There was a time when film actors didn’t need to do anything more than put on heavy makeup and elaborate costumes to change themselves into different characters. As moviemaking technology has evolved, though, so have the tools at an actor’s disposal. Top stars now invest serious time, money, and calories in effectively transforming themselves for award-grabbing roles. From weight gain to weight loss, from the extreme to the subtle, here is our look at some of the most shocking transformations in cinema history.
Anne Hathaway – 25 pounds lost – Fantine in Les Misérables
Despite spending only 15 minutes on screen in Les Misérables, Anne Hathaway won an Oscar for playing 19th Century French prostitute Fantine. The strength of Hathaway’s performance was due in part to her ambitious physical changes: the actress rapidly lost 25 pounds by sticking to a meager diet of nothing but oatmeal paste. It seems unlikely that Hathaway would recommend this extreme weight loss eating plan to anyone else, though; she later reported that it took a toll on her emotional health as well and that she wasn’t in her right mind when accepting her Academy Award.
Charlize Theron – 30 pounds gained – Aileen Wuornos in Monster
While male actors usually transform their bodies for roles, female actors are often required to transform their faces as well. In 2003, Charlize Theron gained several pounds and donned dental prostheses to play convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster . Theron’s performance (and startling appearance) earned her an Academy Award for the role. In 2017, Theron frumped herself up again, gaining several pounds to play an overweight mom for the movie Tully . After filming wrapped, Charlize spoke about the difficulty of losing weight at 41 compared to the relative ease of slimming down after Monster , when she was only 26.
Christian Bale – 43 pounds lost – Trevor Reznik in The Machinist
After a terrifying breakthrough performance in American Psycho, some fans might have assumed that hunky actor Christian Bale would show off his muscle-bound frame in every role. Instead, Bale has become known for drastically changing his appearance for different roles. In the 2004 thriller The Machinist , he lost over 60 pounds, subsisting on a diet of one apple and a can of tuna per day. Seven years later, the actor bounced in the opposite direction, gaining 43 pounds by eating high-cholesterol foods like doughnuts .
Tom Hardy – 30 pounds gained – Bane in The Dark Knight Rises
Tom Hardy was never much of a slouch in the fitness department, but the bulky actor bulked up, even more, to play a mixed martial arts fighter in Warrior . Hardy modified his exercise routine so that he engaged in quick, intense workouts four times per day and achieved a weight gain of 30 pounds of muscle. To top it all off, the actor then boosted his size again to play ultra-villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises , packing on another 30 pounds of muscle that made him unrecognizable – although his terrifying, skull-like mask didn’t help either.
Tom Hanks – 40 pounds gained AND 55 pounds lost – Chuck Noland in Cast Away
In order to convincingly play a former FedEx employee stranded on an island somewhere in the Pacific, Tom Hanks both gained and lost weight. For 2000’s Cast Away , the noted actor gained about 40 pounds above his fighting weight in order to appear plump and contented as Chuck Noland. Then, production paused while Hanks grew out his hair and beard and dropped to 55 pounds below his usual weight thanks to a calorie-limited diet. While the effect in the film was striking, it had severe real-life consequences: in 2016, Hanks revealed that he had been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, possibly as a result of his rapid weight fluctuations in movies like Cast Away and Philadelphia .
Renee Zellweger – 30 pounds gained – Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’ Diary
Renee Zellweger had tongues wagging with rumors of plastic surgery in 2014 when she appeared at an Elle magazine event with an entirely new face. But it was the actress’ weight gain that attracted attention after her appearance in the 2001 film Bridget Jones’ Diary . Zellweger gained 30 pounds to play romantically-challenged Jones, but the metamorphosis wasn’t without angst: Renee has since spoken about experiencing panic attacks when medical professionals warned her about the long-term damage such extreme weight gain would do to her health.
Rooney Mara – 20 pounds lost – Lisbeth Salander in Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Wide-eyed actress Rooney Mara made waves in David Fincher’s The Social Network but teamed up with the director for a very different role in 2011’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo . To play the titular heroine Lisbeth Salander, Mara became unrecognizable, shaving off her eyebrows, piercing her eyebrows, and slimming down her already-slender frame. Notably, the character of Lisbeth is described in the original Dragon Tattoo novels by Stieg Larsson as “a pale, anorexic young woman.”
