Actors Who Underwent Most Drastic Transformations For Movie Roles

Sebastian Stan (wore prosthetics for facial reconstructive surgery)

Sebastian Stan has worn plenty of cool costumes in his career, but nothing quite like his look in A Different Man. In the film, he plays Edward, a man who goes through major facial reconstructive surgery, and the transformation will surely amaze you. To pull it off, Stan spent hours in prosthetics that completely changed the way he looked. When he first shared a sneak peek on Instagram, fans could hardly believe it was him under all that makeup.

Bradley Cooper (did extensive old age makeup)

Bradley Cooper practically time-traveled to play Leonard Bernstein, the legendary composer, who had to cover two very different stages of life. As the younger Bernstein, it was just a simple nose prosthetic. But when it came to portraying Bernstein in his later years, Cooper went all in with layers of old-age makeup. The transformation was so convincing that audiences forgot they were watching the same actor from earlier in the film.

Brendan Fraser (played a 600-pound man)

Brendan Fraser made a huge comeback, literally, in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. To play a 600-pound man trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, Fraser wore heavy prosthetics that completely transformed him. The look was so convincing that it had audiences at the Venice Film Festival buzzing, and his emotional performance earned him standing ovations. While the film later sparked debates about its portrayal of fatness, one thing everyone agreed on was Fraser’s powerful return to the spotlight.

Christian Bale (survived only on water, an apple, and one cup of coffee)

Christian Bale’s transformation for The Machinist is one of the most dramatic in film history. To play an insomniac consumed by guilt and paranoia, he lost more than 60 pounds in just four months. His extreme diet consisted of only water, one apple, and a cup of coffee each day, along with a heavy smoking habit. The result left him shockingly thin and almost unrecognizable on screen.

Colin Farrell (prosthetic physical appearance)

Colin Farrell’s turn as Oswald Cobblepot in The Batman is a masterclass in disappearing into a role, quite literally. When the first trailer dropped, fans were busy dissecting Robert Pattinson’s brooding stare when suddenly, bam, there was Colin, except… not at all. Thanks to prosthetic wizard Mike Marino (whose résumé includes The Irishman and Black Swan), Farrell was unrecognizable, buried under layers of transformation that turned Hollywood’s heartthrob into Gotham’s greasy crime lord.

Nicole Kidman (sported a prosthetic nose)

Nicole Kidman shocked everyone when she showed up in The Hours looking nothing like… well, Nicole Kidman. To play writer Virginia Woolf, she wore a simple but game-changing prosthetic nose. That minor tweak transformed her from Hollywood glam queen into a serious, almost unrecognizable character. The effect was so convincing that some people didn’t even realize it was Kidman until the credits rolled. And while the nose grabbed headlines, it was her haunting performance that won her an Oscar. Proof that sometimes, the smallest change can make the biggest impact on screen.

Donald Glover (developed a high-pitched voice)

For the now-iconic “Teddy Perkins” episode, Donald Glover buried himself under prosthetics and whiteface makeup, then sealed the deal with a creepy, high-pitched voice. The disguise was so convincing that even his co-stars had no clue it was him. Derrick Haywood, who played Teddy’s brother, thought Glover was some mysterious new actor. Even Lakeith Stanfield, a regular on the show, was completely fooled and tried chatting with “Teddy” as if he were a stranger. Glover stayed in character the entire time, spinning stories about his fake acting career.

Gary Oldman (wore makeup with no lips, no cheeks, no eyelids)

Gary Oldman has pulled off plenty of wild transformations, but his creepiest has to be in Hannibal. Playing Mason Verger, he was buried under makeup that left him with no lips, no cheeks, and no eyelids. The end result was so unsettling that most people had no idea it was Oldman at all. In fact, he even went uncredited in the film, joking that it was fun to be “the man with no face and no name.” The makeup was so gross that people would see a picture and instantly say, “Oh my God!” before looking away.

Jared Leto (ate pizza, burgers and microwaved chocolate twice a day)

For Chapter 27, Jared Leto went all in with pizza, burgers, and microwaved chocolate drinks twice a day. The extreme diet added 70 pounds to his frame, leaving him nearly unrecognizable as Mark Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon. The transformation was so heavy that even walking became painful, and he had to use a wheelchair for a while. Leto later admitted it wasn’t the smartest decision health-wise, but at the time, he lived in the character completely, day and night. The result was a performance as unsettling as the method he used to get there.

Jessica Chastain (sealed a dimple under prosthetics)

Jessica Chastain went through quite the makeover to play Tammy Faye in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She spent around four hours a day in the makeup chair, where her team covered almost every inch of her face with makeup and prosthetics. Even her little chin dimple was sealed up to match Tammy’s rounder features! Add in the bold cheeks and iconic eye makeup, and Chastain was almost unrecognizable. She’s said that the transformation actually helped her slip into Tammy’s big, bubbly personality.

John Hurt (spent 7-8 hours each day in the makeup chair)

John Hurt’s role in The Elephant Man is still one of the most famous movie makeovers ever. To play John Merrick, he had to sit in the makeup chair for a whopping seven to eight hours every day. The prosthetics, designed by Christopher Tucker, were based on real casts of Merrick’s body, which made them look super realistic. By the time Hurt was ready, he was totally unrecognizable.

Matthew McConaughey (chewed a lot of ice)

Matthew McConaughey dropped nearly 50 pounds for Dallas Buyers Club, and his secret trick was chewing ice. To play Ron Woodroof, a Texas rodeo rider diagnosed with HIV, McConaughey gave himself four months to slim down with the help of a nutritionist. He lost about three and a half pounds a week, swapping meals for programmed portions and lots of ice to fight off cravings. The transformation was dramatic, but it worked; he completely disappeared into the role and ended up winning an Oscar for it.

