Margot Robbie, Jenna Ortega, Cillian Murphy.Photo:30West/Courtesy Everett Collection; Vlad Cioplea/Netflix; Universal Pictures
30West/Courtesy Everett Collection; Vlad Cioplea/Netflix; Universal Pictures
These already talented stars have added some incredible skills to their résumés.While preparing for some of their most recognizable roles, actors likeCillian Murphy,Jenna OrtegaandMargot Robbietrained in areas that can’t be confined to a script. Some stars took up sports and instruments, while others tapped into more hyper-specific abilities, likeJoseph Gordon-Levitt’s foray into wire-walking.Check out some of the most impressive ways that actors committed to doing their characters justice.
These already talented stars have added some incredible skills to their résumés.
While preparing for some of their most recognizable roles, actors likeCillian Murphy,Jenna OrtegaandMargot Robbietrained in areas that can’t be confined to a script. Some stars took up sports and instruments, while others tapped into more hyper-specific abilities, likeJoseph Gordon-Levitt’s foray into wire-walking.
Check out some of the most impressive ways that actors committed to doing their characters justice.
01of 07Cillian Murphy Learned to Lecture in Dutch for ‘Oppenheimer’Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.Universal PicturesCillian Murphywent to extreme lengths in his effort to bringJ. Robert Oppenheimerout of history books and onto the big screen inChristopher Nolan’s 2023 flick. The Irish starphysicallyandmentally transformedfor the role, but one of his most impressive feats was learning to give an advancedphysics lecture entirely spoken in Dutch.In her bookUnleashing Oppenheimer: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Explosive Atomic-Age Thriller, author Jada Yuan detailed the Murphy’s big undertaking for a relatively short scene in the film. As the actor toldDeadlinejust before the film’s release in July, he enlisted the help of Nolan’s Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.“He recorded it and then I slowed it down so I just learned it phonetically over three months," Murphy said.Speaking to Yuan, Murphy explained that the lecture was something he’d never forget since he listened to it so many times. “I can still say it,” he added, although he admitted that’s the extent of his grasp of the language.
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Cillian Murphy Learned to Lecture in Dutch for ‘Oppenheimer’
Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
Cillian Murphywent to extreme lengths in his effort to bringJ. Robert Oppenheimerout of history books and onto the big screen inChristopher Nolan’s 2023 flick. The Irish starphysicallyandmentally transformedfor the role, but one of his most impressive feats was learning to give an advancedphysics lecture entirely spoken in Dutch.
In her bookUnleashing Oppenheimer: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Explosive Atomic-Age Thriller, author Jada Yuan detailed the Murphy’s big undertaking for a relatively short scene in the film. As the actor toldDeadlinejust before the film’s release in July, he enlisted the help of Nolan’s Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.
“He recorded it and then I slowed it down so I just learned it phonetically over three months," Murphy said.
Speaking to Yuan, Murphy explained that the lecture was something he’d never forget since he listened to it so many times. “I can still say it,” he added, although he admitted that’s the extent of his grasp of the language.
02of 07Kate Winslet Learned to Free-Dive for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’Kate Winslet in Avatar.Courtesy of 20th Century Studios; Mike Marsland/WireImageIn an impressive show of commitment,Kate Winsletlearned to hold her breath for several minutes while preparing forAvatar’s long-awaited sequel,Avatar: The Way of Water. While all of the film’s stars were trained tofilm underwater, directorJames Cameronfelt Winslet’s character Ronal needed to be the the most confident without air.“Kate’s character is someone who grew up underwater as an ocean-adapted Na’vi — they’re so physically different from the forest Na’vi, that we’d almost classify them as a subspecies,” Cameron toldThe New York Timesin October 2022. “So she had to be utterly calm underwater, and it turned out that she was a natural.“In fact, Winslet became so confident in her free-diving skills that she decided tobreak Tom Cruise’s recordfor the longest amount of time a person has held their breath for a movie. The Oscar winner toldTotal Filmthat shehas a videoof her surfacing after the seven minutes and 15 seconds she spent without air.“Well, I didn’thaveto hold my breath for over seven minutes,” Winslet explained to the outlet. “It’s just that the opportunity to set a record presented itself.”
