7 Movies That Required Actors To Undergo Shockingly Drastic Physical Changes For Their Roles

Most of the weight changes were unhealthy.

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• Published in Film & TV
• February 10, 2023

Being in the showbiz industry is a tough job. It's a competitive environment where only the cream of the crop can survive and flourish.

The job comes with extreme pressure as actors have to maintain a good image while keeping their lives private. Plus, projects will require tons of physical, mental, and emotional energy.

Depending on the script, they may have to show a range of emotions in the film. If you think that being an actor is only about glitz and glamour, well, that's not true.

Acting for movies and series isn't a piece of cake. Actors need to possess a huge amount of dedication and talent.

It requires them to be the person they're playing, deliver lines, and follow strict cues. It may even involve costumes that they may not be comfortable with.

A lot of actors even had to do drastic body transformations to get in the shoes of the character. If they have to be muscular, then they need to do workouts that might be more intense than what they're used to.

If their character is skinny, then they would need to follow a strict diet. And they're not even sure if their hard work will pay off.

They can only see it when their movies or series become successful. Today's post is about actors who had to go to the extreme to transform their bodies for the sake of playing their characters.

1. Colin Farrell as Mark Walsh in Triage

Farrell plays a photojournalist who goes to Bosnia. He was at his lowest weight after losing 44 pounds from consuming only diet coke, black coffee, and tuna.

2. Domhnall Gleeson as Lt. Russell "Phil" Phillips in Unbroken

Gleeson lost too much weight to the point that his contact lenses won't fit anymore.

3. Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre in The Informant!

Damon gained more or less 30 pounds for the movie. His friends poked fun at his weight even if he only did it for the role.

4. Chris Hemsworth played In the Heart of the Sea's Owen Chase

Hemsworth's weight gradually increased through the course of the film so he can successfully portray a starving man. He only ate boiled egg, a celery stick, and some crackers.

5. Cent in All Things Fall Apart

50 Cent's character is Deon, a football player who suffers from cancer. He needed to go on a water diet while running on a treadmill for a couple of hours a day, nine weeks straight.

6. Jared Leto as Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27

Leto gained 67 pounds for this film. Before the filming ended, the extra weight negatively impacted his health to the point that he couldn't walk to the location of the set.

7. Christian Bale as Trevor Reznik in The Machinist

Bale played an insomniac machinist whose extreme weight loss is caused by lack of sleep. He needed to follow a draconian diet to be this thin.

The dedication of these actors is truly impressive. They're willing to either gain or lose weight to contribute to the film's success.

Even if they knew it was detrimental to their health, they were willing to undergo drastic changes anyway. We have nothing but praise for these actors' efforts.

Not everyone is willing to go through what they've done.

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