By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:00am PDT, Mar 19, 2024
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They don't call it movie magic for nothing! Depending on the role, actors and actresses — especially the committed ones! — have been known to drastically change their appearances for the sake of getting into character, both physically and mentally. We're taking a look at the celebrities who've totally transformed their looks on the big and small screens, starting with this shocker…
In February 2024, a new teaser for the upcoming HBO series "The Sympathizer" showed Robert Downey Jr.'s transformation into four different characters on the show.
The Oscar-nominated "Oppenheimer" star — seen here in a still showing one of his characters from the satirical spy thriller — also executive produced the limited series with his wife, Susan Downey, and A24.
"I was astounded by how quickly he was able to come up with a very different performance — he'd do a different improv for each and every take," director Park Chan-wook told Vanity Fair. "Even when I had a good-enough take, I had to fall back and suppress myself from asking for more. It was unbelievable to see."
Keep reading to see Robert as he appears in other roles on "The Sympathizer," then read on for more of the best and worst on-screen transformations over the years…
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Robert Downey Jr., pictured here in stills from the February 2024 teaser for "The Sympathizer," transforms into multiple characters on the limited series, which hits HBO on April 14, 2024.
According to a synopsis from the network, the series is "an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren't over."
"The Sympathizer" is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
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Bradley Cooper, is that you?
Prosthetics like a fake nose as well as some serious hair and makeup transformed the actor into famed composer Leonard Bernstein in his older years in the movie "Maestro." The Netflix film, which also stars Carey Mulligan, opened in a limited number of theaters in November 2023 and hit the streaming service on Dec. 20.
It's stirred up some controversy: Some critics have accused the Oscar nominee — who is not Jewish as the composer was — of playing to "Jewface" stereotypes, DailyMail.com reported.
MORE: Must-see music biopics
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Marvel star and Emmy-nominated "Pam & Tommy" actor Sebastian Stan was photographed in costume as Donald Trump while shooting the upcoming movie "The Apprentice" in Toronto on Dec. 4, 2023.
The film is set in the '70s and '80s and chronicles Donald's rise in the New York real estate world. Sebastian's co-stars include Oscar-nominated "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" actress Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, the mogul's first wife, and Emmy-winning "Succession" actor Jeremy Strong as attorney Roy Cohn, who worked for and mentored The Donald.
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Recognize this former teen heartthrob? Zac Efron underwent a massive transformation to bring real-life wrestler Kevin Von Erich to the big screen in "The Iron Claw" in December 2023. He looked practically unrecognizable in the biopic with a bowl-cut 'do featuring super-short bangs, an extra-chiseled jawline and bulging muscles.
Zac discussed his transformation with "Entertainment Tonight" at the film's Dallas premiere in November 2023, sharing, "This movie's a true story, and that man, Kevin Von Erich right there, he really motivated me to get in shape for this movie… The physicality he brought to the ring every single day was really unique. It changed wrestling. I knew that was going to be the hardest [thing] for me to master and get right. So, I put everything I had into it."
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Angelina Jolie was practically unrecognizable while dressed as opera superstar Maria Callas on the Paris set of the upcoming biopic "Maria" on Oct. 12, 2023.
The Oscar winner donned a fantastically '70s ensemble (the famed soprano died at 53 in 1977) — complete with chunky frames with high-index lenses — to bring the Greek chanteuse to life.
Angelina even rocked gray in her hair, which was styled to mimic the 'do Maria favored during her later years.
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Marvel, "Rush," "Inglourious Basterds" and "The Alienist" actor Daniel Bruhl transformed into famed fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, to film the upcoming Disney+ series "Kaiser Karl" in Rome on May 19, 2023.
The show is set in Europe in the 1970s when the future Chanel designer was just starting to break into the French fashion scene.
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John Cena donned full mime makeup on the set of the Peter Farrelly movie "Ricky Stanicky" in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 9, 2023.
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In the 2023 movie "Paint," Owen Wilson dons a wig and some facial hair to play Carl Nargle, a Bob Ross-like local artist who hosts a painting show on Vermont public television. Carl, who's beloved by the women in town, has to face his insecurities when the station hires an exciting new artist to revitalize the channel.
