They’re paid millions to transform on screen into the characters you know and love at the theaters.
But there are some actors and actresses who take it further than others, going to jaw-dropping lengths in order to bring their characters to life.
Most recently Hollywood A-lister and Marvel star Robert Downey Jr was seen on set new HBO TV series, The Sympathizer, practically unrecognizable, sporting a red wig with a receding hairline after appearing weeks ago on the red carpet with a bald head.
But he is far from the only star to have undergone this kind of awe-inspiring transformation.
Unrecognizable: Robert Downey Jr was world’s away from his usual chiseled good looks on the set of new HBO TV series The Sympathizer this week
Take, for example, the onscreen siren who gained 30 pounds and wore dentures to become sex worker-turned-serial killer Aileen Wournos in 2003’s Monster, which won her an Oscar.
Then there was one famous Hollywood star’s turn as former Vice President Dick Cheney in 2018 film Vice, which saw the actor also put on weight and shave his head.
Famously a cinematic chameleon was left unable to walk when he played John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman, developing gout and had his doctor urge him to start taking Lipitor. While a well-known rapper lost 50 pounds in under 10 weeks for his role as a football player suffering from cancer in 2011’s All Things Fall Apart that left him ‘starving.’
So, like RDJ what other stars have taken their performances to the next level and physically committed to becoming their on-screen counterparts? FEMAIL takes a look back at the roles that made the most recognizable stars unrecognizable.
How many of these famous faces can you identify? Try your hand – and then scroll down for the answers.
1. The on-screen siren who turned into a Monster
In 2003, this onscreen siren showed Hollywood that she wanted to take her career in a different direction by starring as serial killer Aileen Wournos in Monster
The actress (right with Christina Ricci) gained 30 pounds for the role, shaved her eyebrows, wore liquid latex to weather her skin and donned dentures
Up until that point, this actress was known for blond bombshell and femme fatale roles in The Italian Job opposite Mark Wahlberg and Reindeer Games with Ben Affleck.
But in 2003, she showed Hollywood that she wanted to take her career in a different direction by starring as serial killer Aileen Wournos in Monster.
The superstar gained 30 pounds for the role, shaved her eyebrows, wore liquid latex to weather her skin and donned dentures to transform her into the sex worker-turned-murderer who killed at least seven people and was eventually executed in Florida.
At the time, some people funding Monster wanted ‘a hot lesbian movie with me and Christina Ricci,’ she told Harper’s Bazaar in September last year.
But its leading lady didn’t give in – she started her own production company, Denver & Delilah, to preserve Monster director Patty Jenkins’ vision.
And it paid off, the then 28-year-old actress went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role as Wournos.
The Hollywood star gained weight for a second role years later for 2018’s Tully when she put on 50 pounds to play a mom-of-three, a process she called ‘brutal.’
‘I ate a lot of everything, but my drug of choice is potato chips,’ she told The Ellen Show.
‘I ate them everywhere. I had a bag in my car, a bag in the bathroom, a bag in the kitchen, a bag on the counter, a bag in my trailer. Everywhere I went there was just a bag.’
The actress said she didn’t realize how much the processed food would have on her mood, dealing with depression for the first time.
2. This Hollywood A-lister spent three hours a day to transform into a popular author
It took this A-lister three hours a day in the makeup chair to transform into famed author Virginia Woolf in 2002’s The Hours
The actress wore a prosthetic nose, a wig and makeup was applied to change the shape of her eyes
It took this Hollywood A-lister three hours a day in the makeup chair to transform into famed author Virginia Woolf in 2002’s The Hours.
The actress wore a prosthetic nose, a wig and makeup was applied to change the shape of her eyes. At the time, the Los Angeles Times called it a ‘disappearing act’ because she was rendered unrecognizable with these changes.
‘I did enjoy being anonymous,’ she told SFGate.
‘It was fun to be able to go out of my trailer and not have anyone know me.’
The actress also expressed shock when she found out preview audiences watched the whole movie and didn’t catch on it was her.