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Kate Winslet Learned to Free-Dive for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
Kate Winslet in Avatar.Courtesy of 20th Century Studios; Mike Marsland/WireImage
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios; Mike Marsland/WireImage
In an impressive show of commitment,Kate Winsletlearned to hold her breath for several minutes while preparing forAvatar’s long-awaited sequel,Avatar: The Way of Water. While all of the film’s stars were trained tofilm underwater, directorJames Cameronfelt Winslet’s character Ronal needed to be the the most confident without air.
“Kate’s character is someone who grew up underwater as an ocean-adapted Na’vi — they’re so physically different from the forest Na’vi, that we’d almost classify them as a subspecies,” Cameron toldThe New York Timesin October 2022. “So she had to be utterly calm underwater, and it turned out that she was a natural.”
In fact, Winslet became so confident in her free-diving skills that she decided tobreak Tom Cruise’s recordfor the longest amount of time a person has held their breath for a movie. The Oscar winner toldTotal Filmthat shehas a videoof her surfacing after the seven minutes and 15 seconds she spent without air.
“Well, I didn’thaveto hold my breath for over seven minutes,” Winslet explained to the outlet. “It’s just that the opportunity to set a record presented itself.”
03of 07Jenna Ortega Learn to Play the Cello for ‘Wednesday’Jenna Ortega in Wednesday.Vlad Cioplea/NetflixJenna Ortegahad big, creepy, kooky shoes to fill when she took on the role of Wednesday Addams inTim Burton’s Netflix seriesWednesday. The young star did not disappoint in her portrayal of the sinister school girl, a role she inherited from actresses likeChristina Ricciand the lateLisa Loring(the former of whom appeared in the 2022 series as one of Wednesday’s school teachers).In this latestAddams Familyspinoff, Wednesday played the cello on multiple occasions, a skill Ortega learned specifically for the role. The actress shared how she took up the instrument in a November 2022 interview withWired.“I started working on the cello about two months before we started shooting,” she explained, adding that she “probably couldn’t play too well now” since she’d been busy working away from home. She continued, “It is something that I want to continue to pursue. I have immense respect for anybody who plays the cello. I think it’s such a delightful instrument.”
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Jenna Ortega Learn to Play the Cello for ‘Wednesday’
Jenna Ortega in Wednesday.Vlad Cioplea/Netflix
Vlad Cioplea/Netflix
Jenna Ortegahad big, creepy, kooky shoes to fill when she took on the role of Wednesday Addams inTim Burton’s Netflix seriesWednesday. The young star did not disappoint in her portrayal of the sinister school girl, a role she inherited from actresses likeChristina Ricciand the lateLisa Loring(the former of whom appeared in the 2022 series as one of Wednesday’s school teachers).
In this latestAddams Familyspinoff, Wednesday played the cello on multiple occasions, a skill Ortega learned specifically for the role. The actress shared how she took up the instrument in a November 2022 interview withWired.
“I started working on the cello about two months before we started shooting,” she explained, adding that she “probably couldn’t play too well now” since she’d been busy working away from home. She continued, “It is something that I want to continue to pursue. I have immense respect for anybody who plays the cello. I think it’s such a delightful instrument.”
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Jennifer Lawrence Learned Ballet for ‘Red Sparrow’
20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jennifer Lawrenceunderwentintensive ballet trainingto prepare for her 2018 role as a Russian ballerina-turned-spy inRed Sparrow. In a featurette for the film, the actress emphasized the importance of her proper footwork.
“The way they carry themselves, the way they handle themselves and the way they work. It was something that was constantly on my mind even after we wrapped all the dancing,” Lawrence said.
(Lawrence may not be the first actress who comes to mind when you think of ballet films, but the elegant dance form wasn’t as foreign toNatalie Portman. TheBlack Swanstar studied ballet from ages 4 to 12 years old, according toNPR.)
05of 07Margot Robbie Learned to Figure Skate for ‘I, Tonya’Margot Robbie in I, Tonya.Frank Masi/30West/courtesy Everett CollectionGearing up for her Oscar-nominated performance asTonya Hardingin the 2017 biopicI, Tonya,Margot Robbietransformed on ice. While the Australian actress was familiar with ice hockey moves, she needed to adopt thefigure skating techniquesseen in the Olympics.Relearning the moves turned out to be trickier than expected, but according to the film’s director Craig Gillespie, Robbie went above and beyond the basics.“She started skating 3 or 4 times a week for five months and she was incredibly diligent about it,” Gillespie told PEOPLE in 2018. “The amount of stuff that she could do was amazing. For that end sequence when she comes out on the ice, those 30 or 40 seconds with all those turns and spins, that’s all Margot. She managed to be in it so much more than I expected.”
