13 Tough Actresses That Turned Into Refined Ladies On The Red Carpet

Jessica Wilson
Dec 26, 2022
Dec 26, 2022

To get into their roles, actresses are ready to change their appearance completely to be relatable to the character. After all, it's important that they portray the plot perfectly, and going through transformations can help them a lot. However, on the red carpet, they are free to wear many gorgeous outfits in various styles.
Therefore, if you don’t follow their lives in real life, you might be surprised to see how different they truly are from the characters they portray on the screen. Especially, it's more surprising when an actress who usually plays tough and even masculine characters become feminine and gorgeous on the red carpet. And we wonder, “Is it really her?”
So, we decided to show you how the actresses who’ve portrayed strong and fearless women on the screen turned into exquisite ladies on the red carpet. Scroll down to see and we're sure you will be as impressed with this comparison as we were.

#1 Hilary Swank

Source: © Million Dollar Baby / Lakeshore Entertainment, © Janet Gough / AFF-USA.COM / MEGA / East News

Hilary Swank is famous for her roles s as Brandon Teena, a transgender man, in Boys Don't Cry (1999), and Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring boxer, in Million Dollar Baby (2004). She received praise for both of her performances and won several awards, including two Oscars, two Golden Globes, two Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

#2 Clea DuVall

Source: © But I'm a Cheerleader / The Kushner-Locke Company, © 00005840000466 / Reporter / East News

Clea DuVall is known for her appearances in the films The Faculty (1998), She's All That; But I'm a Cheerleader; Girl, Interrupted (all 1999); Identity, 21 Grams (both 2003), The Grudge (2004), Zodiac (2007), Conviction (2010), and Argo (2012). Apart from acting, Clea is also a film director of The Intervention (2016) and Happiest Season (2020).

#3 Gwendoline Christie

Source: © Game of Thrones / HBO, © Mary Evans / Allstar / Graham Whitby Boot / East News

Gwendoline Christie rose to fame thanks to her role as the warrior, Brienne of Tarththe in the hit TV series Game of Thrones. The actress was the perfect choice for this role because of her impressive height of 6 feet 3 inches.

#4 Sara Ramirez

Source: © Grey's Anatomy / ABC Studios, © Face to Face / Reporter / East News

Mexican-American actress, Sara Ramirez began their acting career in Broadway productions and later ventured into film and television roles. They’re best known for her part in the Grey’s Anatomy TV series, where they portrayed Dr. Callie Torres, one of the longest-running LGBT characters in US television history, appearing in 11 seasons and 239 episodes. In addition, Ramirez is also a musician and they even released their own album.

#5 Michelle Rodriguez

Source: © The Fate of the Furious / Universal Pictures, © Fernando Allende / Broadimage / Broad Image / East News

Since she started appearing in movies in the early 2000s, Michelle Rodriguez has taken part in approximately 40 different films, including popular franchises like Fast & Furious and Resident Evil. She has tried her hand at writing scripts in addition to acting.

#6 Suranne Jones

Source: © Gentleman Jack / Lookout Point, © Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock

Suranne Jones is known for her parts in the Doctor Foster, Scott & Bailey, and Gentleman Jack TV series. For her portrayal of Gemma Foster, a successful GP who suffers personal betrayal, in Doctor Foster (2015–2017), Jones won several awards including a Broadcasting Press Guild award and the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 2016.

#7 Tessa Thompson

Source: © Thor: Ragnarok / Marvel Studios, © Invision / Invision / East News

Tessa Thompson became famous for her many movie roles, especially those in For Colored Girls, Selma, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Endgame. She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her work as a producer on Sylvie's Love. In 2017, she received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination.

#8 Alia Shawkat

Source: © Duck Butter / Netflix, © McMullan / Sipa USA / East News

Alia Shawkat rose to fame thanks to her role of Maeby Fünke in the Arrested Development TV series. Moreover, she has also participated in gallery shows in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Paris. She likes to make music and sing in jazz bars.

#9 Gina Carano

Source: © The Mandalorian / Lucasfilm, © O'Connor / AFF-USA.com / MEGA / Mega Agency / East News

Gina Carano manages to combine completely different professions, she is an actress, a former mixed martial artist, and a model. She started her acting career with a supporting part in Blood and Bone. And she became famous by starring in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire.

#10 Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose was a presenter on MTV Australia (2007–2011). She pursued a career in acting in 2008. She came to wider attention for her role in season three of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2015–2016). She also starred in the lead role of Kate Kane / Batwoman in the first season of the CW television series Batwoman (2019–2020).

#11 Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is a professional athlete, she won the Olympic medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is the only woman to be the champion in both the UFC and WWE and was the best female athlete of all time in a 2015 ESPN fan poll. Rousey has also appeared in films, including The Expendables 3 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), Mile 22 (2018), and My Fight / Your Fight in 2015.

#12 Lizzy Caplan

Lizzy marked her first acting career with a small part in the Freaks and Geeks TV series from 1999 to 2000. She appeared in a couple more films and television shows. But her role as Janis Ian in Mean Girls made her a household name.

#13 Linda Hamilton

Linda became famous thanks to her part as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise. In 2019, the actress portrayed this character again in the movie Terminator: Dark Fate.

Share this article