10 Actors Who Went Undercover Whereas Prepping For Films

Learn how these celebs hid their identification…

When Tom Holland was making ready to star in Spider-Man: Homecoming, he wished the true expertise of attending a STEM college. He jokingly advised to Marvel that he go undercover at an actual highschool — they usually truly agreed. Tom ended up at Bronx Faculty of Science, which he says was a spot for “genius youngsters” and he didn’t actually slot in. He ended up shadowing a pupil named Arun Bishop, pretending to be his cousin, and never even the academics knew he was faking it.

“I used to be sat behind a classroom subsequent to fairly a fairly lady, and finally, she was like, ‘So, dude, what’s your deal, man?’ I used to be like, ‘Properly, do you wanna know my secret?’ She’s like, ‘Okay.’ ‘I’m truly Spider-Man.’ She was like, ‘Dude, you’re nuts, bro. You’re nuts.’ I used to be like, ‘No, severely. I’m truly an actor. I’m British. I’m taking part in Spider-Man.’ And he or she did not consider me,” Tom recalled on Jimmy Kimmel Dwell.

When Hayden Christensen was solid as Leo Campoli in Little Italy he obtained into character by getting a job at a pizza store. Since his character additionally labored at a pizzeria, he obtained the total expertise of working within the store and even making a supply.

“[I] labored at a pizzeria. I additionally delivered a pizza. The individuals I used to be delivering to didn’t acknowledge me and I obtained an excellent tip,” Hayden informed the Toronto Solar.

Earlier than starting filming on The Bear, Ayo Edebiri, alongside along with her co-star Jeremy Allen White went to Pasadena’s Institute of Culinary Schooling after which obtained jobs working in eating places. There, they did kitchen coaching undercover for a number of months — however Ayo says that whereas she went unrecognized, everybody knew Jeremy.

“Individuals acknowledged Jeremy, however no person knew who I used to be in any respect, which was good for analysis. It was type of annoying once I was like ‘Yeah, I stayed up late to scrub till 12, and Jeremy was like ‘I obtained to go dwelling!’” Ayo informed Deadline.

Again within the early 2000s, Renée Zellweger ready for her function in Bridget Jones’s Diary by going undercover on the publishing firm Picador. She labored there “a month or two” and went completely unnoticed by her co-workers and “no person knew” it was her regardless of some fairly large coincidences.

“I used to be ‘Bridget Cavendish’ as a result of Jonathan Cavendish, the movie’s producer, was superb buddies with the gentleman who was the editor of Picador. A part of my job was to take the newspaper clippings from the every day papers and file them below Helen Fielding’s file, as they represented her. And I began having to clip these articles about this ‘crap American actor’ who was set to play Bridget Jones,” she informed British Vogue.

She added, “Possibly I used to be out of context, or perhaps it was having extra chubby cheeks. It was odd. One of many girls who labored within the workplace was studying the Anna Quindlen novel One True Factor, they usually made a movie out of it [that I starred in], so I’m on the duvet of the e-book. And he or she’s there telling me about having completed it on the Tube on the way in which to work and the way marvelous it was.”

Robert Pattinson obtained prepared for his function in Good Time by dwelling undercover and embodying his character. He moved to New York Metropolis and rented a basement condo in Harlem. He then obtained a job at a automobile wash — however didn’t find yourself working there very lengthy earlier than getting fired.

“I by no means opened my curtains, didn’t change the sheets your entire time I used to be there, for these two months, and I might simply sleep in my garments. There was this girl who lived upstairs, and he or she saved attempting to see what was occurring as a result of she thought I used to be such a weirdo,” Robert shared with information.com.au.

He continued, “I saved actually bizarre hours, and I might run in and shortly shut the curtains. I used to be like this freak dwelling within the backside of the basement. I used to be on my own the entire time. I solely ate cans of tuna the entire time. I in all probability have mercury poisoning now as a result of I ate it simply out of the can. That is all that was there: tuna, scorching sauce, and Nespresso capsules.”

To prepare for her function as a stripper in Hustlers, Constance Wu says she went undercover and labored at a strip membership. Wanting again, Constance says she modified her look by placing in hair items and added pretend tattoos on her neck. She ended up making a ton of cash the primary evening she was on the membership.

“I did work at a strip membership to prepare for Hustlers. I went undercover. I gave lap dances to strangers. I’m not mendacity! I made 600 bucks my first evening!” she stated on The Kelly Clarkson Present, jokingly including, “Possibly I discovered my actual self there within the strip membership.”

In The Stand In, Drew Barrymore portrayed each actress Sweet Black and her stand-in Paula, and needed to put on facial prosthetics to distinguish the characters. Earlier than filming started, she determined to learn the way convincing the prosthetics had been by going into public and even auditioning for a random challenge at Central Casting.

Director Jamie Babbit informed Leisure Weekly, “She obtained into the constructing with my driver’s license, and he or she went in and interviewed. We wished to see what the determined lifetime of a stand-in was like, somebody who individuals don’t give a shit about and who simply desires to slot in with the theater crowd however actually isn’t welcome. I feel it’s been years since Drew has been handled like that within the enterprise, in order that was a enjoyable performing rehearsal.”

Forward of filming Boys Don’t Cry, Hilary Swank determined to dwell as a person for a number of weeks to see what it was prefer to be transgender. Whereas it could be a controversial alternative now, Hilary defined that she didn’t need to do the film if she didn’t suppose she may cross as a boy in actual life.

“I knew that if I couldn’t exit on the road and cross as a boy that I didn’t need to do the film. I knew I’d be doing it a grave injustice so I went out and lived my Life as a boy for 4 weeks. , that entailed strapping my breast and packing a sock strap,” Hilary shared on Conan. “I felt an intense want simply to be trustworthy with the story and…I realized so much about humanity and I realized so much about myself going out on the road.”

Earlier than Aaron Eckhart filmed Rabbit Gap, he went undercover as a grieving father or mother like his character. He joined a baby loss help group and needed to lie about having a baby that handed away. He went so far as telling a pretend story to the remainder of the group and ended up getting so wrapped up in all of it that he had an emotional breakdown.

“It’s very delicate to go in there, in fact it’s. I did the analysis. The gathering could be very quiet. There’s 10 individuals, {couples}. [Their children had passed away] very just lately, it’s recent. You’re sitting in form of a circle. Then one individual goes, then two, three, then it will get to me. And by that time you are simply so flushed that you just simply begin going and giving the small print of the story,” he shared on The Howard Stern Present.

Again within the Nineteen Seventies, Robert De Niro went undercover earlier than filming Taxi Cab. He obtained his taxi license and commenced giving rides round New York Metropolis. Whereas he principally went unnoticed, one aspiring actor who obtained within the backseat did name him out.

“A younger actor obtained within the automobile one evening, and he noticed that it was [Robert] driving the automobile. And he stated, ‘You simply received an Oscar.’ He stated, ‘By God, is it that tough to get work?’” director Martin Scorsese informed At this time.