15 Hollywood Stars Who Have Transformed Beyond Recognition For The Movie Role
Have you ever watched a flick and felt the actor familiar, but you barely recognized him (her)? Then, you googled and found that you knew that actor, which surprised you. Thanks to makeup and CGI overhaul, numerous impressive, unforgettable, and even haunting cinematic figures have been created to make viewers believe they truly exist.
Celebrities face the same challenges the rest of us do when dealing with body or facial image issues, especially when preparing for a role. We have been mind-blown by some of the incredible transformations undergone by celebs so that they can truly bring their character to life. Some dedicated performers even avoid food and engage in unhealthy habits to look fitting their characters.
Hollywood has thrown plenty of awesome transformations, but let’s look at the 15 famous actors who have changed drastically beyond our recognition for the movie role!
Tom Hanks had to cast away 55 pounds for his role in this survival film. He went on a diet later dubbed the “Cast Away” diet, which consisted of mostly island-type foods that would fit in the palm of your hand. He also ended up doing a lot of cardiovascular exercises.
Christian Bale is possibly the master of changing his body for a role. He dropped 60 pounds for The Machinist using a diet of whiskey and cigarettes (definitely not recommended).
The actress really struggled with her weight gain for Tully. Theron said gaining 35 pounds for the role was “brutal” in every sense and found it very difficult to shed the extra pounds at the age of 41. The sugar put her into a massive depression.
Ryan Gosling did change his appearance quite drastically, but he didn’t actually get the job. The actor gained about 60 pounds for a potential role in The Lovely Bones. The role was eventually given to Mark Wahlberg, leaving Ryan Gosling feeling, in his words “fat and unemployed.”
He had to resort to some drastic dietary measures in order to shrink back to human size. Hemsworth tried a diet he called the “lost at sea” diet in which he consumed less than 500 calories per day, shrinking the Son of Odin down to just skin, bone, and beard.
Jared Leto’s portrayal of an HIV-positive trans woman came to life through a combination of very real changes to Jared’s look and a little help of makeup. Leto talked about how he lost 30 pounds and waxed his body from head to toe.
Rapper turned actor, 50 Cent, shocked fans in 2011 with his emaciated physique for the film All Things Fall Apart. He portrayed a football player who falls ill from a genetic disease. The rapper dropped from 214 pounds to 160 pounds in just nine weeks, after living off of a liquid diet and running on a treadmill for three hours a day.
Tom Hardy is no stranger to mixing up his look for his many different film roles. One of the most memorable is his transition into Britain’s most violent criminal and bare-knuckle boxer, Charles Bronson.
The character is defined as being on the short side, sporting a pretty grotesque appearance and a large, pointy nose. Farrell says that it usually took three to four hours for a team of artists to mold prosthetics to his face and neck.
Jones typically portrays lots of non-human roles. The best of all of Jones’s manifestations has to be the nightmarish Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth, one which is both terrifying and an amazing combination of traditional prosthetics and CGI.
To become the blonde bombshell, James had a team of artists that dressed her in a lot of different creations, including four custom lace front wigs, a forehead appliance to widen the distance between James’s brows and hairline, and gel-filled silicone breast appliances. She even wore acrylic teeth dentures.
The disfigured face of Gary Oldman’s character in Hannibal actually left audiences scarred for life. Translucent silicone was used to make Oldman look disfigured. He also said that it was hard to move his facial muscles.
She looks like a totally different person and that’s primarily down to the prosthetic nose that completely masks her identity, which is then further complemented by a mousy brown wig. Kidman confirmed the transformation took three hours a day.
Tilda Swinton played a total of three characters in the 2018 remake of Suspiria. The most surprising was the epic transformation that saw Swinton turn into an old man, aka Dr. Jozef Klemperer.
The Duffer Brothers “insisted” Vecna be created from practical effects (in this case: prosthetics and makeup) instead of CGI, which involved a “second skin” for Jamie using “25 pieces of latex and silicone rubber material glued to his body via a medical adhesive.” The entire transformation took around 7.5 hours.
What would you like to say to your favorite actors who did their best for their roles? Comment below and hit the like-share button before reading other interesting posts on our site!
Celebrities face the same challenges the rest of us do when dealing with body or facial image issues, especially when preparing for a role. We have been mind-blown by some of the incredible transformations undergone by celebs so that they can truly bring their character to life. Some dedicated performers even avoid food and engage in unhealthy habits to look fitting their characters.
Hollywood has thrown plenty of awesome transformations, but let’s look at the 15 famous actors who have changed drastically beyond our recognition for the movie role!