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Margot Robbie Learned to Figure Skate for ‘I, Tonya’
Margot Robbie in I, Tonya.Frank Masi/30West/courtesy Everett Collection
Frank Masi/30West/courtesy Everett Collection
Gearing up for her Oscar-nominated performance asTonya Hardingin the 2017 biopicI, Tonya,Margot Robbietransformed on ice. While the Australian actress was familiar with ice hockey moves, she needed to adopt thefigure skating techniquesseen in the Olympics.
Relearning the moves turned out to be trickier than expected, but according to the film’s director Craig Gillespie, Robbie went above and beyond the basics.
“She started skating 3 or 4 times a week for five months and she was incredibly diligent about it,” Gillespie told PEOPLE in 2018. “The amount of stuff that she could do was amazing. For that end sequence when she comes out on the ice, those 30 or 40 seconds with all those turns and spins, that’s all Margot. She managed to be in it so much more than I expected.”
06of 07Joseph Gordon-Levitt Learned Tightrope Walking for ‘The Walk’Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk.Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett CollectionJoseph Gordon-Levittdidn’t actually risk his life while filmingThe Walk, but he prepared to anyway. The biopic tells the story of French artistPhilippe Petit’s unauthorized high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974, and Gordon-Levitt was lucky enough to learn from the risk-taker himself.During an episode ofConan, the actoropened up about his daunting new skill. While he never braved heights as high as the World Trade Center towers (which stood at around 1,360 feet tall), Gordon-Levitt practiced on a six-foot wire. While he says he had to wear a safety harness “because of insurance reasons,” the star did practice without the protection upon Petit’s encouragement.“This is the kind of teacher he is,” Gordon-Levitt explained onConan O’Brien’s talk show. “He wanted me to really feel at least a hint of the fear of what it’s like to be up there without any safety measures.”
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Learned Tightrope Walking for ‘The Walk’
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk.Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Joseph Gordon-Levittdidn’t actually risk his life while filmingThe Walk, but he prepared to anyway. The biopic tells the story of French artistPhilippe Petit’s unauthorized high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974, and Gordon-Levitt was lucky enough to learn from the risk-taker himself.
During an episode ofConan, the actoropened up about his daunting new skill. While he never braved heights as high as the World Trade Center towers (which stood at around 1,360 feet tall), Gordon-Levitt practiced on a six-foot wire. While he says he had to wear a safety harness “because of insurance reasons,” the star did practice without the protection upon Petit’s encouragement.
“This is the kind of teacher he is,” Gordon-Levitt explained onConan O’Brien’s talk show. “He wanted me to really feel at least a hint of the fear of what it’s like to be up there without any safety measures.”
07of 07Keanu Reeves Learned to Surf for ‘Point Break’Keanu Reeves in Point Break.Richard Foreman/20th Century Fox/Kobal/ShutterstockBack in 1991, Dennis Jarvis, the self-proclaimed “surf doctor of Hollywood,” toldEntertainment Weeklyhow he taughtKeanu Reevesto hang 10 forPoint Break. According to Jarvis, the actor “definitely hadn’t surfed before.” (Reeves’ costarPatrick Swayze, on the other hand, had dabbled a bit).Luckily, Reeves wasn’t playing a pro surfer, and his awkward moves fit his role as FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover to investigate the surf community. But even though he didn’t need to learn the sport inside and out, Jarvis said he continued catching waves post-production. The surf guru even built his most-improved pupil a custom board!
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Keanu Reeves Learned to Surf for ‘Point Break’
Keanu Reeves in Point Break.Richard Foreman/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Richard Foreman/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Back in 1991, Dennis Jarvis, the self-proclaimed “surf doctor of Hollywood,” toldEntertainment Weeklyhow he taughtKeanu Reevesto hang 10 forPoint Break. According to Jarvis, the actor “definitely hadn’t surfed before.” (Reeves’ costarPatrick Swayze, on the other hand, had dabbled a bit).
Luckily, Reeves wasn’t playing a pro surfer, and his awkward moves fit his role as FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover to investigate the surf community. But even though he didn’t need to learn the sport inside and out, Jarvis said he continued catching waves post-production. The surf guru even built his most-improved pupil a custom board!
source: people.com