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Though he's known for his dashing good looks, talented British actor Jude Law put vanity aside to play dirty, diabolical Captain Hook in Disney's live-action movie "Peter Pan & Wendy," which debuted on Disney+ in April 2023.
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Lady Gaga sported melting clown makeup and a harlequin-patterned corset while playing Harley Quinn during filming of the sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux" in New York City on April 2, 2023. Keep reading for a closer look at her makeup…
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Lady Gaga's makeup was terrifying on the New York City set of "Joker: Folie à Deux" on April 2, 2023.
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"Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr. showed off a new look — a bald head! — on the set of his upcoming HBO espionage-thriller series, "The Sympathizer," in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2023. Without his signature curly dark locks, the Marvel actor was almost completely unrecognizable!
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An over-the-top curly wig and a real mustache — that's right, his facial hair was completely au naturel! — were crucial components of Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al Yankovic transformation as the "Harry Potter" actor prepped to play the Grammy-winning musical parody genius in the movie "Weird: The Al Yankovic" story, which debuted on Roku on Nov. 4, 2022. The resemblance is uncanny!
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Brown-eyed brunette actress Emmy Rossum donned a big blonde wig, a new eye color and prosthetics to physically transform into the title character in the 2022 Peacock series "Angelyne." She told The Hollywood Reporter she often spent four or five hours in the makeup chair, got blisters from the 3-pound fake breasts she wore and experienced issues with her tear ducts from wearing two pairs of contact lenses and heavy makeup — bu it was worth it. "The physicality of the character was challenging. The body is heavy, yet it has to feel light and effervescent. But I just kept focusing on how lucky I felt. This opportunity is really every actor's dream," Emmy told THR.
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Naomi Watts was almost unrecognizable after hair, makeup and wardrobe transformed her into Barbara "Babe" Paley, the former Vogue fashion editor previously married to CBS founder William S. Paley, as she filmed the second installment of Ryan Murphy's "Feud" miniseries, "Feud: Capote's Women," on Jan. 25, 2023.
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Marisa Abela — the English actress who's playing Amy Winehouse in the biopic "Back To Black" — recreated a heartbreaking arrest scene on the film's London set on Jan. 20, 2023. Fans of the late singer have not been impressed with Marisa's transformation into the music star, with many noting that she looks nothing like the Grammy winner.
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In order to bring Pam Hupp to life for the 2022 NBC limited series "The Thing About Pam," which is based on the Dateline NBC true crime podcast of the same name, Renee Zellweger wore facial and body prosthetics. "The idea is to be accurate, the idea is accuracy," she told "Entertainment Tonight" of why she opted to wear a fat suit to get into character. "I think, especially in the case of telling this story, it was really important to as closely resemble Pam Hupp as we possibly could, because she seems so familiar, she seems like someone that we recognize and we know." But this isn't the first time Renee drastically changed her looks for a role…
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Adopting a British accent wasn't the only change Renee Zellweger had to make to play Bridget Jones. The svelte actress gained 25 pounds for "Bridget Jones's Diary" in 2001, lost it all for her role in 2002's "Chicago," and then gained it all back for 2004's "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason." Talk about commitment!
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In 2020, photos emerged of Colin Farrell covered in prosthetics — which transformed the handsome Irish actor into the villainous Oswald Cobblepot, better known as the Penguin — while filming 2022's "The Batman" alongside Robert Pattinson as the titular superhero and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman in Liverpool, England.
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Years before Jared dropped weight for "Dallas Buyers Club" — see that next — he put on pounds for "Chapter 27," adding a whopping 67 pounds to his slender frame to play John Lennon's assassin, Mark David Chapman, in the 2006 film. Jared later reflected that adding the extra weight might not have been the best decision. He was diagnosed with gout and had to take Lipitor, a high-cholesterol medicine. "I'm not sure it was the wisest choice," he told the Los Angeles Times. "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. The script didn't say, 'Page 1: You gain 67 pounds, and you're miserable for two months.' But as I started to research, I realized that the physical representation of this guy had so much to do with who he was."
