Representing a character may be quite tough and challenging for an actor. To perform a movie or theater role truthfully and become unrecognizable on the screen perfectionist actors do their best. They adopt all of the manners of characters and mentally transform from a talented actor to a villain, king, or somebody with completely other thoughts and hobbies.
Imagine representing a completely another person, for example, somebody who enjoys fighting with supernatural creatures instead of going to work or enjoying
22bet footbal news. Moreover, perfectionist actors dedicated to their work put a huge effort into achieving the physical traits of their characters: they gain or lose significant weight, change their hairstyle, or sometimes even do dental work. We bring you seven examples of brilliant actors who underwent dramatic changes to prepare for their movie roles.
Christian Bale (“American Psycho”, “The Machinist”, “Batman Begins”, “Rescue Dawn”, “The Fighter”, “Vice”)
Christian Bale is famous for their versatility and numerous memorable roles. While preparing for his role in “American Psycho”, Bale bulked up his arms, muscled up, and gained significant weight. To turn into the mentally unstable Trevor Reznik in “The Machinist”, Bale dieted over two months and lost 62 pounds. He reportedly ate only one apple a day and drank water and coffee to look as similar as possible to his character.
After “The Machinist” Bale landed the role of Bruce Wayne in “Batman Begins”. To bring his weight back down he worked out and ate a lot. He reportedly tried so hard to bring his weight back that he even put on over 100 pounds and then went through a weight loss again. Only a year later Bale appeared in “Rescue Dawn”: he gained weight again and trained a lot. In 2010 and 2018 Bale portrayed Dicky Eklund and Dick Cheney. To represent these characters, Bale again reportedly dropped 30 pounds and gained around 40 pounds.
Charlize Theron (“Monster”)
For the role of sex worker and serial killer Aileen Wuornos Charlize Theron gained over 35 pounds, cut her hair, and shaved her eyebrows. To embody the character of a real-life serial killer, she also wore special dentures which made her smile in the film so terrifying. Makeup artists also masterfully changed the skin of her face, giving it an unattractive tone, and the director did not allow her to wash her hair often. Sacrifices turned out to be justified because the film was awarded an Oscar for Best Actress.
Jared Leto (“Chapter 27”, “Dallas Buyers Club”)
“Chapter 27” is a biographical drama film about John Lennon’s murderer Mark David Chapman. To portray Mark Jared Leto transformed into a transsexual and drug addict. While preparing for this role Leto underwent a radical physical transformation: he put on 67 pounds and risked his health. Excessive body weight brought him serious health problems such as irregular heartbeat and high cholesterol.
Jared Leto needed a whole year to recover from his role and heal from the appearance of gout, which confined him for a while to a wheelchair. And the role of the man, sick with AIDS, in “Dallas Buyers Club” made Jared Leto drastically change this appearance one more time: he lost a considerable amount of weight, waxed his body, and wore female clothes.
John Hurt (“The Elephant Man”)
This 1980 drama film picture caused surprise and shock among viewers. The story of a severely deformed man John Merrick drew attention to the importance of human dignity. And John Hurt had to carry a heavy load of rubber products depicting tumors, and prostheses on his arm daily to portray a titular role. His efforts proved worthwhile, and this brilliant film was nominated for an Oscar 8 times.
John Travolta (“Hairspray”)
Excellent musical comedy, which tells about the fact that a dream can always become a reality if you want it. To play obese caring mother Edna Turnblad John Travolta had to put on a female suit weighing 13 kilograms to turn into a chubby, makeup for several hours, and then dance in front of the cameras as if it was his real body.
Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”)
To portray a brutal hacker Lisbeth Salander, Rooney Mara cut off her beautiful hair, dyed it black, lightened her eyebrows, and decorated her face and body with piercings. She also lost significant weight. Her radical transformation made her portrayal of his infamous character great.
Tom Hanks (“Cast Away”)
What does it take for a person who gives himself entirely to work to realize how important in life are native people? In our case he gets into an airplane crash and finds himself on a desert island. Tom Hanks, who played a man on an uninhabited island in this movie, dropped over 50 pounds for this role.
All these transformations serve as testaments to actors’ versatility and wow the film academics. Here are some more Hollywood stars who underwent groundbreaking transformations for their roles: Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull”), Marlon Brando (“The Godfather”), Edward Norton (“American History X”), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Brad Pitt “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Tom Cruise (“Tropic Thunder”), Renée Zellweger (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”), Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), Natalie Portman (“Black Swan”), Gwyneth Paltrow (“Shallow Hal”), and Cate Blanchett (“I’m Not There”).