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Most Iconic Celeb Role Commitments
Whether they chopped off their hair, gained and lost some serious weight, spent hours in the makeup chair, or even got their skin pierced, these actors underwent incredible and sometimes dramatic transformations to become their characters.
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See if your favorite actor or actress made the list for the most iconic celebrity role transformations.
Charlize Theron – Monster
Gorgeous model and actress Charlize Theron went from glam to gritty for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Theron gained weight, wore dentures, thinned her hair and even sported washed-out tattoo ink to give her skin an unhealthy sheen.
Melissa McCarthy – Saturday Night Live
As embattled White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Melissa McCarthy delved head-first into her hilarious Saturday Night Live role by sporting a receding hairline, prosthetic eye bags and a gum-chomping, feisty persona. The actress revealed to Ellen Degeneres she felt she looked like her dad, saying, “I feel like my dad and Sean Spicer had a baby and it’s me.”
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
Millie Bobby Brown sacrificed her long, brunette locks for her role as Eleven on Stranger Things. The 12-year-old actress shaved her head for the part, something she revealed her mom didn’t want her to do!
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy
Chris Pratt lost 60 pounds, buffed up and sported an awe-inspiring six-pack for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt credits the transformation to P90X, swimming, kickboxing, running and even completing a triathlon.
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
For his role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt went from young to old with help from Hollywood makeup artist Greg Cannom.
Christian Bale – The Machinist
Actor Christian Bale lost an astonishing 65 pounds for his role in The Machinist. Bale survived on only an apple and a can of tuna a day.
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
For her role as the desperate Fantine in Les Misérables, Anne Hathaway lost 25 pounds for the role and cut off all her hair, choosing to physically transform herself rather than rely on special effects.
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon’s impersonation of Ellen Degeneres is spot on, so much so, even the talk show host’s friends think Kate sounds and looks exactly like Ellen!
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
For his role as AIDS- afflicted electrician Ron Woodroof, Matthew McConaughey lost 47 pounds for the Dallas Buyers Club movie.
Christian Bale – American Hustle
Not afraid to go to extreme measures for a role, actor Christian Bale gained 43 pounds to play a 70’s con-artist in American Hustle.
Maya Rudolph – Saturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph took on famed Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace on SNL, complete with accent, fashion and her famous long blonde hair. Versace herself called the impersonation “hilarious.”
Chris Hemsworth – In the Heart of the Sea
Chris Hemsworth underwent an incredible transformation for his role as a shipwrecked sailor in In The Heart Of The Sea. The actor lost 33 pounds in only four weeks. He also grew his hair and covered his body in dirt.
Ewan McGregor – Fargo
Ewan McGregor plays the role of two brothers on Fargo, but it’s his Ray Stussy character that requires sitting in the makeup chair for two and a half hours before filming.
Johnny Depp – Black Mass
Johnny Depp’s eerie transformation into mob boss Whitey Bulger for Black Mass required Depp to wear numerous prosthetics and change his eye color.
Jared Leto – Suicide Squad
Playing super-villain The Joker in Suicide Squad, Jared Leto remained in character the entire time he was on the movie set.
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon’s most famous impersonation on SNL has to be Hillary Clinton. From the Clinton coif, to the infamous pantsuit, Kate nailed the democratic presidential nominee.
Rooney Mara – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Rooney Mara dyed her hair black, bleached her eyebrows and got several piercings when she landed the role of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Michael Chiklis – Fantastic Four
The 2005 movie Fantastic Four was a total transformation for actor Michael Chiklis. He wore a bodysuit, prosthetics and makeup for his role comic book hero Thing.
Tina Fey – Saturday Night Live
During the 2008 Presidential Election, Tina Fey embodied then vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin – even down to the accent.
Johnny Depp – Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp sat for hours in the makeup chair in order to transform into the Mad Hatter for the visually stunning Alice in Wonderland.
Jake Gyllenhaal – Southpaw
In the movie Southpaw, Jake Gyllenhaal underwent a brutal training regimen for his role as boxing champ, Billy Hope.
Matthew McConaughey – Gold
Matthew McConaughey gained 40 pounds for his role in Gold. He revealed to US Weekly he cooked a lot and went out to eat all the time.
Jennifer Lawrence – X-Men
Jennifer Lawrence was unrecognizable for her role as shapeshifter Mystique in The X-Men. Jennifer told Jimmy Fallon at first the transformation took eight hours to complete, before dropping down to only three.
