Actors Who Never Recovered From Their Most Distressing Roles

In the world of acting, it's easy to take things a step too far. The emotional and physical investment actors dedicate to their roles can often leave them feeling broken inside. These stars dove into their roles without realizing the toll it would take on them later. Sometimes, you have to wonder—just how far would you push yourself to achieve a flawless performance?

Shelley Duvall in The Shining

The Shining is widely regarded as one of the best films of its genre, but Shelley Duvall's experience on set was a total nightmare. Kubrick, whose sole mission was seemingly to fracture Duvall's psyche, spent the duration of their time together ruthlessly berating her. Kubrick tormented Duvall, telling the cast and crew not to interact or sympathize with her and regularly criticizing her acting skills. The movie was shot in chronological order—meaning that Duvall's unraveling took place both on-screen and in real life.

Advertisement

Next Page →

The More You Know

  • Executive producer of Toy Story and Chief Pixar shareholder Steve Jobs picked Bob Dylan as his first choice to write and perform the soundtrack to the film over Randy Newman.
  • George Lucas wanted to make a Flash Gordon movie but could not obtain the rights so instead, he created Star Wars.
  • The film industry got its start in New Jersey
  • Jackie Chan voiced the Beast in the Chinese dub of The Beauty And The Beast.
Next Page →