15 actors who were helped by drugs to get used to the role

Before we start, let's get this straight: drugs are bad. And this selection is not a reason to believe that only sobriety stands between you and the Academy Award. It doesn't work that way. Drugs have destroyed more lives and careers than they built. 

Regardless of whether the addicts on this list encountered drug addiction during filming or used their past knowledge, the drugs helped them in a certain way.

We admit that we cannot know for sure whether these actors could have performed better if they had been "clean" and sober all their lives. There are examples where addicted characters were played by actors who learned the role just by watching the addicts. Working with drugs at arm's length works. But today we are talking about those who were helped in reincarnation in front of the camera by experiments with prohibited substances.

Hsu Garcia, " A Nightmare on the Street Elm Trees»

The actor who played Rod in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" showed a strong performance. Prior to filming, Garcia was homeless and addicted to heroin to cope with depression. He was still struggling with drug addiction when he got the role.

Garcia admitted to using drugs during the filming. For example, during the scene between him and Heather Langenkamp in a prison cell. Langenkamp later said of the scene: "His eyes were cloudy and his gaze was unfocused… I thought: "Wow, he's playing the best game of his life."

Garcia is a talented guy, but his performance of the paranoid and manic kind would not have been possible without the use of drugs.

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman is a great actor, regardless of whether he is addicted or "clean". In the mid-to‑late 70s, many good films were released in which Hoffman played: "All the President's Men", "Marathon Runner", "Kramer vs. Kramer". At that time, the actor was addicted to drugs. And although he looks back on this period as a dark time in his life, these roles were among the best of his career.

Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper played incredible roles. We took two of them as an example to look at both sides of the Hopper - in the period of dependence and without it.

In the Careless Rider, Hopper was completely exhausted. He later said that during these years he could have consumed beer, a bottle of rum and about three grams of cocaine to recover. He felt that it was all part of the creative process.

When Hopper played one of his best roles in Blue Velvet, he was sober, but he used his past experience to create the image of Frank Booth.

Jack Nicholson

For most of his early career, Jack Nicholson was "high", although he can not be called a drug addict. According to Nicholson and his fans, the drugs helped him. Take his performance in Careless Rider, for example. Nicholson used his experience with illegal substances to play a drunk man. In working on the role of the Joker in "Batman", Nicholson used past experience to transform into as crazy a character as possible.

Johnny Depp, " Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas»

Johnny Depp's experience in the use of illegal substances helped the actor to work on the film. Playing the eccentric Hunter Thompson, Depp had to portray the character under the influence of various drugs. And Johnny got into the role perfectly. From an early age, the actor was addicted to drugs and alcohol. This has been going on since the early ' 90s, when he was in a bad position. Depp says of these times: "I was stupid, and I poisoned myself for years."

Matthew Perry, " Friends»

Matthew Perry has always been open about his addiction, but claimed that he was never "high"during the filming of the series. But in one interview, when asked which of the episodes of "Friends" he likes the least, the actor replied: "My God! I think my answer is: I don't remember three years of this show. I was a little out of it for a while, yeah, somewhere between season three and season six." And these seasons were the best in the series. Matthew may not remember how he played, but it was amazing. 

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, " The Blues Brothers»

According to rumors, when the film was shot in Chicago, Belushi's hometown, the actor was under the influence of illegal substances all the time. His colleague Aykroyd said that he also used drugs. And when things got really bad, the studio even hired bodyguards to keep the stars away from temptation. But the film ended up being great. It's hard to imagine what would have happened if these two had been sober.

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid's performance in the movie "The Big Buzz" was one of the best of his career. But, according to the actor, it was not easy for him. He was using drugs at the time. Although Quaid is critical of his work, his off-set lifestyle has leaked onto the screen, and it really worked. His screen image has become too real.

Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase, " Golf Club»

Rodney Dangerfield used cocaine during the filming of "Golf Club". He does not speak very well of that time, but he showed excellent comedic improvisation. At the beginning of filming, Dangerfield and Chase showed up on the set with drugs. During the 11 weeks of filming, the team became addicted to illegal substances, which could not but affect the film.

Robin Williams, " Mork and Mindy»

For Robin Williams, "Mork and Mindy" was a career boost. In those early years, he was a drug addict. People joked that it was cocaine that helped Williams become a manic comedian. The actor himself said of his experience: "Cocaine for me is a place to hide." But the death of John Belushi from a drug overdose and the birth of a child forced Robin Williams to change his life. 

Robert Downey, Jr., " Less than Zero»

It may not be Downey Jr.'s best role, but he was good at playing a drug addict, because that's what he was at the time. This role almost ruined him. "Before that movie, I only took drugs after work and on weekends. "Less than zero" changed that. For me, the role has become something like the Ghost of Christmas to come. I became a caricature of my own character, " the actor himself said.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, " Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?»

Taylor and Burton's addiction to alcohol is a well — known fact. But during the filming of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" they tried to limit their alcohol consumption. In this film, Burton and Taylor played a drinking husband and wife. The realism of their performance is off the scale. Alcohol, most likely, helped them to get used to these roles.

Samuel L. Jackson, " Tropical Fever»

In the late ' 80s, Samuel became addicted to drugs. When he was offered the role of a drug addict in "Tropical Fever", he, of course, played it perfectly, having a lot of experience behind him.

Paul Newman, " Kick on Goal»

Paul Newman is a well-known alcoholic. This is what helped him so well to get used to the role in the film "Kick on Goal", because his hero is an alcoholic. Newman was rumored to have played some scenes while dead drunk. They even say that he had his own sauna, in which he could sweat and get rid of the effects of the previous night.

Marilyn Monroe, "Only Girls in Jazz" and " The Restless»

Marilyn Monroe, as you know, was a little unpredictable. Some of her best work came at a time when she had drugs in her life. During this period, for example, she starred in the films "Only Girls in Jazz" and "The Restless".