Mila Kunis – Black Swan
As Lily in Black Swan, Mila Kunis reveals she suffered through a horrifying diet of cigarettes and eating only 1,200 calories a day. Kunis ended up weighing a mere 95 pounds for her ballerina role.
Tom Hardy – The Dark Knight Rises
Tom Hardy bulked up for his role in The Dark Knight Rises by undergoing intense training.
Elizabeth Banks – The Hunger Games
Playing Effie on Hunger Games meant Elizabeth Banks had to sit in the makeup chair for two-hours each day and sport some truly long fake nails!
Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson’s portrayal of Steve Harvey hosting Family Feud on SNL is all about the full mustache and super-fly suits.
Russell Crowe – Body of Lies
Russell Crowe gained 63 pounds for his role in 2008’s Body of Lies. The actor credits living a sedentary lifestyle and eating whatever he wanted for the weight gain.
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon morphed into tween idol Justin Bieber for Saturday Night Live. The chameleon Kate sported fake tattoos, baggy pants and Bieber’s trademark hairdo. Kate told Conan O’Brien the secret to her Bieber impersonation is “looking like a puppy who just piddled and is sort of sorry about it.”
Tom Hanks – Castaway
Infamous for his role in Castaway, Tom Hanks didn’t shave, or cut his hair for weeks and lost 55 pounds in four months.
Nicole Kidman – The Hours
Nicole Kidman’s transformation for her role as novelist Virginia Woolf in the movie The Hours took three hours a day to complete and included a large prosthetic nose.
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Yes, that’s really Saturday Night Live‘s Kate McKinnon portraying a diminutive Jeff Sessions!
Amy Poehler – Saturday Night Live
Amy Poehler was all too convincing as Hillary Clinton on SNL. In real life she is actually good friends with the former presidential candidate.
50 Cent – All Things Fall Apart
Rapper 50 Cent embraced his role as a cancer patient in the film All Things Fall Apart by losing more than 50 pounds in weight. 50 Cent revealed running helped curb his appetite.
Alec Baldwin – Saturday Night Live
The 2016 Election was pure performance joy for the cast of Saturday Night Live, especially Alec Baldwin who came on board to spectacularly imitate Donald Trump.
Geoffrey Rush – Genius
Geoffrey Rush morphed into genius Albert Einstein for his role on the television drama series Genius, including Einstein’s trademark crazy hair and mustache.
Cameron Diaz – Being John Malkovich
Blonde beauty Cameron Diaz was unrecognizable for her role as pet-loving Lotte Schwartz in the 1999 film Being John Malkovich.
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
For his role as transsexual AIDS patient Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, Jared Leto lost thirty pounds, removed his body hair and donned full make-up for the duration of the shooting.
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent
Jeffrey Tambor is renowned for his portrayal of character Mort, a transgender father of three on the hit show Transparent.
Margot Robbie – Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad gave Australian Actress Margot Robbie a whole new look as she transformed into The Joker’s legendary girlfriend, Harley Quinn.
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Portraying a ballerina in Black Swan left actress Natalie Portman dangerously thin. Portman reportedly weighed just 98 pounds during filming of the movie.
B.D. Wong – Mr. Robot
Character actor BD Wong portrayed transgender woman, Whiterose, on Mr. Robot.
Larry David – Saturday Night Live
It was hard to tell the two apart – which one is Larry David and which one Bernie Sanders? Turns out the men are actually related, thanks to an investigation by PBS’ Finding Your Roots.
Claire Foy – The Crown
In her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown, actress Claire Foy chopped off her hair for the role.
Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig went full out Kris Jenner for Saturday Night Live, which included sporting Jenner’s infamous brunette hairdo.
Jared Leto – Chapter 27
For his role as John Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman, in Chapter 27, Jared Leto packed on a reported 60 pounds.
Jackie Hoffman – Feud
Jackie Hoffman shined in her portrayal of Mamacita, Joan Crawford’s loyal maid in Feud. From her horn-rimmed glasses, severely pulled back hair and frumpy maid outfit, Hoffman looked every inch the dutiful housekeeper.
Jessica Lange – Feud
Feud also saw Jessica Lange transform herself into Hollywood icon Joan Crawford, right down to her bouffant hairstyle, bushy brows and piercing gaze.
