Would you recognize these A-Listers if you were clicking through one of their movies on TV? Most celebs have a specific look that everyone wants to emulate, but the best actors among them are true chameleons, with the ability to change their mannerisms and even appearance to fit any role. Whether it’s weight gain or prosthetics and makeup, making a total transformation for a movie can pay off — sometimes with an Oscar.
Let’s see if you can pick out some of your favorite stars playing in their most adaptable roles yet.
Matthew McConaughey
To realistically play an AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club, the True Detective star lost 47 pounds, creating a skeletal appearance. He locked himself up inside his Texas home to avoid temptation and distraction. When the 6-foot tall actor got down to 143 pounds, he began to lose his eyesight. Worth it? Sure, as long as he can still see the Oscar he earned for his performance.
Christian Bale
Known for his own drastic weight loss for his role in the film The Machinist, Bale went the other direction to play Irving Rosenfeld in American Hustle. He gained 43 pounds of pure fat, mostly in his belly. But that’s not all he did to create the image of the flashy swindler from the 1970s. Every morning, the movie’s hair stylist would shave the top of his head, creating the creepy comb-over look. Bye-bye, Batman!
Charlize Theron
This drop-dead gorgeous actress knew she had to take a risk if she wanted to ‘kill it’ in Hollywood. But playing serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003’s Monster was certainly anything but glamorous. She gained 30 pounds, mostly by eating donuts and potato chips. She also wore fake teeth and makeup to give her skin a splotchy appearance. Theron was rewarded with her own Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Rooney Mara
To play Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mara had to tap into her inner Goth. The already petite actress lost a few pounds, bleached her eyebrows and added real piercings, including four in each ear and one each in her nose, lip, eyebrow and nipple. She claims to have kept the one in her nipple post-shooting.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Bruce Willis starred in this time-traveling adventure flick, but needed an actor to play his much younger self. Gordon-Levitt agreed to spend three hours in makeup each day to achieve Willis’ snub nose, broader jaw and more pronounced brow line. His face was covered in so much makeup, the makeup artists would routinely have to pop sweat bubbles that formed on his skin. We’re not sure this one was worth it considering, even with all the prosthetics, he doesn’t really look like Bruce.
Michael Douglas
After rebounding from cancer, Douglas was thrilled to play the iconic Liberace in Behind the Candelabra. The 69-year-old actor sat in the makeup chair for two and a half hours to achieve the look of the flamboyant pianist. The role won him a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Let’s be honest: Abraham Lincoln may be our most beloved president, but he wasn’t much of a looker. Lanky, with a high forehead and protruding chin, Day-Lewis used his own beard and hair to play the 16th president, but added the iconic mole. The biggest transformation came in his voice. He mastered the frail, shaky tone and accent that truly captured Lincoln’s soul, never using his own strong voice while on set, even between takes.
James Franco
Franco is a bit of an oddball, but his transformation for the role of Alien in the strange movie Spring Breakers was truly scary, yet somehow still sexy. His cornrows, his tats and his mouth full of metal made him look like a guy you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley, but his off-kilter charisma somehow made him charming.
Cate Blanchett
Blanchett loves to take risks in her work, even acting in drag when portraying Bob Dylan in the 2007 experimental film I’m Not There. She lost weight, wore a wig and changed her speech pattern, creating Dylan as an androgynous alien. It worked.
Angelina Jolie
Jolie is known for attacking her roles like a shark, fiercely biting into her characters and not letting go. It’s no surprise her makeover for the role of Maleficent involves facial prosthetics that include sharp, protruding cheekbones and pointed ears to look truly evil.
Nicole Kidman
Blink and you’ll miss her, but yes, it really is Nicole Kidman playing Virginia Woolf in The Hours, totally transformed by a realistic looking prosthetic nose. Kidman’s commitment to character must have paid off — and her acting talents certainly helped — because she was the only one to win an Oscar from the film, above costars Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.
Chris Pratt
Prepping for the blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy may have been Pratt’s career-defining moment that separated the man from the boys — or rather the former funnyman carrying a few extra pounds from the ripped leading man we know today. For his lead role in Guardians, Pratt reportedly lost 65 pounds by cleaning up his diet and hitting the gym every day for six months.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon’s had his share of diverse roles in his lengthy career, but his role as an everyday whistleblower in the agricultural industry is almost easy to overlook. Carrying 30 extra pounds in The Informant with sandy hair and a mustache, Damon looks nothing like his usual chiseled self. This well-rated 2009 movie is worth seeing, if not for Damon’s all-too-convincing bumbling demeanor and drab style.
Steve Carell
Steve Carell’s portrayal of John du Pont, eccentric millionaire and sports enthusiast, in Foxcatcher is a far cry from the beloved Michael Scott of his Office days. For starters, Carell is easy to miss in this film based on true events, wearing a prosthetic nose and playing against his normal comedic type. Be prepared to be wowed by Carell’s chilling performance — just don’t expect any “that’s what she said” jokes.
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