And, of course, the ultimate method actor, Daniel Day Lewis, has gone the extra mile for many roles – including remaining wheelchair-bound throughout the filming of My Left Foot. During filming, in which Daniel Day Lewis played an artist with cerebral palsy, he would remain in his chair in between takes and even had crew members feed him; he ended up breaking two ribs in the process.
These dramatic "live like the character" stories make me laugh. Adrien Brody sold off his stuff and moved to Europe with two bags to pretend to understand what it was like to be a concentration camp survivor. The key ingredient for all of them is missing...the reality of the situation and knowing that it's just all just pretend and going home to palatial digs when it's all done or in Brody's case, just going to an ATM and checking in to the most expensive hotel in Paris when you get tired of roughing it . All of this is just drama on and off the set.