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I can't help but wonder if good acting takes a more than usual toll on the mental health of actors. I remember reading how Peter Sellers "didn't have a personal

I can't help but wonder if good acting takes a more than usual toll on the mental health of actors. I remember reading how Peter Sellers "didn't have a personality except of the characters he played", how Jeremy Brett started to refer to Sherlock Holmes (perhaps his most well known role) as "him" etc. The need to become somebody else deeply for a short period of time and then revert doesn't seem like a natural thing (though I guess most creative things aren't). Maybe it's the reason why people like Daniel Day-Lewis takes such long breaks between his roles to "reset" himself. This was sort of portrayed in a comedic way at the end of Tropic Thunder when RDJ's character transitioned between all his roles and the became himself.

noneeeed 2y ago
I think for some actors this is very true. I spent a long time doing stuff in community theatre and I realised there were a number of different types of actors who approached the craft very differently but could turn in equally great performances. Some seemed to be able to simply put on a mask, behave in a particular way and then switch out of it. Others would get every much into embodying the character and needed to spend time thinking about backstories and motivations. The later approach seemed to be quite exhausting when the character was quite dark or troubled. I have no desire to ever act, but watching the process was always fascinating.