Black Panther, Mission Impossible, and More: 7 Films Where Actors Learned New Skills

These actors went above and beyond by learning new skills in these films

Learning lines is one thing, but mastering an entirely different skill to accurately portray a character is another. Although it's easy to tap a body double, some actors prefer to dedicate their precious time to step out of their comfort zone, challenge themselves, and delve into new expertise.

Whether they want to pay respect to the role they play or want to do it for the sake of art, these actors are worth recognising.

Browse below to see which stars impressed the world with their acting chops and new skills:

'Black Panther' Cast Learns the Xhosa Language

The cast of Black Panther had to learn how to speak Xhosa, a South African language, to stay true to the culture depicted in the film. Moreover, director Ryan Coogler was inspired to use Xhosa when he visited the country and became close to the locals of South Africa who spoke the language.

Tatler Trivia: Xhosa is also the actor John Kani's native language. Kani is the actor who played T'Challa's father.

Tom Cruise Flew A Helicopter

Tom Cruise is known for doing his own death-defying stunts in his movies. So when the actor was required to become an expert helicopter pilot so he could film the stunts in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Cruise didn't back down.

Margot Robbie Learned to Skate

In the biopic I, Tonya, Margot Robbie had to learn how to skate to accurately portray the controversial figure skater Tonya Harding. With Sarah Kawahara as her coach, Robbie was able to perform the sport while acting—a challenge that the actress took on without fear.

Chadwick Boseman Learned to Play the Trumpet

Part of the late Chadwick Boseman's brilliant performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, his final film, is because of the actor's commitment to play the trumpet in honour of Levee Green. Boseman would practice, not only on set but even at the hotel, he's staying at.

Ryan Gosling Learned Jazz Piano

In La La Land, Ryan Gosling charmed us with his never-before-seen musicality. The actor, who plays an aspiring musician in the film, learned jazz piano according to writer and director Damien Chazelle.

This isn't the first time Gosling had to learn a skill for a role as he once learned mixology when he starred in Crazy, Stupid Love and furniture making for his role in The Notebook. In fact, some of the pieces he had built were featured in the film including the dining table.

Natalie Portman Did Ballet

Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, follows the story of a former prima ballerina whose life revolves around ballet. Portman, who was playing the lead role, had to train eight hours a day. Not only did the actress lose a lot of weight for the role, but she even dislocated a rib on set and was left in pain as there was no medic around.

Cast of 'A Quiet Place' Learned Sign Language

The cast of the bone-chilling film A Quiet Place stars real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and deaf actress Millicent Simmonds.

Since the cast had to film without dialogue nearly the entire time, both the cast and crew learned American Sign Language which also helped them communicate with Simmonds.

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Christine Andas

Features Writer, Tatler Philippines

Christine Andas is a features writer and the style lead of Tatler Philippines. She mostly covers style-related content but enjoys writing about space, sneakers, and her favourite stars. She acquired a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas and has written young adult short stories which can be read online.