50 Cent – 54 pounds lost – Deon in All Things Fall Apart
Since appearing in the music video for his 2003 debut single In Da Club , rapper 50 Cent has been known for his broad, powerful frame. But the rapper and sometime bodybuilder took a good deal of that bulk off when he appeared in 2011’s All Things Fall Apart, a movie that he also co-wrote. 50’s character Deon is a football player who is stricken with cancer, and to make his portrayal convincing, the actor went from 214 pounds down to an emaciated 160 pounds thanks to a liquid diet and lots and lots of running. 50 Cent has since swollen back up to his usual size, to the relief of many fans.
Natalie Portman – 20 pounds – Nina in Black Swan
Along with co-star Mila Kunis, thin actress Natalie Portman had to slim down even more, to play a professional dancer in the Darren Aronofsky thriller Black Swan . Portman shed 20 pounds thanks to lengthy ballet training sessions; she also consulted a nutritionist who advised consuming small portions over the course of each day. In the end, Portman’s commitment to the role earned the actress her first Academy Award. All those eight-hour training sessions also had a big impact on Portman’s personal life – she ended up marrying the film’s choreographer Benjamin Millepied!
John Travolta – Fat Suit and Prosthetics – Edna Turnblad in Hairspray
John Waters’ cult 1988 film Hairspray featured a memorable performance by legendary drag queen Divine as Edna Turnblad. Thanks to his standout musical performance in Grease , John Travolta was cast as Turnblad when the movie was remade in 2007. Just one problem, though: the actor couldn’t reasonably take on the massive weight gain required to portray his obese character. Instead, a complicated hybrid of prostheses and a fat suit were devised to give Travolta the necessary heft.
Hilary Swank – about 20 pounds lost – Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry
Hillary Swank made an athletic martial arts debut in The Next Karate Kid , but her biggest physical transformation had little to do with fitness. Swank left with a Best Actress Oscar in 1999 for her portrayal of murder victim trans man Brandon Teena in the critically acclaimed Boys Don’t Cry . Beyond embodying Teena’s mannerisms, Swank also changed her body by slimming down to just 7% body fat, cutting her hair, and binding her chest. Swank reported that her preparations for the role led her to experience some of the fear and anger than trans people are met with in daily life.
Matt Damon – 40 pounds lost – Andrew Ilario in Courage Under Fire
Matt Damon hadn’t yet hit it big with Good Will Hunting when he won a part in the 1996 war drama Courage Under Fire . And although he wasn’t yet recognizable to audiences, the young actor had to totally transform himself, shedding 40 pounds to play a heroin-addicted soldier with PTSD. In a Reddit forum, Damon told fans that he achieved the weight loss by running 13 miles every day and a low-carb diet of chicken breasts. Several years later, Damon proved that he could also increase his body mass, gaining 15 pounds of muscle to play a rugby captain in Invictus .
Matthew McConaughey – 50 pounds lost – Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club
There’s no doubting Matthew McConaughey’s ability to embody a character, but audiences had never seen him achieve a physical transformation like he did for Dallas Buyers Club . McConaughey slimmed down by almost 50 pounds to play an AIDS patient in the film, which was inspired by true events. The actor took the weight off of his usually muscular frame by severely restricting his diet and engaging in intense cardiovascular exercise. His extreme methods paid off when he won an Academy Award for the role, kicking off a career revival that’s been dubbed “the McConaissance.”
Chris Hemsworth – 30 pounds gained – Thor in Thor
Australian heartthrob Chris Hemsworth rose to fame thanks to his good looks and lean, muscular body. In order to play chief Norse god Thor, though, Hemsworth needed to cut a more imposing figure. Chris began working with a professional personal trainer, who prescribed a regimen of kettlebell workouts, along with a diet very high in lean proteins like chicken and fish. Thor ended up being so successful that Hemsworth came on board for several sequels, requiring him to either maintain to regain his muscled-up frame each time.
Robert De Niro – 35 pounds lost – Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver
Robert De Niro established himself as a major talent when he played Travis Bickle in the 1976 movie Taxi Driver . De Niro totally immersed himself in the role of the disturbed former marine, going so far as to drive an actual taxi around New York City and listening to the tape-recorded accents of American soldiers. The actor also achieved an impressive weight loss of 35 pounds, giving his character a spooky edge. Just four years later, De Niro committed to a grueling workout schedule and gained 80 pounds of muscle for the boxing film, Raging Bull, arguably setting a precedent for physical transformations by future actors.
