10 unthinkable decisions famous actors made for the perfect shot (11 photos)

The Hollywood glamor conceals not only makeup and special effects, but also the genuine sacrifices actors make for the sake of art, recognition, popularity, and salaries.





Some scenes require not acting, but a real challenge, perhaps even a disgusting, dangerous, or simply insane one. Like these cases, when the realization of the challenge sends shivers down your spine and your stomach twists with terror.

1. Jennifer Lawrence's Raw Truth



To film a scene for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Jennifer Lawrence had to take real raw fish and literally bite into it. It wasn't an elegant sushi set, but a slippery, scaly, dripping carcass.

Lawrence later admitted that the taste matched the smell perfectly. "It was horrible," she said, fighting back the urge to vomit between takes. Knowing that Katniss remained resilient while fighting back the nausea makes the scene even more powerful.

2. Michelle Pfeiffer's Bird Trick





In "Batman Returns," Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the infamous scene where Catwoman shocks audiences by opening her mouth, revealing a chirping bird. And yes, it wasn't CGI. The bird was real.

The actress held it in her mouth for several takes, risking choking or harming the little feathered creature.

"Looking back, I can't believe I did it," Pfeiffer later admitted.

3. Nicolas Cage's Cockroach Snack



For his cult film, "The Vampire's Kiss," Nicolas Cage insisted on swallowing live cockroaches on camera. And not once, but twice. He believed that the screen needed genuine shock value to move the audience.

Cage later stated:

It will forever remain one of the most disgusting things I've ever done.

Crunch, slime, creepiness. Even the audience was uneasy, but Cage had to endure it for real.

4. John Leguizamo's Pizza Surprise



While filming "Spawn," John Leguizamo had to eat pizza. But this pizza was unusual. The slices were covered in live, writhing maggots, and yes, he actually ate them. Just gross!

The scene wasn't generated using special effects. Why bother with CGI when you can do it for real? Leguizamo bit down, swallowed, and completely surrendered to this terrifying moment. Few actors could have stayed in character in such a situation.

5. Emilia Clarke's Horse Hearts



The famous scene where Daenerys Targaryen eats a horse heart was terrifying, but Emilia Clarke revealed that the fake hearts were no less disgusting. She was promised a taste like gummies, but the reality was far more terrifying.

Clarke said the artificial hearts tasted "like hardened jam with bleach." Between takes, she vomited, and the poor thing choked until she'd swallowed twenty-eight—yes, twenty-eight—of those disgusting things.

6. Halle Berry's No-Wash System



To play a drug addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, Halle Berry didn't wash for several weeks. She wanted the role to feel authentic, even if she began to smell foul.

Berry later reflected that she completely immersed herself in darkness to embody despair. Audiences had no idea, but her co-stars certainly noticed the extremes she went to, transforming personal discomfort into a performance imbued with realism.

7. Robert Pattinson's Basement Life



To convey the desperation of a bank robber in Good Time, Robert Pattinson rented a filthy basement apartment in New York City and lived there for two months.

He didn't wash his clothes, kept his curtains closed, and slept in complete unsanitary conditions. His unkempt appearance worried his neighbors. He literally blurred the line between actor and character, trading comfort for a life of filth.

8. Jared Leto's Dirty Joke



Jared Leto's eccentric behavior during the filming of Suicide Squad went too far. Viola Davis recalled how an assistant brought a dead pig to rehearsal and said, "That's how we were introduced to Jared Leto."

Margot Robbie received a live rat as a gift, which she eventually kept as a pet. Will Smith admitted, "He never broke character. We didn't even say hello." An effective but controversial method, or just plain rudeness?

9. Rosamund Pike Rehearsing on Piglets



Rosamund Pike's iconic scene in Gone Girl required her to realistically slaughter Neil Patrick Harris. To prepare, she borrowed pig carcasses from a butcher and practiced with a box cutter.

She explained, "I had no idea how much force it took to slit a throat." Rehearsing on the carcasses gave her the precision and confidence to make the moment terrifyingly real.

10. Tony Todd's Stinging Score for "Candyman"



For his role as Candyman, Tony Todd agreed to have live bees crawl on his face. His contract even included a clause: a thousand dollars for each sting.

During filming, he was stung twenty-three times. Accordingly, he received an extra twenty-three thousand dollars. And although filming was conducted with a professional beekeeper (apiarist) on set, the bees were specially prepared, and Todd was not allergic to their venom, the risk was enormous, especially from stings on the face and neck. The most terrifying moment was when a bee crawled into his nostril. He couldn't get it out, and the beekeeper was only able to carefully extract the insect after several minutes, which seemed like an eternity to the actor.