20 Incredible Actor Transformations For Movie Roles

These people really went all out

Damjan

• Published in Film & TV
• February 10, 2023

Movies and actors have been a source of entertainment and inspiration for generations. We all love watching movies and actors, no matter our age.

Movies provide us with a glimpse into another world, allowing us to experience a variety of emotions and explore new ideas. Seeing our favorite actors on the big screen makes us feel connected to them and their stories, and their performances can be both captivating and inspiring.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to become an actor? It sounds like it could be an exciting and rewarding career; however, it is not as easy as it seems.

Acting requires a lot of skill, practice, and hard work. It is so much more than memorizing lines and playing a character; it is about becoming the character and bringing it to life.

It is a vocation that requires tremendous dedication and ability. Are you willing to sacrifice your body to become a famous actor?

This may mean gaining excessive weight, fasting for long periods to lose weight, or even enduring a difficult muscle-building routine that requires six hours of gym time a day. It's not an easy journey to become a successful actor, but if you are dedicated, the end result may be worth it.

We are honoring those remarkable celebrities who went to remarkable lengths to accurately and genuinely embody their movie roles with physical and mental changes. Continue reading to find out about the extraordinary transformations these stars had to make for their art.

1. Zac Efron, Baywatch

The actor underwent an intense preparation period for 'Baywatch,' working out with fitness trainer Patrick Murphy four to five times a week for four to six months. During this time, they followed a rigorous, healthy eating plan that eliminated all carbohydrates and carbs for extended periods.

2. Kit Harington, Pompeii

Kit Harington experienced body dysmorphia, an extreme preoccupation with one's physical appearance while preparing for his role. He confessed to being completely taken over by it, going to the gym three times a day, six days a week.

His trainer eventually had to step in to control his activity, but Harington said he was proud of what he achieved.

3. Matthew Fox, Alex Cross

To play the emaciated villain in the heavy-duty thriller ‘Alex Cross,’ Fox lost a substantial amount of weight - around a fifth of his body weight. Instead of taking a dangerous approach to achieve his goal, the former Lost star chose to modify his body in a healthy way.

He increased his fitness routine while reducing his calorie intake, and kept an eye on his nutrition to ensure he had the energy to work hard, think clearly, and be a responsible parent and husband. After a few months of intense physical training, his body was sculpted into a lean, muscular figure.

4. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Anne Hathaway, the 30-year-old actress, was devoted to her role in the movie 'Les Miserables' so much so that she shaved off her iconic long brown hair and shed 25 pounds.

Reports circulated that she was on an extreme crash diet, only taking in 500 calories a day to slim down quickly, but her representative has clarified that the stories have been "massively exaggerated" and that Hathaway did have a special diet but was eating more than 500 calories a day.

5. Robert De Niro, Raging Bull

Robert DeNiro portrays the Italian-American middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta in the movie, and DeNiro commits to conveying the wear over time through his own physical transformation. LaMotta's self-destructive behavior is chronicled across several decades, and DeNiro gives a true-to-life performance capturing this evolution.

At the time of its release, Robert De Niro's 60-pound weight gain for the movie was the highest of any actor for a film role. However, what makes De Niro's physical transformation so remarkable is the extremity of the change he underwent during the shoot.

For most of the film, De Niro had to maintain the physique of a boxing contender. Then, in the last scenes, which depicted an older, overweight LaMotta, De Niro shifted drastically in the opposite direction.

6. Matt Damon, The Informant!

Damon estimates that he put on between 25 and 30 pounds for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s movie 'The Informant'. Though the extra weight was needed for the part, his friends gave him a hard time about it.

7. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

The incredible weight loss of actor Matthew McConaughey in the movie 'Dallas Buyers Club' is an astonishing component of the film. He shed almost 40 pounds to portray the real-life story of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, who fought against the US government to make unapproved medicine available to other patients.

McConaughey described how, in spite of the warnings from others about the potential harm to his well-being, he had enough stamina - both mentally and physically - to finish the demanding 25-day shoot.

8. 50 Cent, All Things Fall Apart

In the Mario Van Peebles movie 'Things Fall Apart,' the renowned rapper 50 Cent had to drop a substantial amount of weight to portray a football player suffering from cancer. Before this drastic transformation, Fitty weighed 214 pounds.

After completing the transformation, a picture of him at a mere 160 pounds was posted to the public. In order to reach this state, 50 Cent followed a liquid diet and ran for three hours daily for nine weeks.

