Category: Actors getting into Character

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For the movie Cake, how did Jennifer Aniston prepare to play a chronic pain sufferer?

To get into character for her new film Cake, Jennifer Aniston had to ditch her healthy lifestyle. Jennifer is known for her lean diet and trim figure. Jennifer’s character, Claire Simmons, suffers chronic pain after a car accident that left her scarred. Aniston quit exercising and eating as well as she usually does.

Us Magazine reported that Jennifer spoke about gaining weight for the movie at the American Cinematheque screening of Cake. Aniston and host Jason Bateman talked about the difficulties of her transformation. Not only did she gain weight, but Jennifer wore no makeup except for the character’s scars and dark under eye circles.

Manipulating your appearance is one of the most difficult things for an actor to do.  If successful, the actor can improve their role by molding themselves into character.  kudos to Jennifer Aniston for having the chops to do that!

Matthew  Mcconaughey lost weight for the Dallas Buyers club.  Here is my take on it:  How do actors get so lean for certain movies? 

This is an article on her transformation from inquisitr.com

 

Jennifer Aniston bio
Jennifer Aniston movies
Jennifer Aniston autographed photos

I am a fan. Ms. Aniston is a good performer with a considerable body of work!

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Can Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans get enough time outside MCU to work on other movies which requires time to get into character?

By Alan Chenkin, Learned about celebrities by reading the tabloids in the checkout aisle.
 
Both actors have enough time to work other projects, as the other answers attest. Many productions work around the actors availability, because of their cost per day of being in production, and contract demands.
It’s also smart to consider that these actors need the blockbuster films, for both fame and income – so that their brand will pull more fans into lesser-known productions. Both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans mention this, and discuss being typecast as super-heroes:

Chris Evans – Bio on IMDB; Autographed memorabilia (Amazon), and Films to stream or buy. (Amazon).
Both actors have talked about retiring from their blockbuster superhero roles, but this may be a negotiating ploy (for more money or control over scripts/production schedules).[1] [2]
Note this observation:
Not every actor is Scarlett Johansson, who is under contract from Marvel while also appearing in three to four other movies a year. But even she admits, “It can feel like a gilded cage at times… it’s something that obviously allows you the opportunity to do things like go and direct your first feature and have a built-in audience for that. At the same time, at the end of the job, there’s always a super suit in your future.” [3]
Actors also have a time constraint; Age, injury, and possible loss of audience/Fan base compel them to make as much work output as possible while they are at the top of their game.  As an example, Drugs and a prison sentence sidelined Robert Downey Jr. to the point where he was considered out of the business. He has since paid his debt to society, and that adds to his attraction as a “Comeback” Kid:
In all probability, we will see both of these Blockbuster actors in front of, and behind, the camera for years to come. Thanks for reading my Blog!  Feel free to share!
Footnotes

 

Edited and expanded from my answer in Quora.