For many actors, using grief to their advantage on screen is a well-trod path; however, pretending to be grieving is a whole other story. Method acting has long been seen as a demanding and occasionally contentious way of producing real performances on screen. However, revelations about Aaron Eckhart’s extreme methods to get into character for his role in 2010’s Rabbit Hole have caused a few to gasp and sparked a fresh discussion about the limits of method acting.
The actor attended a support group for parents who had lost their child and even staged his own child’s death in order to prepare for his role. Well, in the past, we’ve heard stories of actors going to great lengths to immerse themselves in their roles, from drastic weight loss to being cut off from the outside world.
But Jared Leto’s tale was nothing short of a nightmare. He gave his Suicide Squad buddies ‘used c*ndoms’ and even dead rats.
However, what Eckhart did to prepare himself to act out his role as a grieving father elevates the situation to a completely new level. In layman’s terms, method acting is the process through which performers fully inhabit their roles.
From Rehearsal to Reality: Aaron Eckhart’s Convincing Portrayal in Rabbit Hole
For a movie role, Aaron Eckhart, 56, once claimed his child had died.
Prior to shooting the 2010 flick, the actor—who co-starred with Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole—went to bereavement support groups and felt very “rude” after having an emotional breakdown during one of them.
“It is rude”, he said, addressing his extreme acting technique on The Howard Stern Show. The actor further added:
“It’s very sensitive to go in there, of course it is. I did the research. The gathering is very quiet. There’s 10 people, couples. [Their children had passed away] very recently, it’s fresh. You’re sitting in sort of a circle. Then one person goes, then two, three, then it gets to me. And by that point you’re just so flushed that you just start going and giving the details of the story.”
Eckhart disclosed that he experienced a complete emotional breakdown due to his intense immersion in the event:
“Oh yeah, 100 percent, I lost it. You really believe that you just lost a child. You are as close to reality in that sense as possible. I don’t want to be rude to people who have lost a child, but yeah, you feel right there, you feel like your character.”
Kidman, who costarred with Eckhart in Rabbit Hole, declined to attend. The Erin Brockovich actor joked with Howard Stern, “No, she was in the Bahamas or somewhere”, as he laughed off the thought of her going.
Regardless, Kidman’s portrayal received high praise from critics and led to nominations for her to win the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and the Academy Award for Best Actress, among other honors.
From Dead Rats to C*ndoms: Decoding Jared Leto’s Provocative Gifts
Famous for being a method actor, Jared Leto stays loyal to his role between takes and will go to considerable measures to shed pounds for certain roles. Thus, the rumors that the actor had given his Suicide Squad co-stars gifts, like a dead rat and some used c*ndoms, were taken seriously by everyone.
In an interview with GQ, the Joker actor had earlier denied giving Margot Robbie a dead rat. He did, however, later admit that his fellow actors had concurred that his gifts were intended to be comical rather than menacing.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Leto stated:
“Any of the very few gifts that were ever given were given with a spirit of fun and adventure and received with laughter, fun, and adventure. It’s all filmed! They filmed it all! People were dying. We were just having a goof. The only gifts I ever gave Margot were cupcakes. I think I gave her a mouse, and some of the other guys got gifts that you’d get as a joke at a party. I’m playing a guy called the Joker, it’s okay to play some jokes. Nothing ever crossed any lines, and it’s not up to other people on the internet to create those lines.”
Additionally, he had this to say to those who disapproved of his methods:
“I’m an artist at the end of the day. If I do something risky and you don’t like it, basically, you can kiss my a*s.”
Jared Leto may have set a high standard for method-acting antics, but Aaron Eckhart’s extreme methods have taken it to new heights—or depths, depending on your perspective.
What are your thoughts on Eckhart and Letos’ acting techniques?
Stream Rabbit Hole on Amazon Prime Video and Suicide Squad is available on Max.