But she didn’t just focus on Virginia’s appearance, it was an internal transformation as well.
‘[I] try to create who she is through just being her rather than trying to change physically, even though I wore the nose, even though all of those things,’ she told the LA Times.
‘They were the next layer, whereas the first thing was inside.’
3. This actor ate ‘pints of ice-cream’ to play a killer
To transform into John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman, this frontman-turned-actor put on 67 pounds in 2007’s Chapter 27 and couldn’t walk to set
His diet consisted of microwaving ‘pints of ice cream mixed with olive oil and soy sauce’
To transform into John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman, this frontman-turned-actor put on 67 pounds in 2007’s Chapter 27 and couldn’t walk to set.
His diet consisted of microwaving ‘pints of ice-cream mixed with olive oil and soy sauce,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
‘I’m not sure it was the wisest choice,’ he told the LA Times in 2014.
‘A friend of mine was recently going to gain weight for a film, and I did my best to talk him out of it.
‘Just because you can lose the weight doesn’t mean the impact it had on you isn’t there anymore.’
And he knows this better than anyone the effects of rapid weight gain has on the body.
He suffered from gout and his doctor urged him to take Lipitor – a drug used to prevent cardiovascular disease.
4. This cinema darling channeled a televangelist to win an Oscar
It took this Oscar winner seven hours – including prosthetics, hair, makeup and wardrobe – to take her final form in the movie as televangelist Tammy Faye
The team details the four pillars of the stunning transformation, starting with turning the actress’s more angular face into Tammy’s rounder one
It took this acting powerhouse seven hours – including prosthetics, hair, makeup and wardrobe – to take her final form in the movie as televangelist Tammy Faye.
The team details the four pillars of the stunning transformation to Entertainment Weekly, starting with turning the actress’s more angular face into Tammy’s rounder one.
Prosthetics makeup designer Justin Raleigh made prosthetics for the Hollywood star using two techniques: 3D modelling and traditional casting.
The crucial parts for transforming the actress’s face? The cheek additions ‘would widen her face’ and another piece was created to fill in the dimple of her chin.
Hair department head Stephanie Ingram, who had worked with this star for 11 movies, said they looked through hours of Tammy video and ended up fashioning 12 hairpieces.
As for her clothes, costumer designer Mitchell Travers said: ‘Tammy was aware of the power of image — it was her armor.
‘As the story becomes more exaggerated, the clothes do as well — I wanted to feel the weight of the clip-ons on her ears, the pressure of the shoulder pads on her body, so that it starts to become slightly suffocating to be Tammy.’
Makeup department head Linda Dowds shopped at drugstores and eBay to get her hands on the products Tammy actually used
Travers told EW high-end and thrift-store clothing was used in the film to recreate Tammy’s outfits.
Lastly was the makeup that brought the entire look together and it couldn’t be anything short of dramatic.
Makeup department head Linda Dowds shopped at drugstores and eBay to get her hands on the products Tammy actually used.
‘[Tammy] didn’t really understand why people made fun of her,’ Dowds, who had the tricky job of making sure the makeup didn’t skid into caricature territory, said.
‘That’s [why] you never see her in the movie with mascara running down her face.
‘We honor the fact that she loved beauty.’
5. This rapper-turned-actor said he was ‘starving’ when he lost 50 pounds in nine weeks for this role
For his role as a football player suffering from cancer in 2011’s All Things Fall Apart, this rapper lost 50 pounds in under 10 weeks
He did it by consuming only liquids and hitting the treadmill for three hours daily
For his role as a football player suffering from cancer in 2011’s All Things Fall Apart, this rapper lost 50 pounds in under 10 weeks.
He did it by consuming only liquids and hitting the treadmill for three hours daily, according to the Associated Press.
Though drinking only liquids was something he got used to in 2000 when he was shot in the jaw, he said it was ‘a lot tougher’ this time around.