Russell Crowe – 63 pounds gained – Ed Hoffman in Body of Lies
Russell Crowe’s brooding good looks have landed him several romantic leading roles, but the actor needed some extra heft to play an authoritative CIA chief in the 2008 spy movie Body of Lies . Crowe gained 63 pounds by eating foods high in fat and cholesterol and avoiding any kind of fat burning exercise. Although the movie was met with a mixed reception, Russell Crowe was praised for his portrayal. The New Zealand-born actor was back to his regular weight shortly after filming but managed to pack on the pounds again to play a Baptist preacher in the 2018 movie Boy Erased .
Hugh Jackman – 20 pounds lost – Jean Valjean in Les Misérables
Hugh Jackman showed off his little-seen skill as a thespian when he sang all of his own lines in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables . But the Australian actor’s preparation for the role of Jean Valjean involved more than just vocal warm-ups. Jackman went to some extreme measures in order to appear gaunt enough for the movie’s early scenes: he pursued a restricted diet program and shed 20 pounds before depriving himself of food and water for an incredible 36 hours. Luckily, Hugh survived the transformation intact and even bounced back with a 25-pound weight gain to appear in Wolverine .
Colin Farrell – 44 pounds lost – Mark Walsh in Triage
Colin Farrell made a place for himself in Hollywood with powerful performances in movies like Phone Booth and In Bruges . But he brought a new physical intensity to the screen in 2009’s Triage , losing substantial weight to play a photojournalist disturbed by war and genocide. Farrell apparently subsisted on black coffee and tuna to accomplish a total weight loss of 44 pounds. While the Irish actor spoke about exercising a good deal of discipline maintaining his diet, he did admit to occasional high-calorie splurges on Big Macs.
Jake Gyllenhaal – 35 pounds gained – Dastan in Prince of Persia
Jake Gyllenhaal launched his career with parts in small indie films like Donnie Darko . In 2010, though, Jake became an action star when he appeared in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time . In order to play a real-life version of the video game hero Dastan, Gyllenhaal assumed a strenuous workout routine that involved intense weight training and parkour; the actor eventually gained 35 pounds. While the movie was a critical flop, Jake’s muscular new frame brought in more than a few viewers, resulting in a box office total of $336 million.
Chris Pratt – 43 pounds lost – Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy
Chris Pratt first gained widespread exposure playing the bumbling Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation . And although the actor relied on his chubby frame and physical comedy skills to charm audiences, he wouldn’t be pudgy for long. In 2014, he starred in action hit Guardians of the Galaxy with a bigger and buffer new body. Pratt reportedly took on a diet of 4,000 calories per day and followed the popular P90X exercise program to lose 60 pounds of fat and gain 23 pounds of muscle. In a 2013 Instagram post showing off his new body, Pratt also credited giving up beer for his dramatic weight loss.
Jared Leto – 67 pounds gained – Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27
Of all the extreme physical transformations on our list, Jared Leto’s may be the most shocking. While the actor was a teen dreamboat on ’90s drama My So-Called Life , he was unrecognizable in 2007’s Chapter 27. Leto, also a part-time musician, gained a whopping 67 pounds to play John Lennon’s unhinged murderer Mark David Chapman. Leto had no need to consult a nutritionist to pack on the fat, relying instead on a steady diet of ice cream mixed with olive oil and soy sauce. Although his performance was widely praised, Leto’s extreme weight gain shot his cholesterol to over 300 and caused him to contract out.
Mel Gibson – 25 pounds gained – Conrad Stonebanks in Expendables 3
Controversial actor and director Mel Gibson made a resurgence when he appeared in the 2014 action sequel Expendables 3 . Along with other aging macho actors like Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes, Gibson had to whip himself into shape to play a villainous arms dealer. He managed to add 25 pounds of muscle after working out three times a week with a personal trainer and consuming plenty of diet supplements. That kind of transformation is tough for anyone, but especially impressive considering that Mel was 58 when filming kicked off.
Matthew Fox – 44 pounds lost – Picasso in Alex Cross
Earlier in his career, Matthew Fox was widely known for playing all-around good guys like Charlie on Party of Five and Jack on Lost. In order to play a serial killer in the action thriller Alex Cross , then, Fox needed to pull off a big physical change. He managed it by reducing his calorie intake to between 1,200 and 1,600 each day, losing an amazing 44 pounds. Fox also did a good deal of circuit training workouts, some of which he claimed were so intense that they induced vomiting.
