Actors Known For Taking On Challenging Roles

Whether for physically challenging roles or emotionally challenging. Or both. Not just an actor who took on one particularly rough role but actually seems to be attracted to them and choose them over and over. For me, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the first that comes to mind for roles from Manic to Brick to Mysterious Skin which just seemed torturous. And most recently taking on the role of Snowden.

Others include:

Monica Bellucci: Brotherhood of the Wolf, Irreversible, Passion of the Christ

Béatrice Dalle: Trouble Every Day, Time of the Wolf, Inside and frankly shes got a reputation for being completely insane in real life too

Charlotte Gainsbourg: Pretty much everything shes done has been fairly challenging. But especially The Cement Garden, Melancholia, Antichrist, BOTH Nymphomaniac films... part of that is what happens when you become Lars von Trier's first choice actress and say yes to everything he wants you to do...

Willem Dafoe: Last Temptation of Christ, Mississippi Burning, Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, Antichrist, Nymphomaniac, Pasolini, and other roles Im sure Im forgetting.

Naomi Watts: 21 Grams, Mulholland Drive, Stay, Funny Games.

Klaus Kinski: (who was just such a great actor and always kept his emotions on his sleave which made everything he did seem challenging. His characters in Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Nosferatu, Woyzeck, Fitzcarraldo testify to this. And even though he was a small part, his character in L'important c'est d'aimer simply steals the movie in flamboyant over the top fashion. And he, like Dalle, also had a reputation for being highly eccentric and problematic and mentally unstable in real life).


So what are other actors who people think should definitely be added to this list and which performances by them impressed you the most? Im sure Im missing tons of obvious ones and many more I dont even know about. Maybe Ed Norton? Charlize Theron? Dustin Hoffman? AnnaLynne McCord?

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Theron for sure. I don’t think she gets enough credit for her versatility.

I think Gosling’s got a good handle on his image and challenges it continuously. Drive is all about dissecting an masculine archetype and a successful attempt to rid himself of the romantic image left by The Notebook. Stripped to bare bones. He’s outright pathetic in The Nice Guys and Blade Runner subverts itself continuously. I’m excited to see how he handles Neil Armstrong’s aloofness.

I’m still not sure what to make of Only God Forgives.

Jake Gyllenhaal immediately comes to mind.

Kevin Bacon
Gary Oldman
Juliette Binoche

Bette Davis, she had the guts to take on an anti-McCarthy blacklist role in the 1950s during the height of blacklisting. Now that's a gutsy lady.

Absolutely. Anyone who has seen Baby Jane can testify to her being willing to take roles that disturb AND with actors she had bitter rivalries with.

Bacon is a great example. Most actors would be too scared to take on the role Bacon took in The Woodsman.

I still haven't seen it but it was the main reason I mentioned him, as well as Death Sentence (2007).

Amanda Plummer

I guess Uma Thurman gets on here if only for the ordeal of both Kill Bill films.

I'd highly recommend watching it soon as you can. It's a great movie.

Hilary Swank

If it was up to me she'd get on here anyway .

It must've been very hard for Daniel Day Lewis to effectively pretend to have cerebral palsy. Is it true that he stayed in the wheelchair for the entire filming of the film, on and offset?

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I would like to add some more roles of actors:-

Christian Bale - The Machinist
Edward Norton - American History X
Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

I highly recommend The Woodsman...Bacon was robbed of an Oscar nomination.

I really liked him innice guys. I thought the chemistry between him and crowe was really good, and for me his comedic timing was excellent. Falli gpver the balcony was hysterically funny (for me). What about him didnt you like Saunch? Just curious.

I don’t dislike him. If it’s the “pathetic” comment that you're referring to, I meant it as a compliment. Guy can be pitiful without losing the audience.

Hi, sorry I didn't see this. Yeah I know what you mean. He can have a homeless lo0k about him, and especially on those late night shows with Harrison Ford on their junket for (OMG I've forgotten the name of the movie. Stupid bloody brain!!!
I can't tell if he's really tired or intimidated.

Blade 🏃