Russell Crowe Kayaking For His Role In Noah’s Ark Movie. Here Are 5 Method Actors Who Also Go Overboard For Their Roles (VIDEO)

Method actors get a lot of grief from less studious thespians who regard their efforts as a little OTT. But you can often see in their performances why they go to such extremes to fully develop their characters.

It seems like Russell Crowe though might have gone a little overboard with his plight to understand his next role in Darron Aronofsky'sNoah, a tale of Noah and his Ark, which is scheduled to be released in 2014.

Currently in New York on break from filming the biblical epic, Crowe and a friend were rescued by the US Coast Guard as they lost their way kayaking in the waters just off New York's Long Island. The silly sausage.

Here are 5 method actors who went beyond extremes with 'method' perfecting their craft.

Robert De Niro, Raging Bull

Marlon Brando, On The Waterfront

Jim Carrey, Man on the Moon

Daniel Day Lewis, My Left Foot

Christian Bale, The Machinist