‘I had to discipline myself not … to actually have myself be in the physical state to convey the energy I felt. It’s a passion project for me,’ he said of the weight loss process.
The actor went from 214 pounds to 160 in just nine weeks, but said he was ‘starving.’
6. This blockbuster star insisted on his own transformation
The Hollywood superstar said he read Ben Stiller’s script for 2008’s Tropic Thunder and wanted to play Les Grossman, a crude studio executive
He (pictured here with Jennifer Lopez at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards) said when he read the role he told Ben Stiller: ‘I wanna fat hands and I’m wanna dance’
This Hollywood superstar said he read Ben Stiller’s script for 2008’s Tropic Thunder (the pair have been friends for years) and wanted to play Les Grossman, a foul-mouthed studio executive.
‘Do you mind, Ben? I want to play this character,’ the actor told BBC Radio 1 in 2017.
‘I said, “I wanna fat hands and I’m wanna dance.” And he (Ben) looked at me and he was like, “What?”
‘He said, “Are you sure? Why can’t you just be you? Like look like you?” I said, “No man, I don’t know how else to play this character.”
‘So then I did the makeup test and we tested the fat hands and the whole look, you know? So we’re doing the wardrobe and there’s no music playing, and Ben and I. I said, “Look I just want to do some moves for you.” So I just started working… on Les, moving like that.
‘He just called me… he picked the music out, he edited this thing together, he was just p***ing himself. And he sent it to me, and he said, “I get it, I get it.”’
7. One of many transformations for this actor
There’s a lot of dramatic transformations to choose from when it comes to this actor, but his uncanny appearance as former Vice President Dick Cheney in 2018’s Vice is spot on
There’s a lot of dramatic transformations to choose from when it comes to this actor, but his uncanny appearance as former Vice President Dick Cheney in 2018’s Vice is spot on.
At first, the film’s writer-director Adam McKay said: ‘Look, you don’t have to look exactly like him. We just want the vibe.’
The actor not only shaved his head and bleached his eyebrows, but he ate ‘a lot of pies’ to put on the 40 pounds to take his slim stature to Dick’s heavier one, US Weekly reported.
The makeup team’s efforts to give him a bigger head and thicker neck meant he had to spend four to eight hours per day getting ready to become the ex-VP.
‘It was helpful to [have] a bullish neck,’ he told USA Today.
‘They added a number of inches (of prosthetic) around my neck.’
8. From bulky blockbuster star to lost at sea
Fans of this blockbuster star were shocked when he shared a photo of his transformation for 2015’s film In The Heart Of The Sea
Fans of this blockbuster star were shocked when he shared a photo of his transformation for 2015’s film In The Heart Of The Sea.
He said he lost 33 pounds in four weeks for his role as Owen Chase and said it was much harder than putting on muscle.
‘The gaining is fine, you just eat a lot and you lift weights but that was underfed, which led to a pretty moody existence and inconsistent emotions,’ the actor, who added his diet dropped down to 500 to 600 calories a day, told Good Morning America, according to People.
He said he eat boiled eggs, salads and ‘nothing much.’
Director Ron Howard told EW that the cast, who had to shed the pounds as they played men lost at sea, ‘had to work out every day, even on shooting days.’
‘Because they had to lose the weight pretty fast and they had to lose it safely. They needed to keep burning the calories and we also needed that sinewy strength that was more of that era, as opposed to a kind of cut, buff look.’
9. From ‘girly’ girl to goth girl
The then 25-year-old bleached her eyebrows and hacked off her hair as well as getting her nose, lip and eyebrow pierced
She became hacker Lisbeth Salander in the English-speaking film adapted the Swedish thriller, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The then 25-year-old bleached her eyebrows and hacked off her hair as well as getting her nose, lip and eyebrow pierced to become hacker Lisbeth Salander in the English-speaking film adapted from the Swedish thriller, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
It was a stunning transformation for this budding starlet who up until that point was probably known by most in her role in 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street remake.
