadside Attractions
For her role in Winter's Bone, Jennifer learned some potentially very valuable skills, if she's ever stuck in a forest that is. She learnt how to skin and cook a squirrel. Speaking about her survival skills, she said this:"I can shoot quite well, and I didn't think I'd ever be able to say this but, yes, I can skin and cook a squirrel."
8. Ruth Wilson
Arrow Films
Speaking of working with animals, Ruth Wilson also learnedsome skills that I'm not too sure she ever imagined she'd have when preparing for Dark River. Speaking about her preparation, she said:
“I went and stayed with this great couple called Malcolm and Hazel up in Yorkshire, and they taught me loads of skills of what you need to do on a farm: dragging them around, shearing them, castrating lambs, clipping feet, dipping them, I had to do all of it.”
That's right, she knows how to castrate a lamb.
9. Tom Cruise
Paramount Pictures
You could probably write an entire list just full of things Tom Cruise has learnt for his roles, and particularly his stunts, but this one may be the most impressive. For Mission Impossible: Fallout, he learnt how to fly a helicopter in order to perform his own stunt, as he often insists on. While learning to fly a helicopter is a mean feat, when Tom Cruise is involved, anything is possible.
10. Timothée Chalamet
Warner Bros. Pictures
Man of the moment, Timothée Chalamet, is clearly a talented actor, but for Call Me By Your Name, he picked up a series of other impressive skills, including guitar, piano, and Italian, as he revealed:
“We got to be in Italy for three months learning Italian and learning the piano and the guitar. I already knew how to speak French…But I picked up the Italian, too.”
11. Daniel Kaluuya
Universal Pictures
Many actors have learnt horse-riding for a role, and Daniel Kaluuya is no different. He learnt from equestrian Randy Savvy, who not only taught him how to handle the horse, but to appear like someone who had always been comfortable with the animals. The veteran equestrian was pleased with Daniel's work when he saw the film:
"For him [Daniel], connecting that link was important. And he ended up getting some good takeaways from it. I saw some stuff on the screen like, okay, bro, I see you.”
