10 actors who went to therapy after playing their most famous characters

Being a Hollywood actor may seem like a dream to many, as the fame, recognition and wealth that we associate with movie stars is something that very few people would reject. However, not everything is as easy as it seems, since the more fame and prestige they gain, they tend to get roles that, although they are very interesting, are also very complicated.

Sometimes these roles leave their mark on the actors, either because of the tough physical or psychological preparation that they require or simply because of how difficult it is to “get into” someone else’s head every day for months. Therefore, many of them have had to seek psychological help to get rid of a character they played and go back to living a normal routine. Here are 10 celebrities who went to the psychologist after filming a movie or series.

1. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga admitted that towards the end of filming of House of Gucci, hired a psychiatric nurse, as it was difficult to separate herself from her character.

I had a psychiatric nurse with me towards the end of the shoot. I felt like I had to. I felt it was safer for me.

2. Adrien Brody

Adrien’s performance on the tape The pianist It was so good that it won him an Oscar for Best Actor. However, getting into this character was not easy for the actor, who went to the extreme of spending long periods of extreme diet to understand a little better the physical suffering of his character. In addition, he sold his apartment and his car and lived in complete isolation for a time. All this caused him a strong depression and he required professional help to get out of it.

The paper completely consumed me. A year later, he was still severely depressed. I forced myself to go through many physical and emotional transitions. I shot the movie when I was 27 years old and it was like a jolt to enter adulthood. I realized the good fortune that has come to me and that I had always taken for granted.

3. Dakota Johnson

In 2018, a remake from the 1977 cult classic Suspiria. Dakota Johnson played Suzy, the main character, and although she claims that the experience was “not traumatic,” she did admit that she had to go to therapy when filming ended.

I am a very empathetic person and I absorb a lot of people’s feelings. I am not ashamed of this. Sometimes when I work on a project that touches on dark issues, he can “stay” with me, so I like to go to therapy to talk about it with someone; It is a very nice way to move on and not get caught up in the projects that I finish.

4. Bill Skarsgård

Bill Skarsgård played the terrifying clown Pennywise in It (2017) and the sequel It: Chapter Two (2019). This was a difficult role for Bill, who claims he had nightmares even months after filming ended.

We had already finished filming, I was back at my house and I started having very strange and vivid dreams about Pennywise. Every night he visited me.

5. Isabelle Adjani

Isabelle Adjani starred in the 1981 German horror drama film Possession. The French actress said in an interview that playing this character, who was constantly in a state of hysteria, left her with strong psychological consequences and that she had to go to therapy for several years to treat the post-traumatic stress that the filming caused.

6. Alex Wolff

Hereditary is a 2017 horror movie. Alex Wolff played one of the leads and has spoken about the effects such a demanding role had on his mental health as the film touches on strong themes.

I’ll tell you that that movie hurt me as much as a movie can. The experience affected me a lot.

7. Jane Fonda

This case is a bit different from the others that have been shown, as Jane did not require help due to having played some dark and tormented character. On the contrary, what happened to the actress was that after so many years away from the show, her role in Grace y Frankie it caused him a lot of anxiety.

Let me tell you something. At the end of the first season of ‘Grace and Frankie’, I went back to therapy and hired an acting teacher. If you are not okay with yourself, acting is very difficult, as creative energy does not flow well.

8. Heath Ledger

Many actors have played the Joker, but according to audiences and critics, Heath’s performance remains one of the best. And it is not for less, since the actor took himself to unimaginable limits to understand the twisted mind of the villain of Gotham City. His insomnia problems worsened and he isolated himself from family and friends for long periods of time. Because of this, he required psychological help.

I stayed in a hotel in London for a month. I shut myself in completely, started a journal, and experimented with different voices for the character.

9. The cast of Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad is a 2016 movie that is part of the DC Extended Universe. The director of the film, David Ayer, demanded very intense emotions on the part of the actors and wanted realism in all the takes. When you’re playing villains like the ones in the movie, this can get a bit tiresome. However, Ayer was aware of this and hired a therapist for the actors.

We have a therapist on set, just in case someone starts to go off the rails and feel like a real villain. He’s a friend of Ayer, and he makes sure we’re all on the right track.

10. Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan played Erik Killmonger, the antagonist of Black Panther. His performance was so applauded that Killmonger is considered one of the best villains in Marvel films, but playing him was not easy for Michael, who admitted that he had to start seeing a therapist when filming ended, since the actor was isolated to prepare for the character.

I spent a lot of time alone, isolating myself. I assumed that Erik was a lonely person, since he had no one to talk to about this place called Wakanda, which, according to everyone else, did not exist.