9. Taylor Lautner, Twilight: New Moon

Taylor Lautner may not have supernatural strength, but his success depends on him appearing that way. His character developed into a powerful werewolf between the first and second Twilight films.

To make this transformation, he had to gain 30 pounds of muscle in just one year. He was able to achieve this goal.

10. Colin Farrell, The Lobster

Colin Farrell revealed that gaining the 40 pounds he needed for his role in the satirical comedy, The Lobster, wasn't challenging - he simply had to forgo any portion control. After the movie was complete, Farrell made a commitment to himself to lose weight.

11. Chris Hemsworth, Thor

Rewrite this article: For the first film, Hemsworth worked out with a trainer and former Navy SEAL Duffy Gaver, who took an old-school bodybuilding technique, focusing on Hemsworth’s arms and shoulders. Thor, after all, is frequently sleeveless but rarely shirtless.

Hemsworth gained 20 pounds in total, establishing the groundwork for a physique he’s kept in peak condition for Thor’s recurrent role in The Avengers and the solo sequel, Thor: The Dark World.

12. Christian Bale, The Machinist

Christian Bale portrays Trevor Reznik, the lead character in the 2004 film The Machinist, who battles debilitating insomnia. As a result of his lack of sleep, Reznik's weight plummets drastically, and Bale has to do the same in order to be true to the role.

The actor lost 63 pounds, going from 173 to 110 pounds, by following a strict diet of one can of tuna and one apple a day for four months.

13. Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Rooney Mara put in a lot of effort to transform herself into "pale, emaciated" Lisbeth Salander for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. She worked out regularly and followed a strict diet in order to achieve the look.

14. Ben Kingsley, Gandhi

In preparation for his role as Gandhi in the movie ‘Gandhi,’ Ben Kingsley went to great lengths to make his portrayal as authentic as possible. To achieve this, he shaved his head, lost 20 pounds by following a vegetarian diet, practiced yoga, meditated, and even learned to spin cotton thread on a wooden wheel, similar to what Gandhi himself did.

15. Chris Pratt, Guardians Of The Galaxy

Chris Pratt, the star of 'Guardians of the Galaxy', managed to shed 60 pounds in only six months - all thanks to his dedicated work ethic. Before auditioning for the Marvel film, Pratt weighed around 300 pounds.

To attain the physical transformation he desired, he worked for three to four hours a day continuously. His hard work paid off, and he is now well known for his role as Andy Dwyer from the sitcom 'Parks and Recreation.'

16. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal slimmed down to a startlingly low weight for his role as Lou Bloom in the movie ‘Nightcrawler.’ In the film, Bloom is a determined paparazzo who prowls the night streets of Los Angeles in search of shocking news stories.

Gyllenhaal wanted to look as thin and gaunt as the character, so he stuck to a diet of kale salad and chewing gum while filming. Through his dedication and hard work, he managed to lose an impressive 30 pounds.

17. Christian Bale, American Hustle

For his role as New York con man Irving Rosenfeld in David O. Russell's "American Hustle," Christian Bale gained 42 pounds and shaved part of his skull to give Rosenfeld's complicated comb-over more dimension. Unfortunately, Bale's dedication to the part caused him to herniate a disc in his back, resulting in him being three inches shorter than his normal height.

18. Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild

Emile Hirsch had to go to great lengths to accurately portray Chris McCandless, a man who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness and perished from starvation, in the movie 'Into The Wild.' To capture McCandless' essence, Hirsch had to subject himself to extreme weight loss.

19. J.K. Simmons, Justice League

J.K. Simmons underwent extensive surgery in order to portray Commissioner Gordon in Justice League. His ambition was to reach the peak of physical health and adopt a healthier lifestyle to prevent future health issues.

20. Tom Hanks, Castaway

For the role of a middle-aged man, actor Tom Hanks had to put on an extra 50 pounds (23 kg) in pre-production. The parts of the movie that had been filmed before the island scenes were shot with Tom in this form.

Afterward, there was a year-long break so Tom could lose weight to portray a castaway realistically. He refrained from shaving or cutting his hair for weeks, and with a dedicated diet and exercise plan, he was able to shed 55 pounds in just four months.

We often forget that acting is more than just standing in front of a camera and delivering lines. It's a craft that requires hard work and dedication to get it right.

Many actors put in a lot of hard work to get into the right mindset and physical shape to portray a character on screen. We have seen many actors undergo amazing bodily transformations to get into a role, and they should be applauded for their dedication and hard work.

Damjan