You've heard the stories of actors who get so deep into their roles that they practically become the character. One actor who subscribes fully to the method style is Ben Foster, and it has worked for him with standout turns in Rampart, The Messenger, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, and more. TIFF sees the premiere of his biggest role yet as he'll be playing fallen hero Lance Armstrong in The Program, and to get in the cyclist's headspace he went to some incredible lengths...like taking performance-enhancing drugs. He tells The Guardian...
“I don’t want to talk about the names of the drugs I took,” he tells the paper. “Even discussing it feels tricky because it isn’t something I’d recommend to fellow ators. These are very serious chemicals and they affect your body in real ways. For my own investigation it was important for me privately to understand it. And they work.”
Foster admits that the drugs took a toll on his mind and his body, but was all of that risk worth it? A new trailer for the film definitely hints at another intense performance. Directed by Stephen Frears, the film co-stars Chris O'Dowd, Jesse Plemons, Dustin Hoffman, Lee Pace, and Guillaume Canet, centering on the doping scandal that destroyed Armstrong's career and reputation, breaking the hearts of millions who looked up to him as a hero.
The Program opens October 16th.
