12+ Movie Roles Where The Costumes Posed A Significant Challenge

Jimmy Henton
Dec 01, 2022
Dec 01, 2022

With the use of modern CGI, practically everything a filmmaker may imagine can come to life, opening up countless artistic possibilities. But CGI isn't the be-all and end-all; sometimes, putting a person in a real costume may provide better visual effects.
Movie characters really come to life and bring out the best of their potential with the use of costumes. However, the drawback of these costumes is their enormous size and heavy load, which makes for a less-than-enjoyable experience on set. Spending hours a day in hefty superhero costumes or intricate monster makeup may be quite harsh for actors. It can drive some actors to their breaking point, harming them psychologically and physically.
In light of this, we compiled a list of 14 movie roles that were a huge challenge because of the uncomfortable costumes. We're ready to wager that these performers would prefer to portray "background characters in cozy sweatpants and bathrobe" rather than ever donning any of these grotesque outfits. Some of your favorite movie costumes may surprise you with how difficult (and painful) they actually are.

#1 Christina Ricci — Penelope

Source: © Penelope / Summit Entertainment

Christina Ricci's prosthetic nose would take the cosmetics artists around 1.5 hours to apply. While they were doing it, the actress was unable to move her mouth. She would have her hair done and wear her regular makeup after the nose was applied.

#2 Gwyneth Paltrow — Shallow Hal

Source: © Shallow Hal / 20th Century Fox, © Ken Hively / Getty Images, © Shallow Hal / 20th Century Fox

Costumes may cause a great deal of mental anguish in addition to physical discomfort. As a result, Paltrow felt what overweight individuals suffer on a daily basis, and she didn't enjoy it. "The first day I tried the fat suit on, I was in the Tribeca Grand, and I walked through the lobby," she said. It was really sad. It was quite unsettling. I was so fat that no one would look me in the eye. Because of how dismissive people were, I felt embarrassed.

#3 Helena Bonham Carter — Planet of the Apes

Source: © Planet of the Apes / Fox Movies

Helena Bonham Carter had to get up between two and three hours before the start of filming since the makeup would take about four hours. That's difficult to handle, and by the end of the filming, your nerves are absolutely strained, she said.
It was challenging to eat and drink while wearing the costume; she needed to use a unique mirror to precisely locate her mouth behind the mask without smudging her makeup. Her facial emotions would be affected by the makeup, and her enormous ears made it difficult for her to hear her other actors.

#4 Tilda Swinton — The Grand Budapest Hotel

Source: © The Grand Budapest Hotel / Searchlight Pictures

Tilda Swinton would work with cosmetic professionals for five hours while she waited for them to make her seem really elderly. "It was intriguing to observe how these men operate. My whole crew applied these pieces of what seemed to be bacon to my face, arms, and earlobes. It's intriguing. I'm such a nerd when it comes to that sort of thing. I absolutely adored it.
About the same amount of time was required by both artists to take off their makeup. Fortunately, Tilda was only required to work on the set for two days.

#5 Ralph Fiennes — Harry Potter

Source: © Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II / Warner Bros. Pictures

The players had a dreadful memory of the Dark Lord's makeup and attire. In addition to stumbling in the outfit, Ralph Fiennes had to wear tights underneath. He could not move as elegantly as Voldemort would have to since it constantly came undone and was quite painful. As a result of Fiennes' request to the costume designer, the tights' tops were removed, leaving him wearing only stockings.

#6 Orlando Bloom — The Lord of the Rings

Source: © The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / Warner Bros., © The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug / Warner Bros. Pictures.

The actor had to wear blue glasses because of his dark brown eyes. Bloom detested them since they always fell out and bothered his eyes. Orlando declined to wear them when he returned to the role in The Hobbit trilogy, thus his eye color was digitally changed during post-production.

#7 Angelina Jolie — Maleficent

Source: © Maleficent / Walt Disney Picture, © disneymaleficent / Instagram

Making the lovely Jolie into Maleficent wasn't a simple feat. The makeup artists would work on her for 2.5 hours, and the actress is hardly the world's most patient person. In order to make herself appear menacing and alien-like, Angelina had prosthetics placed on her nose, cheekbones, and ears. She also has unique white eyeglasses and fangs. You may watch a video of her transformation into Maleficent here.
The biggest problem, though, was the enormous horns. They were rather hefty, according to Jolie, so her neck would rapidly fatigue. Additionally, she would frequently bang against the props' horns while walking in 5-inch heels.

#8 Gary Oldman — Darkest Hour

Source: © Darkest Hour / Perfect World Pictures, © Darkest Hour / Twitter

It took around 4 hours for Oldman to make his famous metamorphosis into the Prime Minister of Great Britain. In addition to the intricate makeup, the actor would receive a customized body liner that resembled a Victorian corset. Oldman was concerned he wouldn't be able to manage the demanding schedule—he had to wear the outfit for 18 to 20 hours every day for 48 consecutive days. He also worried that the skin wouldn't be able to support anything that was adhered to it.
Watch this brief video if you want to learn more about the makeup techniques used for this Oscar-winning performance.

#9 Peter Mayhew — Star Wars

Source: © Solo: A Star Wars Story / Lucasfilm Ltd.

The yak and mohair were used to create Chewbacca's costume. Even though it only weighed a little over 7 pounds, Peter Mayhew still had a lot of trouble with it. It was very warm, and when it got wet, it smelled awful.

#10 Brie Larson — Captain Marvel

Brie Larson groused about how uncomfortable her outfit was. She required two assistants and around 30 minutes to dress her because she couldn't do it on her own. It was extremely difficult for her to use the restroom; she needed a team of five people.

#11 Sean Wayans and Marlon Wayans — White Chicks

Both the cosmetic artists and the performers found it challenging to make the transition from brothers to sisters. The painters were able to reduce the procedure from taking roughly 7 hours each day to only 5. It took them a total of 60 days to complete, and it was demanding. Their makeup has to be adjusted after each meal or beverage. Between the filming and the makeup application, the lads hardly slept.

#12 Rachel Brosnahan — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The actress was required to always wear a corset underneath her gowns because the series is set in the US in the 1960s. She admitted in an interview that the corset caused her injuries. They speak quickly and hardly ever pause in the television series. She wasn't breathing enough, which caused a few of her ribs to join together. She is currently unable to take a deep breath.

#13 Renée Zellweger — The Thing About Pam

Source: MEGA / Mega Agency / East News, MEGA / Mega Agency / East News

The Thing About Pam, a true crime comedy-drama television miniseries about Pam Hupp's role in the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria, was broadcast from March 8 to April 12, 2022. It is well known that Renée Zellweger encountered certain difficulties when the series was being filmed. Fans had a very nasty reaction to the 52-year-old actress having to wear a special costume that added some weight to her, accusing the celebrity of fat-shaming.
Did you know that Renée Zellweger gained almost 15 pounds for the part of Bridget? It most likely had a detrimental effect on her well-being. She was harshly criticized after donning this costume. Do you believe that these costumes exacerbate the negative perception of obese people? Should a celebrity consider their own health before accepting a role like this?

Share this article