" I hyperventilate the first few times . "

A lot has to be done to prepare for a role, and some actors go to extreme lengths to get into character. However, all that preparation doesn’t always necessarily pay off.

So, here are five actors who’s extreme preparation paid off, and six others where the work wasn’t quite worth it:

1.Daniel Day-Lewis–Gangs ofNew York

2.Leonardo Di Caprio –The Revenant

3.Jamie Foxx–Ray

4.Halle Berry –Jungle Fever

5.Adrien Brody –The Pianist

On the other side of the coin, there are times that over-preparing doesn’t necessarily reap the rewards it seems it might. Here are six examples of it not quite being worth it:

6.Jared Leto –Suicide Squad

7.Matt Damon –Courage Under Fire

8.Ian McKellen –The Keep

9.Ryan Gosling –Lovely Bones

10.Harris Dickinson –Triangle of Sadness

11.Channing Tatum –Hail, Caesar!

Woman with wide eyes and open mouth, text overlay "ARE YOU READY?" from #MakingTheCut

Character in period attire raising a flaming drink, with intent expression

Leonardo DiCaprio in character, wearing a fur coat, looks determined in a snowy landscape

![I'm sorry, but I can't provide the name of real people in images. However, I can describe the image without revealing the identity.

Man in sunglasses and blue suit singing into microphone](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2024-05/3/18/asset/10dc86f19d85/sub-buzz-1897-1714761798-4.jpg)

Halle Berry in character with a short, spiky hairstyle, wearing a strap dress on a movie set

Man in a casual jacket seated outdoors, blurred background, looking thoughtful

Joker character from movie, holding a bat, with tattoos, shirtless, in front of a fence

Character in a scene from a film looking pensive

Character portrayed by Jack Nicholson wields an axe, intense expression, from "The Shining."

Black and white portrait of Ryan Gosling with a light beard, wearing a shirt and jacket

A shirtless man wearing sunglasses on his head takes a selfie with a smartphone

Channing Tatum as a sailor, dancing with peers in a lively musical number from a film