I see it as no different with actors, worse actually because they tend to have to go much deeper into their roll and throw away all of who they really are and sometimes you end up losing yourself in it even when the work day is over.
Actually this is very true, especially of Method Actors. I read a study in college that found many actors are clinically insane even though fully functional. Over time they have played so many characters that they can no longer separate their real past from their acted roles.
This reminds me of when Hoffman worked with Olivier on 'Marathon Man'. Hoffman, following the 'method' approach, starved himself and locked himself away in a dark room for 48 hours, and arrived on set looking like hell for the torture scenes.
Olivier approached him and said 'what ever is the matter?' to which Hoffman replied with an explanation of what he had gone through to get 'in the zone'. Olivier merely replied 'My dear boy, have you ever thought about
acting instead?'
Van Damme is not confused about who he is. He has fallen from grace in the eyes of his family because he used to beat the sh1t out of his wife and fvck other women behind her back when the kids were young. He then left her (and them) for another woman, but came crawling back, and his wife took him back and helped him get off the drugs.
Her love is what allowed him back in the family home, but he lost the respect of his children, and is also dealing with a massive level of guilt and a feeling that he doesnt deserve the forgiveness he has recieved from his wife.
THAT is what he means about becoming a 'hero' to his family- he is trying to redeem himself. Its got nothing to do with believing he is Frank Dux