Mark Wahlberg – 4o pounds gained – Daniel Lugo in Pain & Gain
No one who’s ogled over Mark Wahlberg’s Calvin Klein ads from the ’90s would be surprised to see the actor sporting huge biceps and a cut six-pack. But apparently, Wahlberg needed to tone up to appear in the 2013 Michael Bay movie Pain & Gain . Marky Mark worked with personal trainer Brian Nguyen and took on a very serious training regimen to play an ex-convict turned full-time bodybuilder. Wahlberg also described eating a huge amount of calories (12 meals per day!) in order to gain the mass necessary to pack on 40 pounds of muscle for the role.
Adam Driver – 50 pounds lost – Francisco Garupe in Silence
Adam Driver showed off his predisposition towards fitness on Girls, often appearing shirtless or doing pull-ups in his role as love interest Adam Sackler. But Driver had to focus more on fat burning than muscle building in order to appear in Martin Scorsese’s Silence . To look the part of a missionary priest stranded in 17th-century Japan, Driver severely restricted his diet and lost an incredible 50 pounds. Driver later reported that he and co-star Andrew Garfield were so immersed in their roles that they continued to lose weight while filming.
Mila Kunis – 20 pounds lost – Lily in Black Swan
Known mostly for comedic roles in movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and TV favorite That ’70s Show , Mila Kunis took on a dramatic challenge in the 2010 thriller Black Swan . The already-fit Kunis also had to face the physical challenge of getting into prima ballerina shape. For Kunis, this meant bringing her calorie intake down to 1,200 per day and building lean muscle in four-hour ballet classes. After 5 months, Mila’s weight loss totaled 20 pounds and made for a very haunting performance as Lily.
Bradley Cooper – 40 pounds gained – Chris Kyle in American Sniper
Bradley Cooper may have been a college athlete, but the actor’s physique still needed a huge boost to play real-life Iraq War hero Chris Kyle. Cooper’s transformation for the Clint Eastwood film American Sniper required him to gain a huge amount of mass on his 6 foot, 1-inch frame by eating more than 5,000 calories every day. Once he packed on the bulk, Cooper then put himself through twice-daily workouts involving squats and deadlifts. His muscular 40-pound weight gain ultimately helped Cooper earn an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
Chris Evans – 30 pounds gained – Captain America in The First Avenger
When he was cast as Captain America in Marvel’s 2011 movie The First Avenger , Chris Evans had the formidable task of transforming himself into a superhero. Evans first had to stick to a diet plan consisting of high-protein foods. He then spent four months tearing and building his muscles in daily weight training sessions. In order to move with Captain America’s speed and agility, Evans also added plyometric and acrobatic components to his workouts. All told, Evans’ weight loss clocked in at a muscular 30 pounds.
Michael Fassbender – 42 pounds lost – Bobby Sands in Hunger
Before he put himself in trim, muscular shape for director Steve McQueen’s Shame , Michael Fassbender slimmed down by forty pounds to appear in McQueen’s Hunger . Based on a 1981 hunger strike by Irish Republican Army prisoners, the movie required Fassbender to adopt an extreme weight loss eating plan restricted to only 600 calories per day. The actor even starved himself in the middle of filming to convincingly portray Bobby Sands, the prisoner who became a symbol of Irish resistance after dying from 66 days’ worth of food deprivation.
Adrien Brody – 30 pounds lost – Władysław Szpilman in The Pianist
Tall and slender actor Adrien Brody had to trim away a good deal of his body weight to appear in Roman Polanski’s World War II drama The Pianist . To accurately portray musician Władysław Szpilman, Brody ate only low-cholesterol, high-protein foods like fish, chicken, and boiled eggs. He dropped 30 pounds in only 6 weeks, but the sacrifice seems like nothing compared to the fact that Brody gave up his apartment, car, and relationships to get in character. In the end, Adrien’s methods paid off with an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Gerard Butler – 20 pounds gained – King Leonidas in 300
Like Chris Evans in Captain America , actor Gerard Butler faced the challenge of pumping his body up to the size of a comic book superhero. When he was cast in 300 , the film adaptation of the historical graphic novel, Butler spent half a year executing daily six-hour sessions of cardio, circuit, and resistance training. After 7 months, personal trainer Mark Twight had whipped Butler into shape with several new pounds of muscle. His efforts paid off with international box office revenue exceeding $450 million.
