40+ Amazing Skills Actors Learned for a Movie Role
Elliot Page (Formerly Known as Ellen Page) – Juggling
Elliot Page, the star of Juno, is a well-rounded person. He’s not just an actor but also a musician (he plays the guitar and piano), dancer, painter, and writer.
But his latest hobby is juggling. The Juno star takes his juggling skills seriously; he must’ve been throwing everything he could up in the air whenever he had free time during filming because he mastered the art! On one episode of Conan, the actor put those skills to the test with no warning. He started juggling with random fruit without even a hint that he was about to begin!
Kate Winslet – Breathing Under Water
Kate plays a “water person” in the highly anticipated Avatar sequel. The longest she could hold her breath was seven minutes and 14 seconds while performing underwater scenes without using a breathing apparatus such as a scuba mask.
To prepare, Winslet trained with a coach who taught her how to hold her breath using yoga techniques. She also learned how to swim upside down, which required hours of practice each day.
Tom Cruise – Helicopter Flying
As if jumping from one moving helicopter to another in Mission Impossible: Fallout wasn’t hard enough, Tom Cruise learned how to fly a helicopter before filming started. Cruise earned his pilot’s license and helicopter training before stepping onto the set.
He must’ve really wanted that adrenaline rush! What can you learn from Tom Cruise? Think outside of your comfort zone. Do something you wouldn’t normally do, or don’t feel comfortable doing, to challenge yourself and grow as an individual. You never know what might lurk behind a closed door until you open it!
Taron Egerton – Playing the Piano
Actor Taron Egerton learned to play the piano for the role of Elton John in Rocketman. Director Dexter Fletcher said that it was only three months before production started when he realized he needed someone who could sing and play the piano, and that’s when he called Egerton.
The actor spent eight hours a day on pre-production, including two hours of rehearsal. It was worth the effort, as Taron Egerton gave an excellent performance.
Have you ever wondered what skills an actor needs to learn in order to be prepared for their next movie role? Indeed, some movies don’t require actors to do much more than act, and some don’t require special skills or athletic ability (some even require the opposite). But some need actors to master specific skills and practices to fully immerse themselves in their character and make it realistic, tangible, and believable on screen. So let’s look at 40+ amazing skills actors learned from scratch for a movie role!