NOTE FROM ERIC:

Hollywood is abuzz with how Renee Zellweger gained
25 pounds and spent years studying a British accent
for “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” but she isn’t the first
actor to do wacky things to herself for a coveted role.

The Top 9 Weird Things
Actors Did to Themselves For a Role

9> Linda Blair: For “The Exorcist,” took up bulimia long before it became fashionable.

8> Samuel L. Jackson: Stood on his head in a swamp for 3 days to prove to George Lucas that he could be a Jedi.

7> Matt Damon: for “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” learned the name of his own caddy and even conversed with him.

6> Charlton Heston: During “Airport 75″ filming, refrained from shooting anybody.

5> James Dean: Feigned death, had DNA altered for uncredited lead role in the “Babe” movies.

4> Jim Carrey: for “Me, Myself & Irene,” strictly confined himself for weeks to just two of his multiple personalities.

3> Tom Cruise: Married Nicole Kidman as promotional stunt for several mediocre films in the nineties.

2> Michael Jackson: Bleached his skin, eliminated his nose, tattooed on eyeliner, continually makes bizarre and inexplicable statements in public — and they have yet to make the film which would justify these things!

and the Number 1 Weird Thing an Actor Did For a Role…

1> Dustin Hoffman: At first, he had trouble getting into his “Tootsie” role, but then he had an operation, and that changed *everything*.

.

Credits:

Selected from 37 submissions from 10 contributors.
Today’s Top 5 List authors are:

Bill Strider, Gaithersburg, MD — 1, 9
Jennifer A. Ford, Ft. Wayne, IN — 2
Jude Benlab, Swarthmore, PA — 3, 5, 6 (Hat Trick!)
Martin Bredeck, Hybla Valley, VA — 4, 7
Douglas Jones, Santa Cruz, CA — 8
Christopher Walken, Los Angeles, CA — Just plain weird
Ian Ravdin, Chicago, IL — Runner Up list name
Eric F. Lipton, Washington, DC — Topic, Script Doctor