Michael Fassbender (went on a diet of less than 900 calories)

Michael Fassbender went through a jaw-dropping transformation for Hunger. To play Bobby Sands, the IRA prisoner who led a 1981 hunger strike, he lived on less than 900 calories a day for 10 weeks. That intense diet made him lose about 40 pounds, leaving him looking almost unrecognizable, and the result was haunting on screen, earning Fassbender huge praise.

Rob McElhenney (ate only chicken, rice and vegetables)

Rob McElhenney has probably pulled off two of the funniest body transformations ever on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. First, he showed up as “Fat Mac,” gaining 50 pounds just to poke fun at the idea of dramatic actor makeovers. What started with endless chicken, rice, and veggies quickly turned into Big Macs, donuts, and giant shakes because, honestly, who wouldn’t take the easier (and tastier) route? Then a few seasons later, he shocked everyone again as “Jacked Mac,” suddenly ripped like he’d been training for a superhero movie. This time it meant workouts six days a week, long runs, and saying goodbye to carbs and sugar.

Tilda Swinton (wore a male reproductive organ)

Tilda Swinton is known for wild transformations, but Suspiria might be her boldest yet. In the film, she plays not one, not two, but three characters, including Dr. Josef Klemperer, an 82-year-old man. With the help of makeup wizard Mark Coulier, Swinton sat through four hours of prosthetics each day, complete with a thicker neck, heavier jaw, and layers of age makeup. But Tilda didn’t stop there, she asked for a little extra realism and had Coulier create a full set of, well… male reproductive parts. According to the artist, she even let them make a surprise appearance on set once or twice.

Anne Hathaway (shaved her head)

When Anne Hathaway sang “I Dreamed a Dream” in Les Misérables, audiences were stunned by her transformation. She lost 25 pounds and even shaved her head to play Fantine, a desperate mother fighting to survive. The bold makeover earned her an Oscar, though Hathaway later admitted the rapid weight loss wasn’t the healthiest choice. Still, the raw, stripped-down look gave her performance an unforgettable intensity.

Chris Hemsworth (committed to a 500-calorie-a-day diet)

Chris Hemsworth is usually all muscles and hammer-swinging as Thor, but for In the Heart of the Sea, he had to go in the complete opposite direction. To play a shipwrecked sailor, he lived on just 500 calories a day, with basically constant hunger. Hemsworth even joked that all he could think about was food while filming. The result was a shockingly thin version of the actor we’re used to seeing bulked up, and it proved he’s just as committed to shrinking down as he is to bulking up.

Margot Robbie (placed blisters and boils on the face)

Margot Robbie looked nothing like herself in Mary, Queen of Scots. To play Queen Elizabeth I, she was covered in scars, blisters, and boils to show the queen’s battle with smallpox. Her famous lips and bold eyebrows disappeared under layers of pale white makeup, leaving her face completely transformed. The glamorous Margot we know was gone, replaced by a fragile, almost ghostly monarch.

Steve Carell (wore a fake lower lip, forehead, and nose)

Steve Carell isn’t usually the guy you expect to scare you, but in Foxcatcher, he did just that. To play billionaire John du Pont, he wore a few clever prosthetics: a hooked nose, a fake forehead to hide his eyebrows, and even a new lower lip. Suddenly, the friendly face we knew from The Office was gone, replaced with a cold, unsettling look. The transformation was so spot-on that Carell earned an Oscar nomination.

Tom Cruise (got ‘bald head’ and ‘fat hands’)

Tom Cruise shocked everyone in Tropic Thunder with his over-the-top cameo as foul-mouthed studio exec Les Grossman. Instead of just showing up as himself in a suit, Cruise insisted on a full makeover, complete with a bald head, prosthetic “fat hands,” and some seriously questionable dance moves. Director Ben Stiller wasn’t sure at first, but once Cruise slipped into the look, the character came alive.

50 Cent (went from 214 to 160 pounds in 9 weeks)

50 Cent is usually known for his muscular build, but he stunned fans when he slimmed down for the drama Things Fall Apart. To play a football player battling cancer, he dropped from 214 pounds to just 160 in only nine weeks. The rapper looked almost unrecognizable in a photo he shared at the time.

Cillian Murphy (almost survived on an almond a day)

Forget protein shakes, Cillian Murphy was running on almost nothing while filming Oppenheimer. To mirror the rail-thin frame of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, he dropped weight until, as Emily Blunt revealed, his diet was basically “an almond a day.” Paired with the character’s chain-smoking and martini habits, the look was hauntingly convincing. Murphy appeared gaunt and fragile, the very picture of a man carrying the weight of the atomic bomb on his shoulders. It wasn’t glamorous, but it sure was unforgettable.

Gary Oldman (sat 4 hours for Winston Churchill look)

It’s hard to believe Winston Churchill was really Gary Oldman under all that makeup in Darkest Hour. To pull it off, he spent four hours every single day in the chair while prosthetics reshaped him into Britain’s iconic prime minister. The result was so convincing that both Oldman and his makeup artist, Kazu Hiro, won Oscars.

Marion Cotillard (shaved her eyebrows and part of her head)

Marion Cotillard went all out to become French legend Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. She shaved her eyebrows and part of her head to match Piaf’s look, then spent five hours a day in makeup to complete the transformation. On top of that, she trained her voice to sound lower and even adjusted her posture to appear smaller and more fragile.

Robert De Niro (gained 60 pounds on pasta and milkshakes)

Robert De Niro set the gold standard for extreme transformations in Raging Bull. To play boxer Jake LaMotta, he first trained for a year to look like a real fighter—then completely flipped the script by gaining over 60 pounds in just a few months to play LaMotta later in life. His secret was nothing but steady diet of pasta and milkshakes.