Sometimes drugs and alcohol are referred to
as “social lubricant”.
Meaning that in an awkward situation,it can
give us the boost we need to get through it.
In the face of something scary, a little liquid
courage can make all the difference.
Whatever you want to call it, everyone needs
a vice.
Nobody puts themselves into more awkward situations
than an actor.
And despite their often flawless appearance,
deep down, they get just as nervous as we
do.
Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Incredible Actors
Who Performed Under The Influence.
Jennifer Lawrence
It’s easy to understand why actors are apprehensive
to appear in sex scenes.
Going to bed with someone for the first time
is awkward, never mind in front of a room
full of cameras.
And Jennifer Lawrence discovered this first
hand while filming the upcoming Passengers
with Chris Pratt.
The actress was guilt-ridden at the thought
of fooling around with Pratt- who is a very
married man.
Even though everyone, including Pratt’s
wife Anna Faris, understands that it’s all
fake, Lawrence couldn’t shake the nerves.
And admitted to getting really drunk so she
could film the sequence.
Audiences have long-wondered about the ethics
of Hollywood relationships, and as always,
Lawrence’s down to earth personality gave
us a glimpse into how it’s done.
Plus, we can’t think of anyone we’d rather
fake-kiss more than Chris Pratt.
Daniel Radcliffe
One well-documented pitfall of being a child
actor is that every teenage decision they
make happens in front of millions.
Nobody wants to be remembered for the stupid
things they did while growing up, and it can
be impossible to learn tough life lessons
in private.
As Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe began his
career at an early age.
After experiencing success with the first
few films, he started to do what every teenager
does: party.
But his relationship with alcohol got a out
of hand, and he’d occasionally come in to
work still drunk from the night before.
The actor has acknowledged the experience,
saying that his habits at the time were unhealthy.
And has been giving talks about it ever since.
Anna Kendrick/Olivia Wilde
99% of the alcohol you see people drinking
on screen is fake.
It’s replaced with water or juice.
As long as it looks the part, and the performer
can actually drink it, then that’s all that
matters.
But writer and director Joe Swanberg took
a different approach while filming his 2013
comedy Drinking Buddies.
All of the beers on screen were real.
Considering the movie’s title, and that
it’s set in a brewery, you can be sure the
cast drank more than a few cold ones over
the course of filming.
Olivia Wilde and Anna Kendrick were particularly
vocal about their positive experience on set,
and admit to being more than a little tipsy
during a few scenes.
Margot Robbie
When Margot Robbie sent in her audition for
The Wolf Of Wall Street, her managers told
her not to get her hopes up.
Sure, the character had some nude scenes,
but the actress was a relative unknown.
Plus, Scorsese doesn’t take casting lightly.
So when the actress actually landed the role,
she was taken aback.
Worried about a sex scene with mega star Leonardo
DiCaprio, Robbie turned to the liquid courage.
She downed three shots of tequila in rapid
succession, and headed into the shoot with
more confidence.
Plus, why should Leo’s character get to
have all the fun?
The actress’ candidness about the situation
was refreshing, and reminds us all that even
the most beautiful people get nervous.
Brad Pitt/Edward Norton
Filming a movie involves long hours, hard
work, and lots of manpower.
Every production needs the opportunity to
blow off steam.
But one night while everyone was relaxing,
Fight Club director David Fincher kept working.
Fans of the movie will recognize the scene
where Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are drunkenly
hitting a couple of golf balls around.
But they might not know that this part of
the movie was never in the screenplay.
It was filmed by the director as the two actors
were having a drink (or six) to end the day.
They were drunk for real, and repeating the
lines Fincher was reciting to them off screen.
Everyone loves how it turned out, except for
the catering company who's truck was pelted
by golf balls.
Shia LaBeouf
From Disney channel star to weird viral video
sensation, Shia LaBeouf has had his ups and
downs.
But some think the self-described “method
actor” went too far while working on 2012’s
Lawless.
The movie tells the story of three men who
run a distillery during prohibition, and get
into some trouble with the law.
Because of his method acting, LaBeouf insisted
on drinking moonshine in between takes for
a more realistic effect.
The actor insists he never got too rowdy on
set, but one of his co-stars says otherwise.
When asked about him during interviews, actress
Mia Wasikowska handled the whole thing pretty
politely.
Even though it’s obvious from her answers
that they didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye.
And the moonshine might have had something
to do with that.
Martin Sheen
Apocalypse Now is an incredibly well-known
movie.
And the tumultuous conditions surrounding
it’s production are also notorious.
Crazy weather, mental breakdowns, and delay
after delay made it one of the most troubled
in history.
Usually when things go wrong on set, it’s
worse for the crew than the actors.
But in this case, everyone was in the same
boat.
After months of living in those conditions,
actor Martin Sheen earned himself a drink.
A scene taking place in a hotel room shows
him breaking down and punching a mirror.
And according to director Francis Ford Coppola,
it was all real.
Sheen was intoxicated the whole scene and
really did punch a real mirror.
Which he payed for later with a messed up
thumb.
Kevin Spacey
American Beauty is a movie about figuring
out who you want to be, and then being that
person.
It follows the stories of one family, and
explores how our connections to each other
can erode or evolve over time.
Kevin Spacey plays Lester, a man at a crossroads.
His performance is powerful, but it didn’t
start out that way.
Director Sam Mendes said in an interview that
the key ingredient in getting Spacey to embody
Lester was to get him high.
The director says that such a methodical and
calculated approach toward the character just
didn’t work.
And since Spacey is a details man, the only
way to bridge the gap was with a joint.
The jazz cigarette he and Wes Bentley share
is a real one, and the movie is better for
it.
Jack Nicholson
Easy Rider is an ode to the great American
road trip, and focuses on two men who take
their motorcycles, and the audience, on an
adventure.
Since its release in 1969, there’s been
a myth circulating about one of the films
stars, Jack Nicholson.
The legend goes that during filming, he smoked
155 joints.
And while the actor denies the number was
that high, he admits that he and everyone
else were all very baked during some portions.
For example, while filming the campfire scene.
Nicholson says he started that day trying
to act stoned, but ended it very stoned and
trying to look sober.
And trying to keep it together while under
the influence is hard, even for Oscar-winners.
Carrie Fisher
The seventies were a time where you could
throw a party and legitimately have no idea
who would show up.
The stars partied hard.
And when Carrie Fisher was shooting Star Wars,
so did she.
The actress has talked about working a full
day, then partying all night.
And one night, The Rolling Stones showed up.
As she tells it, Fisher called co-star Harrison
Ford to come join the fun, and he was happy
oblige.
The two actors spent the night drinking and
stumbled into work the next morning.
They didn’t get any sleep the night before
so they were not exactly in good condition.
But they made it through the shoot, and lived
to tell the tale.
What do you think?
Did we miss any other incredible actors who
performed under the influence?
Tell us about them in the comments below,
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