10 Amazing Physical Transformations for Movie Roles

83rd Annual Academy Awards - Show

Can you imagine what it would take to go from 120 pounds of brittle, weak muscle mass, to 180 pounds of mostly carved muscle in a matter of 6 months? I know most of us cannot imagine that, but there are actors and actresses who do that sort of thing on the regular. The best in the industry know that sometimes getting a great role is very much dependent on just how much you look like the character you are trying to portray. The greatest actors and actresses know this is a part of their gig, and they embrace it.  Here are ten actors and actresses who have undergone staggering physical transformations for movie roles.

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2013 Variety Screening Presents: "American Hustle"

Christian Bale: I just had to start the list with the king of the body transformation. You guys and gals out there already know that the example I mentioned above in the intro was specifically what Bale did between The Machinist and Batman Begins. He went from being frail and near-death (no joke, he lived on an apple a day for three months) to being huge and playing one of the most physical roles of his life as Batman, and he only had six months between shoots.

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IFP's 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards - Cocktails

Jared Leto: We can all talk about what Jared Leto did for Dallas Buyer’s Club (lost weight and pretty much portrayed a woman), but I want to go in the other direction. Do you know about the movie Chapter 27? The movie where he gained almost 70 pounds to play the man who shot John Lennon? For a regular, good looking guy to extra skinny is one thing, but to make yourself that big is a whole different level. Big props to this dude for just how committed to his craft he really is.

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Palme d'Or Winners Press Conference - 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival

Robert DeNiro: We need to talk Raging Bull for a second. What was crazy about that film is that Robert played both young and old versions of Jake LaMotta. This means, beginning of movie, he is svelte and often shirtless, shown in the ring. But they took some time off before filming second half. Later on in the movie, he is bald and about sixty pounds heavier. This was not padding and prosthetics. They took time off and let DeNiro gain the weight so it would all seem genuine.

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BAFTA Los Angeles 18th Annual Awards Season Tea Party - Red Carpet

Charlize Theron: Up to now, this has been a boy’s club. But that is a big injustice to women who put in just as much work in this department for their roles. In this case, I am talking about the time Charlize Theron was in the movie Monster. Some want to say she just had bad makeup on for that role, but that is not the case. She actually stopped showering, didn’t wash her hair, and gained a good amount of weight to portray real life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Her dedication to the role (and what it took to become that “monster”) landed her some real accolades and even landed her an Academy Award for best Actress for that year.

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'Behind The Candelabra' Premiere - The 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival

Matt Damon: This dude blows me away because he goes in all three directions with his physical transformations for film. For Courage Under Fire he lost 40 lbs in three months. For Elysium, he got himself in the best physical shape of his life, and for the Informant, he got overweight. Thing is, no matter which direction he goes, he always goes back to “baseline Matt Damon”. How is it that none of these guys stay the same?

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The Lincoln Lawyer - Berlin Photocall

Matthew McConaughey: Let’s talk about Dallas Buyer’s Club for a moment, shall we? This man got so thin for that role, he risked his life (just like Bale in the Machinist). To portray someone who was dying of AIDS, he literally made his body look like he was ravaged with the disease by not taking care of it. It is an unforgettable performance, because you feel like part of the struggle and pain he is in during certain parts of that movie are real. Of course, he always bounces back to ideal McConaughey shape in no time.

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84th Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals

Rooney Mara:  If you watch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and then watch Side Effects, you cannot tell it is the same woman. That is because of what she put herself through to portray the girl with the dragon tattoo. What people don’t understand is all the piercings, as well as her eyebrows and haircut, were all real. None of that was clip on stuff. She really chopped her hair off. She became Lisbeth, so much so, the original actress was unrecognizable underneath. I am still eagerly awaiting the second chapter of this trilogy for that reason alone. Just an impossible character to not be intrigued by.

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Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures' "New Year's Eve" - Arrivals

Hilary Swank: For her role in the amazing Boy’s Don’t Cry, this lovely actress pretty much made herself into a boy. She lost weight, cut her hair, and learned to talk and carry herself as if she were a man. Let’s all be honest for a second, in that film, she looked exactly like this dude. Like, exactly. Let’s not forget her transformation later for Million Dollar Baby, where suddenly she was ripped and looked like she could kick butt. Now that is how you commit to your work.

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"Saving Mr Banks" - Closing Night Gala European Premiere - Red Carpet Arrivals: 57th BFI London Film Festival

Tom Hanks: A true master of the body transformation for movie roles, Tom Hanks has a handful of movie roles where he has displayed his knack for altering his looks. You have Castaway and Philidelphia, just to name a few. The most amazing thing about Castaway was that he gained weight, took time off to grow a beard and lose weight, then went back to shooting. I am still waiting for the role where Tom Hanks is super buff, though. So is he, I bet.

(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI)

Launch of New Play 'In a Forest, Dark and Deep'

Matthew Fox: This may seem an odd one to end on, but that is exactly what I am ending on it. We all see Matthew Fox as that nice, charming, non-threatening guy. But have you seen what he looks like in the movie Alex Cross? Though no one saw the movie, Mathew Fox’s body transformation for that film was nothing short of remarkable. He was ripped. The movie may have been missed by most, but if you saw it, he was the one thing that stood out about it.

(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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