9 Films That Probably Required Some Very Unpleasant Actor Preparation

6. Kristen Bell/Josh Duhamel – When In Rome

In order to convincingly portray two Americans traveling abroad, both leads had to take obnoxious lessons that they learned by simply watching tourists in line at the Louvre in Paris. Among the things they learned:

• How to send back unfamiliar food with disdain
• How to disregard all local culture in order to find a familiar Irish pub or Hard Rock Café so that they can drink Coors Light
• How to communicate with non-English speakers by speaking English loudly and slowly
• How to pick the right NFL jersey to wear in the local country’s house of worship

Amazingly, Bell and Duhamel couldn’t even get their house in order to be believably obnoxious, so they spend the whole film being charming and courteous, which isn’t believable at all.

5. Katherine Heigl – Knocked Up

Preparing her role for a woman in a relationship with a fat schlub, Ms. Heigl went on a private cruise with Kevin James and Adam Sandler’s wives, where they got drunk off white wine and talked about the logistical difficulties of getting aroused to a man in sweatpants wearing a novelty t-shirt.

Apparently, there was a lot of crying.

4. George Clooney – Up In The Air

As someone who has only flown private for the past 15 years or so, Clooney had to prepare for his role as an unencumbered frequent flier by reading hundreds of in-flight magazines, studying back issues of SkyMall, and practicing rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath when he learns that his flight is delayed.

Always one to over-prepare for a role, Clooney spent two weeks living in the Chicago O’Hare Admirals Club where he learned how to blandly ask about last night’s football game. He also spent fifteen weeks eating lunch at Chili’s Too, where he was taught the intricacies of making awkward advances towards female travelers while sipping an Electric Lemonade.