The last thing most people think about when watching a movie is how a role will affect the actor in real life. However, it should come as no surprise that actors who dive into their roles and perform deep, heartwrenching portrayals often leave the set of a movie scathed. 

     Becoming one with the character creates a more realistic and convincing performance. Although this boosts a film’s success, being so attached to a role can also deteriorate the actor’s health.

     “I don’t think [the performance] is worth someone’s sanity,” senior Maddie Joyner said. “Nothing is worth losing yourself, especially because movies are not reality. Making this distinction is important.”

     Heath Ledger’s performance in “The Dark Knight” is possibly one of the most known examples of actors falling too deeply into a character. Ledger isolated himself in a motel room for 43 days to get into the Joker’s mindset. An anonymous source revealed that after the isolation, Ledger was “cut off emotionally and very lost, a truly tortured soul who seemed like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

     “Many studies suggest that prolonged isolation can lead to cognitive decline.  If there is little to no stimulation then we may lose some cognitive skills,” AP Psychology teacher Angie Knight said.

     Ledger struggled with insomnia and anxiety before he starred as the Joker, and took prescribed medications to alleviate these issues. However, he reported more chronic symptoms, beginning around the time of his isolation. Ledger passed away in 2008 due to an accidental drug overdose on multiple prescriptions, including painkillers, anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills.

     “He was so engaged in his role that he disregarded his own health,”  senior Jason Zhang said. “This allowed him to fulfill the dark character of the Joker, but at the price of his [reliance on medication] and his death.”

     Not all actors are willing to sacrifice their health for their roles, including Shelley Duvall who starred as Wendy Torrance in “The Shining.” Director Stanley Kubrick forced the actors to re-film several scenes, including the notorious baseball bat scene which was filmed 127 times. Production ran behind schedule, isolating Duvall from her family.

     “Filming ‘The Shining’ damaged [Duvall’s] mental health,” Zhang said. “Her role probably gave her memories that will haunt her forever.”

     Duvall appeared on “Dr. Phil” in 2016 after over a decade away from the public eye. She startled fans with crazed ramblings about former ‘Popeye’ co-star Robin Williams, suggesting that he was a “shape-shifter” that appeared to her in different forms and was not actually dead, although he had passed away two years prior to the interview. Duvall admitted that she was sick and needed help.

     “Too far is anything that makes an actor spiral out of control because of the  roles they’ve portrayed,” Joyner said. “Although it made [Duvall] give a great performance, [Kubrick’s demands] had severely detrimental effects.”

     Some actors blur a role and reality because of the focus and dedication they have for the film. Fans, critics and directors praise actors who give a vivid performance, even though their performances come at a great cost.

     “Some [actors] are passionate about their work and feel that falling into their roles produces the best product,” Knight said. “I think that the real problem is when they allow their role to become their real and only life.”