15 actors who used drugs to get into character (16 photos)

Before we begin, let's be clear: drugs are bad. And this list is not a reason to think that sobriety is the only thing standing between you and an Academy Award. It doesn't work that way. Drugs have ruined more lives and careers than they've built.





Whether the addicts on this list experienced addiction during filming or used their past knowledge, drugs helped them in some way.

We admit we can't know for sure whether these actors would have performed better if they had been "clean" and sober their entire lives. There are examples of addicted characters played by actors who learned the role simply by observing addicts. Working with drugs at arm's length works. But today we're talking about those whose on-camera transformation was aided by experimentation with illegal substances.



Jsu Garcia, "A Nightmare on Elm Street"

The actor who played Rod in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" delivered a powerful performance. Before filming, Garcia was homeless and had turned to heroin to cope with depression. He was still struggling with drug addiction when he landed the role.

Garcia admitted to using drugs during filming. For example, during a scene between him and Heather Langenkamp in a prison cell. Langenkamp later said of the scene: "His eyes were cloudy, his gaze unfocused... I thought, 'Wow, he's giving the best performance of his life.'"

Garcia is a talented guy, but his performance as the paranoid and manic Rod would have been impossible without the use of drugs.





Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman is a great actor, whether he's an addict or a clean freak. Hoffman starred in many good films in the mid- to late 1970s, including All the President's Men, Marathon Man, and Kramer vs. Kramer. At the time, the actor was heavily involved with drugs. Although he looks back on this period as a dark time in his life, these roles were among the best of his career.



Dennis Hopper has played incredible roles. We've chosen two of them as examples to look at both sides of Hopper—during his addiction and after.

In Easy Rider, Hopper was completely exhausted. He later said that during those years, he might consume a beer, a bottle of rum, and about three grams of cocaine to regain his composure. He felt it was all part of the creative process.

When Hopper played one of his best roles in Blue Velvet, he was sober, but he drew on his past experiences to create the character of Frank Booth.



Jack Nicholson

For much of his early career, Jack Nicholson was high, though he wasn't exactly a drug addict. According to Nicholson and his fans, drugs helped him. Take his performance in Easy Rider, for example. Nicholson drew on his experience with illegal substances to play a drunk. For his role as the Joker in Batman, Nicholson drew on his past experiences to transform himself into the most deranged character possible.

Johnny Depp, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

Johnny Depp's experience with illegal drugs helped him in his work on the film. Playing the eccentric Hunter S. Thompson, Depp had to portray the character under the influence of various drugs. And Johnny nailed the role. From an early age, the actor had been addicted to drugs and alcohol. This lasted from the early 1990s, when he was in a difficult situation. Depp says of those times: "I was stupid, and I poisoned myself for years."



Matthew Perry, Friends

Matthew Perry has always spoken openly about his addiction, but claimed he was never high while filming the show. But in one interview, when asked which Friends episode was his least favorite, the actor replied, "Oh my God! I think my answer is: I don't remember three years of that show. I was a little off for a while, yeah. Somewhere between seasons three and six." And those seasons were the show's best. Matthew may not remember his performance, but it was amazing.



John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers

Rumor has it that Belushi was constantly under the influence of illegal substances while filming the movie in Chicago, his hometown. His co-star Aykroyd also claimed to have used drugs. And when things got really bad, the studio even hired bodyguards to keep the stars away from temptation. But the movie ultimately turned out wonderful. It's hard to imagine what would have happened if these two had been sober.

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid's performance in The Big High was one of the best of his career. But, according to the actor himself, it wasn't easy. He was using drugs at the time. Although Quaid is critical of his work, his off-set lifestyle filtered through to the screen, and it really worked. His on-screen persona became all too real.



Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase, "Golf Club"

Rodney Dangerfield used cocaine during the filming of "Golf Club." He doesn't speak highly of the experience, but he did demonstrate excellent improv comedy. Early in filming, Dangerfield and Chase showed up on set with drugs. Over the course of 11 weeks of filming, the crew became addicted to illegal substances, which inevitably impacted the film.



Robin Williams, "Mork & Mindy"

For Robin Williams, "Mork & Mindy" was a career boost. In those early years, he was a drug addict. People joked that cocaine helped Williams become a manic comedian. The actor himself said of his experience: "Cocaine for me is a place to hide." But the death of John Belushi from a drug overdose and the birth of his child forced Robin Williams to change his life.



Robert Downey Jr., Less Than Zero

It may not have been Downey Jr.'s best role, but he played a drug addict well, because that's what he was at the time. The role nearly destroyed him. "Before that film, I only did drugs after work and on weekends. Less Than Zero changed that. For me, the role became like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. I became a caricature of my character," the actor himself said.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

Taylor and Burton's addiction to alcohol is well-known. But during the filming of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", they tried to limit their drinking. In this film, Burton and Taylor played a hard-drinking husband and wife. The realism of their performances is off the charts. Alcohol likely helped them get into their roles.



Samuel L. Jackson, "Jungle Fever"

In the late 1980s, Samuel L. Jackson became addicted to drugs. When he was offered the role of a drug addict in "Jungle Fever," he naturally played it brilliantly, given his extensive experience.



Paul Newman, "The Shot"

Paul Newman is a well-known drinker. This helped him so perfectly embody his role in "Jungle Fever," as his character is an alcoholic. Rumor has it that Newman performed some scenes while dead drunk. He even had his own sauna where he could sweat out the effects of the previous night.

Marilyn Monroe, Some Like It Hot and The Misfits

Marilyn Monroe was known to be somewhat unpredictable. Some of her best work came during the drug-fueled years of her life. During that period, for example, she starred in Some Like It Hot and The Misfits.