- Jensen Ackles from Supernatural has quite a few crying scenes.  In one episode called Heaven and Hell, he describes to his brother what Hell was like.  He is very emotional in the scene, and found the scene so overwhelming, he had to take a walk afterwards to stop crying.

- In A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey gives his closing argument and seems to surprise himself by becoming emotional at the end.  That's because the tears were unscripted and genuine.  And the scene was done in all one take.

I just wanna say right now how awesome this idea for a thread is. 

Umm... I have read some Jim Carrey interviews and I think he does method acting.  In the DVD commentary for "Bruce Almighty", the director talked about two of Jim's crying scenes.  In one, where Jennifer Aniston think he's proposing to her, he did multiple takes (maybe 10 takes?) and was able to bring on the tears every single time (the director was quite impressed!)  Also, when they shot the scene where he's walking in a downpour, there was just one take and he got the "right" emotion right away.  I also seem to recall that for a crying scene in "The Majestic", he prepared for the scene by being alone for a bit and quietly tinkling on a piano (obviously there was a piano handy on a nearby set).  I believe it was the scene where he has to say goodbye to his dying "father".  Also, in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the director was ready to use fake tears on Jim, but Jim refused as he wanted them to be real.  Apparently the tears didn't come right away and they were all waiting (perhaps somewhat impatiently?) for them to come, but finally they came (the scene is where he's in some kind of altered state where his mind is being controlled, so I bet that's why it was harder to get them to come... not a 'natural' type of crying scene at all, but more of an eye watering while wearing an expressionless face kind of thing!)

Hugh Jackman said in an interview that he was taught a trick by Michael Caine in order to stimulate his crying glands. He pulls some pubic hair or some hair from his nose ( when the scene permits it) and that makes the tears emerge a bit, then it's easily for him to cry. Watching the Fouintain though where he cries buckets i see the whole dramatic scenes in a different light now   . I guess he joked though..

Keanu Reeves said in an interviw that he was amazed at Malkovich easiness to shed tears. While he managed to get his crying scene properly after 8 hours annoying the director ( and it was just one tear depicted there) John Malkovich cried his part in seconds.

Bruce Willis had problems doing the last scene in Armaggedon where he speaks to his daughter. He was supposed to shed just one tear. He brought pictures of his family with him on the set and had been looking at them the whole time we see his face on that screen. He imagined he was saying goodbye to them and go forever and that made him cry so hard that he spoiled the one tear scene and had to repeat it many times.

Maybe it also happens because it has to be a short scene, effectual just in the sense of inducing emotion but not necessarily gut wrenching emotion.. i don't know what to say. Maybe i formulated it in a strange way. Many scenes where the protagonist is a hero, a strong brave man depict his sad moments ''single tearly'' so to say. the eyes well up , and just one, small tear streams down ...then Cut..( by saying this i don't imply that all Hollywood movies are like that, of course, things change but i, as an old crying lover, i noticed this pattern in a lot of movies.

psychic_girl wrote:

Keanu Reeves said in an interviw that he was amazed at Malkovich easiness to shed tears. While he managed to get his crying scene properly after 8 hours annoying the director ( and it was just one tear depicted there) John Malkovich cried his part in seconds.

Well, that's not surprising. Keanu Reeves is not human.