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Jared Leto made a complete transformation to play Rayon, an HIV-positive trans woman, in 2013's "Dallas Buyers Club." The acclaimed actor, who's 5-foot-11, dropped to 114 pounds and sported a full face of makeup, wigs and women's clothing to physically become Rayon. "I stopped eating, it wasn't an easy thing to do. It was 30 or 40 pounds. After a while I stopped counting," he told The Wrap of his weight loss. "It changes the way you walk, the way you sit, the way you think." Jared ultimately won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his efforts.
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For 2021's "House of Gucci," Jared Leto looked incredibly different thanks to prosthetics and a bald cap. The Oscar winner plays Paolo Gucci in the crime-drama that also stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and more.
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Glenn Close showed off a drastic transformation in 2011's "Albert Nobbs." In the film, she stars as Albert, a biologically female butler who has been living as a man for the past 30 years. Glenn starred in the original stage production in the 1980s and spent 15 years attempting to bring the play to the big screen. Her 100 percent commitment to the role is shown through her minimal makeup, slicked-back, short hair and 19th century men's clothing.
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In 2021, Mila Kunis starred as Molly Wheeler, a heroin addict attempting to reconnect with her long-suffering mother (Glenn Close), in the drama "Four Good Days." In early 2020, the actress — who looks disheveled with sunken eyes, marks on her face and bleached hair showing dark roots in the film — told The Wrap that she weighed as little as 95 pounds while making it. "I don't know [how much weight I lost] because I don't have a weight scale but I can tell you, based on my clothing, I was as thin as I was for 'Black Swan," she said. "I was healthy in regards to the way I did it but as far as a lifestyle choice, I was like, 'Oh, this is rough.' But it only had to be for a minute. You have to unfortunately look a certain way to look like a heroin addict, so I think I did it over four months. I exercised and dieted. I felt very strong … but I was thin."
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How low can Christian Bale go? In a word: very. For 2004's "The Machinist," he literally starved himself to drop 62 pounds, whittling down to a jaw-dropping 120 pounds. Christian actually wanted to get down to 99 pounds, but filmmakers were concerned about his health and didn't let him.
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Christian Bale — who's practically the king of movie transformations — gained an impressive 40 pounds to play Vice President Cheney in 2018's "Vice." The British star wore prosthetics and said he ate "a lot of pies" to transform himself into the former VP in this dark comedy biopic. His performance was so on-point, he won a best actor Golden Globe in 2019.
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2018's "Vice" isn't the only film that saw Christian Bale put on weight! For 2013's "American Hustle," in which he starred as con artist-turned-FBI agent Irving Rosenfeld, Christian gained around 43 pounds. "I ate lots of doughnuts, a whole lot of cheeseburgers and whatever I could get my hands on. I literally ate anything that came my way," he told People magazine of his transformation. "I was about 185 and went up to 228."
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Charlize Theron blew us away with her incredible makeunder in 2003's "Monster." The stunningly beautiful actress looked completely unrecognizable as serial killer and former prostitute Aileen Wuornos. She gained more than 40 pounds to play the murderer and wore prosthetic teeth and dull makeup to shroud her clear complexion. "Monster" director Patty Jenkins told CNN that making Charlize "fat and ugly" was never the goal. Instead, it was about unveiling Aileen's lifestyle. "Yeah, just shocking because it was little details. It was, 'Oh, she was homeless. She lived on the street in bad weather. OK, well that means sun damage.' Well, then we addressed the sun damage," Patty said. "She was insecure about her hair. OK, well, then we address the hair. It was little little layers and then suddenly, she's Aileen." Charlize won an Academy Award for best actress for her performance.
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Nearly two decades later, Charlize Theron underwent a remarkable transformation to play former Fox News and NBC journalist Megyn Kelly in 2019's "Bombshell." Nicole Kidman (center) played another real person, former Miss America-turned-TV commentator Gretchen Carlson, in the movie, which chronicles female Fox News staffers' harassment allegations against late network founder Roger Ailes. (Margot Robbie, meanwhile, played a fictional character.)
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Matthew McConaughey dropped a whopping 47 pounds from his muscular physique to play AIDS patient Ron Woodroof in 2013's "Dallas Buyers Club." But it was all worth it for the eight-and-a-half-pound Oscar he scored for the performance.
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Chris Pratt went from chubby class clown to super-hot, super-fit superhero in 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy." The former "Parks and Recreation" star put in three to four hours of "consistent, a—kicking hard work" to drop 60 pounds and bulk up for his role as Star-Lord. Chris, who was around 300 pounds when he landed the role, also implemented a 4,000-calories-a-day diet and worked with personal trainer Duffy Gaver to get ripped.
