10 Incredible Movie Performances After TRAGEDY

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* Liam Neeson
The pronunciation of Micheál Richardson’s first name is up to interpretation. His own father refers to him as “Michael”, but he seems to prefer the Irish pronunciation of “Me-hall”.

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at film actors who drew on personal loss or hardship in memorable performances.

Brendan Fraser

“The Whale” (2022)


Mental health played a part in Brendan Fraser’s decline by the 2010s. He was crushed by surgeries, a costly divorce, and his mother Carol's death from cancer. Accusations that he was sexually assaulted by Hollywood figurehead Philip Berk further stifled his career. But Darren Aronofsky took a chance on Fraser with “The Whale”. The tragedy of a self-destructive absent father resonated with Fraser in his dark state. Besides putting on considerable weight behind prosthetics, he brought his own burdens to a physically and psychologically demanding performance. Fraser's commitment earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, marking one of the great Hollywood comeback stories of the 2020s. No less important, he feels, was the experienced empathy for those also dealing with loss and trauma.

Lady Gaga

“A Star Is Born” (2018)


Sonja Durham was Lady Gaga's executive director and best friend for almost a decade. Her battle with cancer coincided with the production of 2018’s “A Star Is Born”, in which the singer portrays a rising pop star struggling in her private life. Durham died on the very day Gaga was to shoot the film’s emotional final musical number. Despite the crew’s reservations, but with the blessing of Durham’s husband, Gaga returned to the set after visiting the hospital. Her devastating rendition of “I'll Never Love Again” rounded out a stellar acting breakout rooted in personal pain. Gaga continues to captivate on the screen, and pay tribute to her late friend whenever she can.

Liam Neeson

“The Grey” (2011)


On March 18th, 2009, actress Natasha Richardson died following a skiing accident. Husband Liam Neeson claims that he coped with this sudden loss by throwing himself into projects. Among them was “The Grey”, in which a widowed wolf hunter leads survival efforts after a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. The philosophical thriller’s parallels with the loss of Richardson were said to have influenced Neeson’s uniquely dramatic performance. “The Grey” wound up being one of the most admired of the actor’s action movies, featuring what some consider to be one of the best performances of his career. Neeson now seems to be content with his life, while Micheál Richardson has followed his parents into acting.

Austin Butler

“Elvis” (2022)


In 2014, Austin Butler lost his mother Lori to cancer. The grief was so overwhelming that the 23-year-old actor briefly considered retiring. He thankfully proceeded with his art until he found true inspiration in Baz Luhrman’s “Elvis” several years later. Butler admits that his loss was a key point of connection to his role, as Elvis Presley himself lost his mother Gladys when he was 23. From that connection came a deeply immersed portrayal of the tragic rockstar that earned Butler many accolades and established a serious leading man. It also helped him resolve difficult feelings. Clearly unafraid to tap into heady motivation, Butler is surely honoring the memory of his mother and the Presley family.

Richard E. Grant

“The Lesson” (2023)


Dialect coach Joan Washington succumbed to a long battle with cancer in 2021. Two years later, Richard E. Grant paid tribute to his wife with the memoir “A Pocketful of Happiness” and the film “The Lesson”. The latter stars Grant as a reclusive writer whose family collapses after the death of his son. The actor told the Academy Newsletter that he took the project partly because of its story’s parallels with his own tragedy. Grant was as darkly charismatic as ever, with an emotional complexity that distinguished an otherwise toxic character. He braved dark depths to in turn distinguish “The Lesson” as a deeply personal thriller. Mostly, though, he prefers to honor Washington by living for joy.

Katharine Hepburn

“The Lion in Winter” (1968)


Despite efforts to downplay their affair, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were one of Old Hollywood’s strongest couples until the latter’s fatal heart attack in 1967. Hepburn quickly returned to work with “The Lion in Winter”. James Goldman’s adaptation of his own play dramatizes Henry II of England’s conflicts with his family, namely his wife Eleanor. Hepburn dominated the epic with the anger and grace of a woman facing domestic turmoil. It was undoubtedly a personal performance, and one of the best of a towering career. Hepburn won her third Oscar, one year after winning for her last collaboration with Tracy. If “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner” was a tribute to her partner, “The Lion in Winter” affirmed her resilience.

Lupita Nyong'o

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022)


The whole acting community mourned Chadwick Boseman’s shocking death from cancer in 2020. The loss weighed heavy on Lupita Nyong'o, his dear friend and on-screen love interest in 2018’s “Black Panther”. It was certainly a major influence on her performance in the superhero blockbuster’s sequel “Wakanda Forever”. Nyong’o channeled her grief in a heartbreaking yet strong-willed portrayal of the bereaved warrior Nakia. In fact, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she modeled her cathartic performance after the strength of Boseman’s widow Simone Ledward. Nyong’o may have won great renown along with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, but she credits Ledward as the true heart of her tribute to a great friend and artist.

Michelle Williams

“Blue Valentine” (2010)


Twenty-eight-year-old Heath Ledger’s death in 2008 was more than a shock to the public. His grieving ex-fiancée Michelle Williams did “Blue Valentine” only on the condition that they move production near her home in Brooklyn, for the sake of her and Ledger’s daughter. But the story of a young couple’s courtship and bleak marriage was a daunting project for the actress. She later explained in interviews that the performance allowed her to relive her relationship and deal with unresolved issues. The result was a dramatic masterpiece that earned Williams an Oscar nomination. “Blue Valentine” further propelled her as one of the most esteemed actresses of our era. She also considered it an important step in recovery for herself and Matilda Ledger.

Andrew Garfield

“Tick, Tick... Boom!” (2021)


Jonathan Larson’s untimely death in 1996 was itself a tragedy. That was the mindset that Andrew Garfield brought to the adaptation of Larson’s autobiographical musical “Tick, Tick... Boom!”. The actor had lost his mother Lynne to cancer in 2019, shortly before production commenced. The weight of this influenced the existential angst in Garfield’s take on a man who would not live to see his dreams fully realized. He told Stephen Colbert in an interview that his incredible debut as a vocalist was an expression to both his mother and Larson. “Tick, Tick… Boom!” brought some peace to Garfield, as well as a Golden Globe. Besides commemorating a Broadway legend, the performance finds humanity in a personal anguish.

Meryl Streep

“Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979)


The domestic drama “Kramer vs. Kramer” was a very personal project for both lead actors. Dustin Hoffman was himself going through a divorce, while Meryl Streep was mourning her partner John Cazale’s death from cancer. She would be pushed to alarming extremes in the bold role of a depressed woman who walks out on her family. Hoffman “motivated” Streep with violence and remarks about Cazale. Her resilience and input on her role’s characterization ultimately delivered a groundbreaking performance that won Streep her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Hoffman’s methods remain highly controversial. Though Streep married Don Gummer while working on “Kramer vs. Kramer”, her artistic motivation was its own testament to the complicated impact of losing someone.


What are some other great acting performances to come out of great pain? Open up in the comments.