‘The eyebrows were the biggest shock because that really changed my face, and I didn’t recognize myself,’ she told Vogue in 2011.
‘But I was fine because I knew it was going to be really helpful for getting into character.’
Lisbeth’s style was a far cry from this actress’s usual brown locks and classic feminine elegance.
‘Before, I dressed much girlier,’ she said in that same interview.
‘A lot of blush-colored things. Now I literally roll out of bed and put on whatever is there. I have really enjoyed being a boy this last year.’
10. One man, many faces in Coming To America
It may be hard to believe but Eddie does play Saul, the Jewish customer at the local barbershop
It may be hard to believe but this comedian plays Saul, the Jewish customer at the local barbershop, in Coming To America.
He also plays many other characters in the 1988 film, including Clarence and Randy Watson.
Saul was a character thought up by Coming To America director John Landis, according to Collider via ScreenRant.
11. This actress shaved her eyebrows to transform into Edith Piaf
To play the famed French singer, the then 33-year-old spent five hours every day in the makeup chair
She had to shave her eyebrows (they were then drawn back on pencil-thin) and a portion of her head to mimic Piaf’s hair transplant
To play the famed French singer, the then 33-year-old spent five hours every day in the makeup chair, according to the LA Times, and had to lower her voice to match Edith Piaf in 2007’s La Vie En Rose.
She had to shave her eyebrows (they were then drawn back on pencil-thin) and a portion of her head to mimic Piaf’s hair transplant.
In the film, the actress portrayed Edith from the age of 20 until her death aged 47.
‘I had a body prosthetic to make it a little bigger. And a prosthetic on the face, and a lot of latex and acrylic painting,’ she told Collider.
‘At the end, I had that bald cap with the few orange hair. But I really liked it, even if sometimes I wanted to kill all those people around me, touching me, touching me, and all those smells.’
12. A gender-bending Bob Dylan
In 2007’s I’m Not There, six actors portrayed music legend Bob Dylan in the biopic – and no one had more of a shocking transformation than this actress
When photos of her from the film emerged, she was barely recognizable, sporting a curly brown wig and pair of Ray Bans to recreate Bob’s signature style
In 2007’s I’m Not There, six actors portrayed music legend Bob Dylan in the biopic – and no one had more of a shocking transformation than this actress.
When photos of her from the film emerged, she was barely recognizable, sporting a curly brown wig and pair of Ray Bans to recreate Bob’s signature style.
Despite being a woman, the actress credited one detail that made her feel more in character.
‘A friend of mine who’s a make-up artist said to me a few days into the shoot: “Put a sock down your pants!” she told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2022.
‘I said: “What?!” She said: “You’re on the bed, put a sock down your pants,” and I said, “Oh, OK” and I did! And I didn’t look back. It absolutely helped.’
13. Son ‘utterly horrified’ by this actor’s The Batman transformation
The 45-year-old actor revealed his son was ‘utterly horrified’ at the sight of his transformation into Penguin during production for 2022’s The Batman
The 45-year-old actor revealed his son was ‘utterly horrified’ at the sight of his transformation into Penguin during production for 2022’s The Batman.
He became the superhero villain with the help of prosthetics and even successfully went incognito during trips to Starbucks in-costume.
‘I went into Starbucks and I ordered myself a very un-Oswald drink, an oat milk latte with two stevia sweeteners,’ he told Collider.
‘I got a couple of stares but only because it’s such an imposing look.’
In an interview for Jake’s Takes, the actor revealed he made a case for Penguin to appear with his typical top hat, monocle, and cigarette.
‘I fought valiantly for a cigar,’ he said, but ultimately the studio ruled against it.
‘Big studios make big decisions around such things as the presence of cigarettes in films.
He continued: ‘I fought valiantly for a cigar. At one stage I said, “I can have it unlit! Just let me have it unlit.”
‘They were like, “No.” [As if] a bunch of 12-year-olds are going to start smoking Cuban cigars because [the Penguin is smoking cigars in a movie].’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk