“Schindler’s List” is the true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a businessman and member of the Nazi party who saved more than 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. Spielberg’s film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Ralph Fiennes was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of SS officer Amon Göth.

According to the New York Times, Fiennes had to immerse himself in Nazi material to get a sense of the Amon Göth character. This included watching Nazi propaganda films such as “Triumph of the Will” and recruitment movies. Fiennes said he came to understand the draw to the sense of “power, the order and hierarchy, and the patriotism” that the recruitment literature and films were meant to evoke.

When it came to becoming Göth physically, Fiennes packed on 26 pounds, believing that the Nazi leader turned to food and alcohol because of the atrocious acts he would commit. The L.A. Times reported that Fiennes’ regiment included three full meals a day, plenty of Guinness, and a weight-gainer made of vegetable fat. The physical transformation was necessary as the script featured scenes with Göth appearing shirtless as he oversaw the Nazi work camp.

Playing such a barbarous character so rooted in reality makes you wonder: what kind of toll does it take on an actor?