#1. Tom Hanks - Cast Away
Source: 20th Century Fox
Tom Hanks had to cast away 55 pounds for his role in this survival film. He went on a diet later dubbed the “Cast Away” diet, which consisted of mostly island-type foods that would fit in the palm of your hand. He also ended up doing a lot of cardiovascular exercises.
#2. Christian Bale - The Machinist
Source: Getty Images
Christian Bale is possibly the master of changing his body for a role. He dropped 60 pounds for The Machinist using a diet of whiskey and cigarettes (definitely not recommended).
#3. Charlize Theron - Tully
Source: Focus Features, Shutterstock
The actress really struggled with her weight gain for Tully. Theron said gaining 35 pounds for the role was “brutal” in every sense and found it very difficult to shed the extra pounds at the age of 41. The sugar put her into a massive depression.
#4. Ryan Gosling - The Lovely Bones
Source: Getty Images
Ryan Gosling did change his appearance quite drastically, but he didn’t actually get the job. The actor gained about 60 pounds for a potential role in The Lovely Bones. The role was eventually given to Mark Wahlberg, leaving Ryan Gosling feeling, in his words “fat and unemployed.”
#5. Chris Hemsworth - In the Heart of the Sea
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
He had to resort to some drastic dietary measures in order to shrink back to human size. Hemsworth tried a diet he called the “lost at sea” diet in which he consumed less than 500 calories per day, shrinking the Son of Odin down to just skin, bone, and beard.
#6. Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Source: Focus Features, Shutterstock
Jared Leto’s portrayal of an HIV-positive trans woman came to life through a combination of very real changes to Jared’s look and a little help of makeup. Leto talked about how he lost 30 pounds and waxed his body from head to toe.
#7. 50 Cent - All Things Fall Apart
Source: Randall Emmett
Rapper turned actor, 50 Cent, shocked fans in 2011 with his emaciated physique for the film All Things Fall Apart. He portrayed a football player who falls ill from a genetic disease. The rapper dropped from 214 pounds to 160 pounds in just nine weeks, after living off of a liquid diet and running on a treadmill for three hours a day.
#8. Tom Hardy - Bronson
Source: Vertigo Films
Tom Hardy is no stranger to mixing up his look for his many different film roles. One of the most memorable is his transition into Britain’s most violent criminal and bare-knuckle boxer, Charles Bronson.
#9. Colin Farrell - The Batman
Source: Getty Images, Warner Bros. Pictures
The character is defined as being on the short side, sporting a pretty grotesque appearance and a large, pointy nose. Farrell says that it usually took three to four hours for a team of artists to mold prosthetics to his face and neck.
#10. Doug Jones - Pan’s Labyrinth
Source: @actordougjones
Jones typically portrays lots of non-human roles. The best of all of Jones’s manifestations has to be the nightmarish Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth, one which is both terrifying and an amazing combination of traditional prosthetics and CGI.
#11. Lily James - Pam & Tommy
Source: GettyImages, Disney
To become the blonde bombshell, James had a team of artists that dressed her in a lot of different creations, including four custom lace front wigs, a forehead appliance to widen the distance between James’s brows and hairline, and gel-filled silicone breast appliances. She even wore acrylic teeth dentures.
#12. Gary Oldman - Hannibal
Source: GettyImages, NBC
The disfigured face of Gary Oldman’s character in Hannibal actually left audiences scarred for life. Translucent silicone was used to make Oldman look disfigured. He also said that it was hard to move his facial muscles.
#13. Nicole Kidman - Hours
Source: NBC, Lionsgate Films
She looks like a totally different person and that’s primarily down to the prosthetic nose that completely masks her identity, which is then further complemented by a mousy brown wig. Kidman confirmed the transformation took three hours a day.
#14. Tilda Swinton - Suspiria
Source: Amazon Studio
Tilda Swinton played a total of three characters in the 2018 remake of Suspiria. The most surprising was the epic transformation that saw Swinton turn into an old man, aka Dr. Jozef Klemperer.
#15. Jamie Campbell Bower - Stranger Things 4
Source: Netflix
The Duffer Brothers “insisted” Vecna be created from practical effects (in this case: prosthetics and makeup) instead of CGI, which involved a “second skin” for Jamie using “25 pieces of latex and silicone rubber material glued to his body via a medical adhesive.” The entire transformation took around 7.5 hours.
What would you like to say to your favorite actors who did their best for their roles? Comment below and hit the like-share button before reading other interesting posts on our site!
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