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Natalie Portman wasn't concerned about going bald for 2005's "V for Vendetta." What she was nervous about was that it had to be done on camera in a single take. "It was a one-shot deal, and that was the most stressful thing about the experience," she told USA Today.
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Robert De Niro was the original movie transformation master. Back in 1980, Bob got into tip-top fighting shape to play middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta during the early years of his career in "Raging Bull." He then traveled to Italy and reportedly ate all the pasta he could to play Jake during his later years when he was overweight and middle-aged. The actor gained so much weight — 60 pounds, to be exact — that director Martin Scorsese was reportedly concerned about his health during filming.
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Jake Gyllenhaal seriously freaked us out in 2014's "Nightcrawler." The actor's transformation into the gaunt, wide-eyed Lou Bloom — a Los Angeles-based videographer who makes a living by recording and selling grisly footage from accidents and crime scenes to local television stations — was incredibly eerie. Jake recalls having to drop 30 pounds for the role — which meant slimming down from 180 to 150 pounds. "I would try to eat as few calories as possible," he told Variety. "I knew if I was hungry that I was in the right spot. Physically, it showed itself, but chemically and mentally, I think it was even a more fascinating journey. It became a struggle for me."
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To prepare to play transgender man Brandon Teena in 1999's "Boys Don't Cry," Hilary Swank cut her hair short and reduced her body fat to just 7%. She also lived like a man, wrapping her chest in tension bandages and putting socks down the front of her pants. She was so convincing that her neighbors thought she was her brother.
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James Franco shocked fans when he debuted a new shaved 'do in 2014. His Mr. Clean-inspired look, which he showed off at the Venice Film Festival, wasn't a voluntary fashion statement, however. He sported a chrome dome for his role as Vikar in "Zeroville," a film that wasn't released until 2019.
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Rooney Mara did a complete 180 to play Lisbeth Salander, a rebellious and tormented computer hacker, in 2011's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." For the role, Rooney bleached her eyebrows and wore piercings, dramatic dark makeup and severe hairstyles to give her the goth look of the celebrated book-turned-movie character. She also worked out and dieted to showcase Lisbeth's thin frame.
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Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life (and look) for Hugh Jackman. In early 2015, the actor went bald to play Blackbeard for the box-office flop "Pan." He made up for the lack of hair up top with a funny mustache and beard.
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We thought getting shot nine times and living to tell the tale was hardcore, but 50 Cent upped the ante while prepping to play a cancer-stricken football player in 2011's "All Falls Apart." The rapper shed 54 pounds in nine weeks by liquid dieting and running on a treadmill for three hours a day.
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Tom Hanks had to both gain and lose weight to play Chuck Noland, a stranded FedEx employee, in 2000's "Cast Away." First, Tom gained 50 pounds to play the middle-aged man before his plane crashes on a remote island. Then Tom lost 55 pounds, through intense workouts and exercise, to play Chuck after he's been stranded on the island for years. He also grew out his hair and beard for weeks. "The idea of looking at four months of constant vigilance as far as what I ate, as well as two hours a day in the gym doing nothing but a monotonous kind of workout, was formidable," Tom has said about his transformation. "You have to power yourself through it almost by some sort of meditation trickery. It's not glamorous."
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Anne Hathaway is naturally thin, but to play Fantine in 2012's "Les Miserables," she took it to the extreme. She dropped 25 pounds through a strict cleanse and then ate just two thin squares of dried oatmeal paste a day. "The idea was to look near death," she later told Vogue. "Looking back on the whole experience … it was definitely a little nuts." In a much less drastic move, she cut her long locks, like her character. It all paid off in the end: Anne took home the Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2013.
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Cate Blanchett mastered her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in 1998's "Elizabeth" and its 2007 sequel, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." The actress sported the monarch's signature red hair in elaborate wigs and updos and the extravagant royal costumes, jewelry and makeup of the 16th century. Cate also perfected Elizabeth's mannerisms and persona. Her flawless depiction led to her first Oscar and SAG Award nominations and BAFTA and Golden Globe wins.