Tom Cruise – Fat Suit, Prosthetics, and Bald Cap – Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder
While Tom Cruise has never had a knack for comedy, he delivered a standout performance in 2008’s satirical Tropic Thunder . The movie centers on the hectic production of a fictional film-within-a-film, with Cruise in a bit part as crass studio head Les Grossman. To look the part of Grossman (who may have been a send-up of disgraced executive Harvey Weinstein) , Cruise took a shortcut to weight gain, donning a fat suit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap for good measure. A few years later, Tom modified his body with a good-old-fashioned low carb diet to appear in Knight and Day .
Sean Penn – Perm and Modified Hairline – Dave Kleinfeld in Carlito’s Way
Sean Penn is known for throwing himself into intense roles like the intellectually disabled Sam Dawson in I Am Sam . But back in 1993, Penn took his method acting to the next level for Brian DePalma’s crime drama Carlito’s Way . Penn played crooked lawyer Dave Kleinfeld and to capture the character’s sleazy essence, opted for a hideous perm with a shaved hairline instead of attempting any kind of massive weight gain. Nevertheless, the effect was formidable and earned Penn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
Cate Blanchett – 10 pounds lost – Bob Dylan in I’m Not There
Cate Blanchett has had little trouble with voices or accents, convincingly playing everyone from Queen Elizabeth I to Katharine Hepburn. To appear in Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There , though, the celebrated actress needed to change her physical form as well. While Blanchett may have had to slim down somewhat to play an amphetamine-addicted Bob Dylan, it was her sunglasses, curly wig, and disaffected, droning voice that really sold the performance. Cate’s performance was widely praised, although the movie received a mixed reception.
Eddie Redmayne – 20 pounds lost – Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl
Eddie Redmayne embodied the character of Marius in Les Misérables so well that he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But Redmayne’s performance a few years later in the biopic The Danish Girl was even more impressive. In the film, the actor portrays Lili Elbe, a painter who comes to realize that she is a transgender woman. In order to feminize his features and fit his body into the movie’s petite period costumes, Redmayne followed a diet program consisting of just one meal per day.
Glenn Close – Makeup and Prosthetics – Albert Nobbs in Albert Nobbs
Glenn Close, not usually given to intense physical method acting, committed strongly to her role as Albert Nobbs in the 2011 movie of the same name. The character, who Close also portrayed in a stage play, was born biologically female but lives as a man in 19th-century Ireland. Her transformation into Nobbs had to be historically accurate: because women living as men in the 1800s didn’t have the advantage of plastic surgery to change their faces, Close wore only a subtle prosthetic nose and some very effective makeup.
Jonah Hill – 40 pounds lost – Morton Schmidt in 22 Jump Street
Comic actor Jonah Hill made a huge debut in the teen comedy Superbad , playing a chubby, bumbling high school nerd. Hill wouldn’t stick with his plus-size persona for long, though. After appearing in the award-winning Moneyball, Hill began to slim down with the help of a nutritionist who recommended a Japanese-style diet rooted in high-protein meals. While his more toned figure helped him embody new roles, Hill has also spoken about how his weight loss has been a part of his personal maturity journey as well.
J.K. Simmons – 15 pounds gained – Commissioner Gordon in Justice League
Bulking up for a role is tough, even for a younger or middle-aged actor. 61-year-old J.K. Simmons deserves even more credit, then, for adding several pounds of muscle to appear in Justice League . Simmons has played imposing characters in everything from Oz to Spider-Man and while never drastically out of shape, the actor has admitted to letting himself lapse on fitness over the years. To appear as Commissioner Gordon in the DC Comics film, Simmons completed regular weight training workouts with personal trainer to the stars, Aaron Williamson.
Ewan McGregor – about 20 pounds gained – Ray Stussy in Fargo
Ewan McGregor is a true chameleon, morphing himself into a heroin addict in Trainspotting and into Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace . To appear in the acclaimed TV series Fargo , though, McGregor needed to do double duty, playing brothers with wildly different lives. While McGregor looked more or less like himself as the successful Emmit, he transformed himself with a substantial weight gain and a long, ratty wig to play the more unstable Ray. All told, though, the Scottish actor’s convincing Minnesota accent may have been even more impressive than his physical transformation.
Emma Stone – 15 pounds gained – Billie Jean King in Battle of the S****
Talented and slender actress Emma Stone has emerged from her debut role in Superbad to become one of the leading talents of her generation. And while Stone, who is white, generated some controversy for playing a half-Asian character in Cameron Crowe’s Aloha , she received praise for playing muscular tennis player Billie Jean King in Battle of the S**** . Stone relied on diet supplements like shakes to gain bulk. Emma also worked with a personal trainer to develop the force and agility needed to move around the court like a bona fide tennis pro.
