Movies and TV shows have scenes which make us uncomfortable as viewers. The scenes send a chill down the spine of the viewers. However, to make these scenes as compelling and engaging as possible, actors often push their acting prowess to newer levels. Oftentimes the performance leaves them with the trauma and emotional damage that continues even after the director says, “Cut!”
These 7 actors have opened up about their respective scenes and performances that took a heavy emotional toll on them.
1. Sophie Turner
The actor was only 15 years old when Game Of Thrones first aired on HBO. As the show progressed, Sophie’s Sansa underwent major character developments. In a recent interview, the actor opened up and spoke about how she is sure that she will “exhibit some symptoms of trauma down the road.” The actor also spoke about how she tried having fun on set during breaks so that the trauma wouldn’t hit her bad.
2. Kit Harrington
Game Of Thrones is not an easy show to watch, and for the actors, not an easy show to film. The fifth season of the series showed Jon Snow murdered by one of his men. Also, the Battle of Bastards took a major toll on the actor. It is widely reported how the actor sought rehab. In an interview, Kit says “I went through some mental health difficulties after ‘Thrones’ — and during the end of ‘Thrones,’ to be honest – and I think it was directly to do with the nature of the show and what I’ve been doing for years.” The actor decided to take a break after the show to focus on himself.
3. Marilyn Burns
In one of the scenes of Texas Chain Saw, Marilyn’s Sally is repeatedly hit on her head with a sledgehammer. The gruesome scene has the character tied up and she screams for hours. Sally’s finger is cut open and the scene was too real with the stench of rotten food. In an interview, the late actor said, “I was just so grateful it was over. I probably was the happiest girl alive.”
4. Shelley Duvall
If you have watched The Shining, you know the gruelling scenes Shelley’s Wendy was subjected to. In an interview, the actor opened up and said, “‘You just think about something very sad in your life or how much you miss your family or friends. But after a while, your body rebels. It says: “Stop doing this to me. I don’t want to cry every day.” And sometimes just that thought alone would make me cry.” The actor also revealed how Stanley Kubrick does not shoot anything until the 35th take. “Thirty-five takes, running and crying and carrying a little boy, it gets hard. And a full performance from the first rehearsal. That’s difficult,” mentioned the actor.
5. Wamiqa Gabbi
The actor was seen in Mai alongside Sakshi Tanwar. The actor revealed that while shooting an intense scene for Mai she broke down on the sets and continued to cry even after the cut. “I don’t know whether it was the exhaustion of the past months or simply my emotions (getting the better of me), but I couldn’t stop crying,” mentioned the actor.
6. Jessica Chastain
Scenes From A Marriage focuses on a couple’s life with their marriage falling apart. Rated an 8/10 on IMDb, the mini-series surveys monogamy and parenthood. In an interview, Jessica Chastain mentioned how the emotion-driven show left her crying “everyday for four months”.
7. Alexa Demie
The Euphoria actor opened up about the filming of an episode in Season 2 where Nate holds Maddy at gunpoint. The actor revealed how the scene was “incredibly difficult not only because of the gun to my head, but because it was choreographed in a really specific way.”
8. Rajkummar Rao
The actor has given performances that constantly up his skills as an actor. While playing the role of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in Omerta, the actor shared how the role shook him. “I was exploring dark roots and secrets about that world and I was very disturbed while shooting for it…that was an extremely disturbing process. It is not something I really enjoyed doing,” mentioned the actor.
Similarly, for Trapped, where he played the role of a man trapped in his own house without an escape, the actor said, “It was physically and mentally exhausting for me to live in that space for almost 18-20 days, to eat nothing. Trust me, it’s scary to hell.”
At the end of the day, actors are humans too.