'The Woman in the Window' and more of Amy Adams’ movie and TV transformations

By Megan Riedlinger 1:30pm PDT, May 15, 2021

Ready to dive into a psychological thriller? Netflix's "The Woman in the Window" dropped on May 14, 2021. Amy Adams stars as an agoraphobic psychologist living alone who starts spying on her neighbors and believes she witnesses a brutal crime that's being covered up. To mark the film's release, Wonderwall.com is rounding up all the times Amy — a six-time Academy Award nominee — has completely transformed in a film or TV role. Keep reading to get started…

In the 2020 drama "Hillbilly Elegy," which is based on a true story from J.D. Vance's memoir of the same name, Amy Adams (right) underwent a serious makeunder to play a troubled woman in smalltown Ohio. The film jumps back and forth in time as Amy (who earned a SAG Award nomination for her performance) plays Bev, the mother of a Yale Law School student coming home to see her after she overdoses on heroin. Her transformation into the drug addict involved a wig that she remembered fondly while speaking with Entertainment Weekly, explaining, "I always name my wigs, and that wig was 'Beaverly' because it was so hot it was like wearing a beaver hat on my head."

2014's "Big Eyes" saw Amy Adams take on the role of real-life American artist Margaret Keane, who famously drew portraits of people with, well, big eyes, as her husband took the credit. To transform into Margaret, Amy went platinum blonde and embraced the trends of the '50s and '60s. Her impressive performance earned her a Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical.

In 2018's "Vice," Amy Adams transformed into another real-life person, former second lady Lynne Cheney. She played the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney from the ages of 20 to 70, which often had her rocking a short blonde bob and required hours in the makeup chair — especially when she was depicting Lynne as an older woman. Amy earned a SAG Award nomination for the performance.

The HBO series "Sharp Objects" required Amy Adams to transform into Camille Preaker, an alcoholic journalist. The part reportedly required three hours of prosthetics, including scars that covered her whole body. Makeup artist Kate Biscoe talked to Cosmopolitan about the off-screen changes Amy made to play the role, including her diet, noting, "You always read in magazines about how to get rid of puffiness… she just went the opposite way." Among the big changes she made? Adding foods loaded with sodium to her plate, drinking lots of coffee and opting not to exercise.

Can you believe that's Amy Adams? Her transformation in "Julie and Julia" in 2009 was one of her best yet. She became a brunette to play Julie Powell, a woman unhappy with her 9-to-5 job who sets out to make all of chef Julia Childs' recipes and write a blog documenting her cooking adventures.

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" saw Amy Adams take on an iconic historical figure — Amelia Earhart. To play the aviation legend, who was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, she sported a much shorter and curlier 'do and rocked a period costume.

"American Hustle" was set in the '70s, meaning Amy Adams had to transport herself to that decade — perm and all — to transform into Sydney Prosser, who also posed as Lady Edith Greensly, a wealthy Brit, while helping Christian Bale's character, Irving Rosenfeld, scam people. Amy earned an Oscar nomination for her work in the 2013 film.

Amy Adams played a nun in the 2008 drama "Doubt," requiring a much less glam look than she sports on red carpets. That transformation seriously paid off — it earned her a best supporting actress nomination at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the BAFTAs.

Amy Adams transformed into a real-life Disney princess in "Enchanted." The 2008 live-action musical saw her playing Giselle, a princess who's transported to the real world — more specifically, New York City. To play the confused royal from the fictional land of Andalasia, Amy donned gorgeous long locks in her signature red shade and sported a whole lot of princess-appropriate dresses.

Recognize that bespectacled lady on the right? Yep, it's Amy Adams in the comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby." The 2006 film saw Amy playing Susan, a dutiful assistant to race car driver Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) who eventually became his love interest.

We love Amy Adams as a brunette! The 2008 comedy-drama "Sunshine Cleaning," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was an indie darling that co-starred Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. It featured Amy as a single mom working as a housekeeper-turned-crime scene cleaner.