Although Hollywood actors stand out for their beauty, some of them have sacrificed their physical form for a role in which they were unrecognizable.
There are those who have drastically gained or lost weight, while others spent hours with the makeup equipment from the movies to bring their characters to life.
Jared Leto
Throughout his career, Jared Leto has proven to be a chameleon actor with transformations that make him unrecognizable. In Chapter 27, the tape in which he played John Lennon’s killer, Leto gained 30 kilos; while for Dallas Buyers Club, he lost more than 13.
His most recent transformation occurred in House of Gucci, where he played Paolo Gucci and the 49-year-old actor was unrecognizable.
In addition to gaining weight, prosthetics designer Göran Lundström recounted in an interview with Variety that the makeup team spent nearly five hours changing Jared Leto’s look for their scenes every day.
Christian Bale
Christian Bale has also stood out for his physical transformations. For the role of Batman, the actor was physically fit and showed off his muscles on screen; however, he has also gained and lost weight on different occasions.
Bale gained 20 kilos in 2013 for the role of Irving Rosenfeld on American Hustle, and in 2004’s ‘The Machinist,’ he went from 78 kilos to 50, looking extremely slim at 1.83 meters.
The most recent transformation of the actor occurred in Vice, a film for which he had to gain 18 kilos and spent hours in the makeup room for the complete change.
Joaquin Phoenix
In 2019, Joaquin Phoenix played Arthur Fleck in Joker, a character that forced him to lose 23 kilos and for which he won the Oscar for best actor.
The actor is currently filming his new movie Disappointment Blvd., from director Ari Aster, and Phoenix appeared unrecognizable at an October 2021 event.
Charlize Theron
On more than one occasion, Charlize Theron has appeared on the lists of “the most beautiful women in the world”, but in 2003 she underwent an Oscar-winning transformation.
The South African actress played the killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Charlize Theron used prosthetics on her hair, teeth and also had to gain weight to be unrecognizable.
Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan showed her beauty in both Jumanji films, but not all of her roles have been equally glamorous. The Scottish actress also plays the villain Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a character for which she had to spend at least five hours in the makeup room and also had to shave her head completely.
Matthew McConaughey
In 2013, Matthew McConaughey lost 17 kilos to look skinny and ill at the Dallas Buyers Club, for which he won an Oscar for best actor.
Three years later, the actor had to transform again for Gold and added 21 kilos to his body that was athletic at the time.
In an interview with E! News, McConaughey recounted who prepared for the role for six months only by eating cheeseburgers. In addition, they shaved part of the head for the character.
Ryan Gosling
In 2007, Ryan Gosling gained 27 kilos for a role from which he was fired before filming began. The actor would play Saoirse Ronan’s father in Peter Jackson’s Lovely Bones ‘, but his image did not convince the filmmaker, and he abandoned the project.
Gosling said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that after the misunderstanding with the director, “he was fat and unemployed.”
A couple of years later, Gosling once again put his gallantry aside to transform into Blue Valentine. Although he did not gain as much weight, his change on-screen was evident.
